The Scarlet Letters

Starred review from September 29, 2003
Auchincloss's latest novel takes place in familiar territory—the world of the privileged classes in 1950s New York—and acquires extra resonance from its mirroring of Hawthorne's famous tale of guilt and redemption. The story opens with a scandal: respected New York lawyer Ambrose Vollard is shocked by the flagrant adultery of his favored son-in-law and heir apparent, Rod Jessup. The author then explores Vollard's rise from ignored son to head of his beloved law firm; his marriage to Hetty, the intelligent daughter of a Boston preacher; his indulgence of his favorite daughter Lavinia; and her relationship to the somewhat puritanical Rod, who is troubled by ghosts of the past, personified in the more hedonistic Harry Hammersly, his best friend and colleague at Vollard's law firm. When Vinnie and Rod divorce and she quickly marries Harry, the story—the battle between a too-strict moralism and a cynical disregard for right and wrong—is only beginning. Auchincloss's writing, which can seem somewhat old-fashioned and burdened with authorial exegesis rather than demonstration of character, makes perfect sense in the context of this near-allegorical morality tale, and readers are rewarded with an embellishment of the simple dichotomies of Hawthorne's novel with an appropriately ambiguous ending. The 1950s context allows the scenes of spiritual, sexual and legal corruption to have an impact they might not in a modern setting, and while the author makes apparent the force of personal history justifying each character's actions, it is always clear who the good guys and bad guys really are. This is a satisfying and sometimes surprising story from a past master of New York tales. (Nov. 5)Forecast: Readers should not be put off by the fact that this is an expansion of a short story from 2002's Manhattan Monologues—it stands on its own as one of Auchincloss's most engrossing novels.

July 1, 2003
Auchincloss re-creates Hawthorne's classic in 1950s Glenville, Long Island, NY.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2003
Ambrose Vollard has a successful career as managing partner of a distinguished Wall Street law firm and a useful marriage to the practical daughter of an old Boston family. The only thing lacking is a son, until his favorite daughter, Vinnie, marries Rod Jessup. But adultery destroys Vinnie's marriage, and change in the form of both her husbands--the honorable Rod and the less honorable Harry--undermines the old ways at Vollard Kaye. There is a sameness to Auchincloss' elegant tales of the Manhattan brownstone set, especially true in this novel, which is a reworking and expansion of a clever story in his 2002 collection, "Manhattan Monologues." Some of the names have been changed; Ambrose was previously called Arnold Dillard. Some passages have been transplanted from the story word for word. But Auchincloss now provides more backstory, especially about Arnold--Ambrose, rather, and also takes his tale further into the future. In giving himself more scope to flesh out characters and examine shifting mores, Auchincloss sacrifices some of the story's original punch, but his many loyal readers probably won't mind. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)