Intimate Enemies

Jessie McGrath, the provost of Kinsolving College and a one-time antiwar activist, and Mark Claymore, a Vietnam vet and the head of ROTC, make an unlikely couple when they fall in love

As a college student in the '60s, Jessie McGrath was an antiwar activist; later she worked as a public-interest lobbyist. So her job as provost of Kinsolving, a small Boston college with a radical tradition, is suited to her background. What may not be so appropriate is her romance with disabled Vietnam vet Mark Claymore, ROTC commander at Kinsolving. Neither Jessie nor Mark is an idealogue, but their relationship is fraught with conflicts, most of which arise from Mark's repressed anger at the war, where he lost a his leg, or from Jessie's determination to remain true to the convictions of her youth and to avoid repeating the mistakes of her first marriage. This love story moves along smartly, propelled by the characters' timely observations and quick-witted retorts. And, while the tone is a bit too persistently bright, and Jessie's spunky resilience brings Nancy Drew to mind, Rivers (Virgins and Girls Forever Brave and True) takes her characters and their concerns seriously enough to make them appealing and credible, despite their preternatural talent for badinage.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Jessie McGrath, once a Vietnam War "peacenik," is at age 36 provost of a private college in Boston. She finds herself attracted to Mark Claymore, a proud veteran who lost a leg in that terrible conflict and now heads the college ROTC. Though confident of their professional abilities, both are emotionally wounded by failed marriages, insecure in their private lives, and wary of personal commitment. Rivers's writing is uneven. The portrayal of the academy is near-caricature and the sex scenes are somewhat forced, in contrast to the very real snippets from Jess's diary and Mark's struggle to exorcise the nightmares of Vietnam. But because the message far outweighs the flaws, this contemporary novel is highly recommended. Marion Hanscom, SUNY at Binghamton Lib.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.