In this invaluable guide, Nichols writes about Durrell's pervasive focus on women in his novels. Clearly in command of his subject, the author provides numerous insights that clarify the complicated male-female relationships that characterize Durrell's many novels. Durrell and D. H. Lawrence are often paired, and Nichols begins by addressing this connection and the two authors' similar interest in women ... Read morefigures and their salient differences. He counsels readers to avoid interpreting Durrell by way of biography; for example, in real life Durrell was notorious for his troubled, even despotic relationships with women. In his fiction, however, he proffers women as exemplars of male completion. For Durrell, woman is the controlling force in life, ushering in the carnality of experience. Lover, protector, and friend, she is equal to her men in every way and always at the center of a productive relationship. She is the means to man's freedom, but only as he allows her social and intellectual equality. Durrell emerges as a classicist in his pagan tapestry affirming life's goodness. Defined by cautiousness and adroit scholarship, Nichols' study is as brilliant in its conception as it is formidable in its telling. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above.
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