Reviews for Matters of Honor

The average rating for Matters of Honor based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-06-18 00:00:00 Monique Franklin Louis Begley writes, sometimes -many times'about the same things: upper class Americans in moral situations. He does so again in Matters of Honor. Here we follow five people from Harvard (and Radcliffe) from the late forties to some kind of end for three of them. Along the way he writes probably the most interesting novel ever created about property law. Throw in some holocaust material, some coming of age sex in the 'fifties, and a scintillating international scene and you have quite a book. In fact you have both too much and not enough. Begley sometimes gets bogged down in plot lines that seem endless. And then, the conclusion, if not quite a "I have a letter," is not much better. We have invested too much attention to be thrust away with a "I found him and he was happy." What I liked most about the book is the almost invisible narrator. He is a participant, but we know almost nothing of him. In fact, he knows little of himself except he is an orphan and has turned into a fine writer. I hope these are both positives, but I am not sure. I have read all of Begley, and he continues the J.P. Marquand tradition quite admirably.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-02-17 00:00:00 Charles Mennell Such intelligence and grace shine on every page. He's like an American Anthony Powell. He should be better known. I've read everything now and highly recommend him.