Mrs. Ted Bliss

The Mrs. Ted Bliss of its title – Dorothy from Chicago, by way of Russia as a child emigree, and now finally retired and widowed in south Florida – is as rich, complex, and satisfying a fictional character as I’ve ever encountered. This is a book about her, as one might assume, but in all its litera......more

Elkin's final novel is one of his strongest, saddest, and funniest, made all the more impressive by the serious health problems he was dealing with as he wrote it. The title character, on first impression, seems unlike every other Elkin protagonist in that she has no hobbies, interests, career, obse......more

If you are under 55 and not familiar with Don Rickles, Milton Berle or Hennie Youngman, you’re going to struggle with this novel. Mrs. Ted (Dorothy) Bliss is our lead character taking us through the travails of Jewish retirement set in Miami Beach. Being a Floridian myself, I have witnessed the bygo......more

Because the personable quality of his genius and his particular gifts as a language wizard make Stanley Elkin seem as though brought to earth precisely to please the likes of me, I must confess some continuing consternation regarding my having come to him later in life than would altogether seem to......more

This book had too many digressions and desciption, both of characters and setting. It could have told its story in half the pages, although the story wasn't that interesting either. I wanted to say, "Stop describing Mrs. Ted Bliss's feeling and thoughts; show us, using dialogue and action."......more