A review by lola425
Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer

4.0

I vacillated between three and four stars for this one. I loved the epistolary style. I think the form suited the story. Bernard was based on Robert Lowell who has a lot of his correspondence collected so it makes sense that the story would be told in this way. I struggled with all the talk of God and religion. It was an integral part of the story, an integral thread in their correspondence but it did not engage me. Watching as Bernard falls apart, as Frances denies her ability to love, as the two cross each other, never able to find each other on the same page at the same time is heartbreaking, but you also know that what ultimately happens is "right", was bound to happen. If Robert Lowell's real history is any indication, life with his would have been no picnic. I would highly recommend Words in Air, the Collected Letters of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop, if you wanted to get a sense of Lowell's letter writing style.