Disappointing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Maybe because I had been on a slew of such stunning reads--"Sharp Objects," "A Little Life," and "The Woman In The Window," I was not ready for the understated elegance of Rebecca Makkai's novel.

                                     Indeed, "The Great Believers" had been highly recommended to me, and I looked forward to it.  The author's intentions were good--richly tapestried and character filled novel, spanning thirty years--from about 1985 to 2015--going from Chicago to Paris, and contrasting the AIDS crisis there, and the art world, both there and abroad.

                                     I found the AIDS chapters and stories to be fascinating.  Except for the tantalizing element of connecting figure Fiona Marcus, searching for her daughter, Claire, who may or may not have joined a cult, I felt Makkai, whose work I had never read could not make up her mind which story to write, and so decided to write two.  The idea was to connect them but by the time that is done, it is too late.  The narrative momentum of the book makes the reader weary, and wishing the author would get on with it.  I knew I would finish it--it wasn't THAT bad--but I think Makkai made the mistake of over reaching her goals with this work.

                                     This is the only book of hers I read.  Those with a special interest in social history and art may find it more engaging than I.  At present, I plan to steer clear of Rebecca Makkai.

                                       Unless she delivers a literary surprise, which is always possible.

                                        Alas, this is not it!