The Fiery Pantheon

by Nancy Lemann

Acclaimed for her "gleeful and contagious love of language" (Los Angeles Times), Nancy Lemann evokes the tattered glamour of fading traditional Southern society like no other writer. Now she introduces the aristocratic Stewart clan of New Orleans, in particular, the self-effacing Grace, who is vacationing with her family at a rambling old resort in Virginia and mulling over her recent engagement to Monroe Collier, her ideal Southern gentleman. When she spots the crazed but brilliant Walter, she pegs him as a likely candidate for a nervous breakdown, but he determinedly attaches himself to Grace and begins to work his charms on her.

Will Grace remain true to laconic Monroe and the ideals of her homeland or will she fall for the strangely charismatic Walter? Who will gain entry into the Fiery Pantheon, Grace's personal gallery of beloved and honored heroes? In the tradition of Evelyn Waugh and Walker Percy, The Fiery Pantheon is a witty and rapturous novel about the weight of past glory, the attachment to place, and the love of a man.

Genres: Fiction, Southern

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

American novelist.

Reviews

[Emma]

On California versus New Orleans “Where California is more bland. Bland and sleazy is a bad combination. Sleazy and hopeless is better.”

On arriving in the south “When you arrive at the airport this is the scene you will see.
White-suited Southerners mopping their brows, but holding their tempers, for it is their way to be polite. They don't know another way. Perhaps they could conceive it or had heard about it or perhaps they too had once been Hey you in New York—but it wasn't polite. The minute you drive toward the river you will be struck by the unending green and monumental oaks. The atmosphere is very thick. The air will seem dark as though it were twilight but this is only because it is impending rain. The gods seem angry, but the residents forbear. Also, it will be sleazy.”

On great old men “They both saw the craven and the feckless and the ignoble, where Grace saw only gallantry and angst.”

There are beautiful and mostly romantic scenes described constantly. Lemann loves the word crazed and there is something crazed about being in a constant state of romantic agitation towards the world. Towards decay especially. It’s easy to romanticize decay because it seems to have lost its power/danger so evil decaying things are defanged. Ultimately this scares me, it’s a kind of innocence or smth that is removed from reality. Still temporarily visiting this crazed romanticism is thrilling as long as you don’t allow yourself to become blasé, seeing the romantic as the new mundane or think too hard about the kinds of evil romanticized in decline.

[Elaine Robinson LaBar]

I really disliked this book. Could not see any point or plot to the story. Grace herself seems not to know what she wants in life, living mostly in the past. her mother is self-absorbed and arrogant, pretending to know what everyone else is about, the father a good natured oaf who indulges both his conceited wife and confused daughter. Monroe was completely absent from the story, and poor hapless Walter, jeez I don’t even know what to say about him. And the repetition drove me crazy! Have never read anything by Nancy Lemann before and am definitely unlikely to read anything else.

[LRKK]

A flawed novel but, truly, it doesn’t much matter. Read it for the hypnotic lyricism and the old story made new.

[Sylvie Pingeon]

In my Lukewarm Pantheon

[Mira]

I really love Lemann’s writing, but I felt like this dragged on a bit. A really beautiful story about the love one feels for their home (in her case, New Orleans) but also the yearning for something different. Reminds me of that Townes van Zandt line from I’ll be here in the morning, “no prettier sight than looking back on a town you left behind.” Anyway, this book would make an excellent rom com. Obsessed with Grace, even more obsessed with Walter. May we all make it into the Fiery Pantheon one day.

[Barbara]

Annoying, stilted, repetitive. Southern fiction at close to its worst with "crazed young people" and a psychoanalyzing mother and a heroine who idealizes (in her mental fiery pantheon) seersucker suited men of the south. Yuk.

[Chris Duray]

A lot to like in the details but never felt like it came together in a coherent whole. Is that meant to be read as an example of a languid southern ethos? I don’t know, but I did like all of the different ways Walter could slump into a chair.

[Anne]

I liked this book, although I'm not sure why. The writing style was strange, somehow, but I loved the characters, and the plot was satisfying. I'm a sucker for books about wealthy, eccentric Southerners, I guess.

[Meggie]

I seem to be in the minority here because I love The Fiery Pantheon. But I also loved Nancy Lemann's writing going into this, so...

Yes, there is a lot of repetition, and Lemann has favorite words that appear again and again: vast, madly, besotted, dementedly. (See this review from the NYT). But there are also hysterically funny passages: Grace's various accidental conquests unraveling before your eyes, Walter attempting to change into a tuxedo in an airplane lavatory à la James Bond.

I almost think parts of this novel work better read aloud; when I reached a good passage (which to be honest was every few pages), I'd read it out loud to whatever poor soul happened to be in my vicinity. They seemed to enjoy them, but then again, they could have just been humoring a crazed person.

[Joy]

While I wanted to finish this book, interesteing story and characters, I couldn't wrap myself around the way it was written. A bit "Momemtum" like - it kept going back and saying the same things over and over again. Probably half as long and twice as good if the author did not deploy that writing style.

[Carey]

2.5 stars...I really {really} wanted to love this book, since it came highly recommended by a close friend, but in the end, I was just annoyed by the writing style and lack of storyline. :(

[Marshall]

I first read this book in 1998 and loved it. I kept it in NY and read a chapter or two over this year. I love it still. For me, it’s a classic.