A Fine Romance

by Cynthia Propper Seton

“An elegantly written comedy of manners, constructed around serious ideas―ideas jovially and sometimes outrageously explored by a group of civilized people. . . .It has been a long time since so much sparkling, quirky talk has appeared in an American novel. . . .This novel is a pure, a rare delight.” ―Eugenia Thornton, ― Cleveland Plain Dealer “Shines with elusive insights about persons we recognize at once as acquaintances and friends, caught briefly in events that are part of their upper-class life, part of their inevitable sexual prisons, part of their middle age. To be able to say consistently interesting things about these embroilments―class, sex, age―is a triumph for a novelist. Cynthia Propper Seton has pulled off just such a triumph.” ―Doris Grumbach, Los Angeles Times

Genres: Fiction

196 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1976

About the author

Cynthia Propper Seton was born Oct. 11, 1926, in New York City. She graduated from the Fieldston School and received her B.A. degree from Smith College in 1948.

For 12 years, Mrs. Seton wrote a regular column for The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Mass. Her first book was a collection of the columns and was followed by two volumes of essays discussing the problems of family life and marriage against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

In 1971, she turned to fiction with the publication of ''The Sea Change of Angela Lewes.'' Her third novel, ''A Fine Romance,'' was nominated for the National Book Award in 1976. Her last novel, ''A Private Life,'' was published in April.

Mrs. Seton was in demand as a lecturer on literary and feminist issues. She taught at the Indiana Writers Conference and contributed book reviews to several publications.

Mrs. Seton died October 23, 1982, in Northampton, Mass. She was 56 years old and lived in Northampton.

Bibliography

The Mother of the Graduate (1970)
The Sea Change of Angela Lewes (1971)
The Half-Sisters (1974)
A Fine Romance, (1976)
A Glorious Third (1980)
A Private Life (1982)

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had looked forward to reading this novel for two reasons:

1. It’s referenced in Christopher Fowler’s book, “The Book of Forgotten Authors.”
2. It’s about touting Sicily and I fondly remember my time there on a family vacation.

The story begins with a group of tourists waiting under a marquee on a damp morning for a CIAT bus to take them on a tour of Sicily. It wasn’t their first choice of transportation; however, they are down on their luck due to a flight cancelation and a ban on Sunday driving in Sicily. They remain somewhat optimistic and soon enough they are off on their adventure.

I laughed out loud when I read the following, then acknowledged that when people are thrust together, they tend to make the best of it: “The answer to the problem of alienation, to the difficulties of building a sense of community, may be to put people on buses. By the second day these leery, mistrusting strangers were the oldest and best of friends…”

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

[Featherbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Many critics praised Seton's work, calling her "a latter-day Jane Austen, writing a comedy of manners." Her third novel, A Fine Romance, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1976. In addition to writing, Seton lectured on literary and feminist topics and taught at the Indiana Writer's Conference."

So many fine books and authors just slip away yet they gave me such pleasure on first reading. I'm not a re-reader but I remember and treasure authors like Seton for their lasting position in my literary life. If I were to run a reprint publisher, she'd be one of the first.

[Carla]

A delightful literate novel, somewhat reminescent of Alison Lurie at her best. Must find more of this author.