Ward Just's narrative is stylistically reminiscent of books written in the decades between the World Wars. It is perfectly suited for the story he tells in "Rodin's Debutante." The story opens around World War I, though this doesn't figure in novel. The setting is small town,rural Illinois. The local "lord of the manor" Tommy Ogden, a cynical world weary man, whose only passion is hunting, is introduced to us, briefly in his youth and then in adulthood. In order to spite his wife, he founds a boy's school, based on eastern prep schools. He funds the school but takes no part in the running of the institution. A sculpture of a young girl which stands in the school's library, threads its way through the tale.
The real story begins with a student at the school, Lee Goodell. Lee is the son of a local judge and most of the novel tells of his coming of age. Despite his father wanting him to carry on the family tradition of the study of law, Lee becomes a sculptor and the story tells of his passage through school, his dream like meeting with the aged Tommy Ogden, and finally his life in a downtrodden neighborhood in Chicago. The book completes a circle as the final chapter ends back at Ogden Hall.
Ward Just writes with quiet elegance. If you like an old-fashioned book, you will enjoy this read.
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