Word: pontevecchio
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...concerns. In this dry, sparkling comedy of manners, reminiscent of Edith Wharton's lighter works, the glitter is incessant. Emily Codway, a widow of a certain age -- nearly 60 actually, although she will only admit to 49 -- carries on a sunset flirtation with a fortyish Italian prince, Carlo Pontevecchio. Her sister-in-law Irma Shrewsbury, also a moneyed widow, is romanced by Charlie Hopeland, a conniving young lawyer. Emily has had cosmetic surgery, but her wardrobe and behavior remain staunchly conservative. Irma, who appears "mean, as if she unconsciously wanted revenge for what she had missed," abruptly turns into...
...sees the last blossom on the plum tree must pick it. Shakespeare was more succinct: ripeness is all, and so it proves with Emily. After meeting Carlo's ancient father, she is momentarily ( transformed into a radiant ideal: "beautiful, charming, intelligent, loving, and the perfect future Principessa Pontevecchio." Irma is another matter: abandoned by Charlie, she becomes one more foolish dowager in the tow of her parasitic heir. But these are merely the bones of the book. Astor's primary theme is irony, and the '20s international set allows her to use it undiluted...
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