Review: A great, character-rich novel to curl up with
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2011
Originally published in 1974 by Simon and Schuster, Decades gives you a glimpse into the romantic lives of three women in another time. Nat Baum has three important women embroidered into his life: Evelyn; his wife, Barbara; his lover, and Joy; his daughter. Decades covers their stories--of a woman (Evelyn) who loves her husband despite his shortcomings; Barbara, a divorcee who finally finds her equal and fights to claim him even though he's married to someone else; and Joy (Nat's and Evelyn's daughter), who is very close to her indulgent father while having a strained relationships with her more conservative mother.In this novel there is no harsh judgment of right and wrong. No one emerged to me as the hero. Each character had faults and the path to right and wrong wasn't always clearly illuminated. Nat was a complex character, deeply faulted, and ultimately very self-indulgent, but haven't we all known people like that and loved some of them anyway? Nat also struck me as a bit of a chameleon--the women in his life were all very different but he easily won over all of them.The writing style itself was extremely engaging. Ruth Harris has a clear voice that shines through the pages. From reading the parts of the book from the three different women's perspectives, I expected it all to be tied back together in a neat little package at the end, but there was no fairytale ending--just like in real life. This is a novel that will stay with you after you've finished reading it--the sign of a great book!