Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin
Believe it or not, Unfinished Desires is not a romance novel turned murder mystery–it’s a story about a nun. Mother Ravenel, to be exact, an aging woman writing the history of the Catholic school she attended and eventually ran. Author Gail Godwin uses Mother Ravenel’s history to portray the complicated dynamics of packs of teenaged girls, alternating from the 1930s, to the 1950s, to the present day. The time periods and perspectives alternate throughout the book, which some critics found unnecessarily confusing. Though Godwin’s characters are developed and intriguing, the book’s confusing structure and multiple plot lines solicited a luke-warm reaction from critics. Godwin fans, however, will appreciate the book’s psychological depth and intricate female dynamics.
“Godwin works [...] at a leisurely pace, creating a slightly complicated design that moves back and forth in time and from private papers to public drama.” – Alan Cheuse, Dallas Morning News
“Godwin has created several deeply affecting characters.” – Dominique Browning, New York Times
“Although Godwin provides a key to the 16 ninth-grade girls of 1951 whose stories scaffold the novel, the reader’s mind may become similarly vertiginous.” – Elizabeth Fishel, San Francisco Chronicle
“Although Godwin writes incisively of ambitions and disasters, she packs entirely too much plot into this novel.” – Betsy Willeford, Miami Herald
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