Rating: 
Summary: The author is as confused as the main charcter in the book
Review: A very poorly written book. This book is the next best thing to a sleeping pill. She is too wordy and all over the place. Lacks depth, as well as the art of story telling. She touches on different topics without any depth. Please dont waste your money and time on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing Book
Review: I am reluctant with most modern fiction to give 5 stars; it's always difficult to predict how well a novel will bear up over time, compared to the classics. However, I'd be inclined to give this a higher rating. I have read it twice and find the depiction of the protagonist intriguing. She is presented warts and all, cranky, demanding, contradictory, hungry, humorous, self effacing and talented. She seems like such a modern heroine, unlike the others in Gordon's typical novels. She is like the women I have known. The book presents her perspective well, showing her vacillating motives and desires. It sets up a great situation and unwinds it in fascinating ways. Yes, it has a pat, all-too-convenient plot development concerning money, but one can see why the author wanted to show a side of the protagonist that might have been difficult to spotlight otherwise. I was reminded of the Erica Jong books I read as a teen, before Jong got so exhibitionistic.
Rating: 
Summary: Way too long!
Review: I found this book, entertaining and a profoundly moving view of an artist's eye, her passionate need to create work, and the secondary role all else falls to, in these moments. Also, Gordon has the artist confront her struggle with money (and its attendant power). As a poor artist, being "scotch" is a puritan-like ethic, yet the heroine quickly adjusts to vast wealth, feeling she alone can appreciate it without corruption. I found this a great and interesting struggle of money and morality with the beauty of Bruce Chatwin's "Utz" in its portrayal of art.
Rating:
Summary: A plateful of profiteroles for smart women
Review: I read this is a day -- never forgetting that it's a UTOPIAN tale. SPENDING is a wonderful ode to the middle age fulfillment of appetites -- sexual, gustatory,sensual. Moreover, finally, we find a book that forthrightly accepts the notion that fifty year old, premenopausal women can have great sex. Gordon has written a creampuff of a novel for thinking women. And fortunately, unlike the case of more tepid paeons to midddle age romance like BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, the reader doesn't have to feel ashamed of herself the morning after.ps. Mary. Why didn't you include some of the recipes!
Rating:
Summary: Literary fiction, light
Review: If you like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, just need a break from really heady stuff, or if you normally read romance novels, and you want to try somthing a little more literary, "Spending" is a good pick. Spending is the story of fifty-something Monica Szabo, a good painter who becomes great with the help of "B," her muse, benefactor and lover. The title page describes the novel as a "Utopian Divertimento," but as the first forty pages unfold into a series of sex scenes, it seems the subtitle "Harlequin Romance" may be a more apt description. Fortunately, the story grows in detail and complexity, and Gordon ultimately succeeds in turning Monica into a bold character struggling to play the myriad of roles required by her neurotic life. The characterization of Monica Szabo is an ambitious undertaking, but Gordon renders the character seamlessly as she vacillates between being a mother, artist, feminist, girlfriend and whore. As the story progresses, Monica shares with the reader explicit details of every sexual encounter with B. She also shares her unique take on feminism, which is defined more by curiosity than a sense of unfairness or desire for reparations. "Where are the male muses?" she wonders during a speech to a group of art collectors. When B says, "right here," then goes on to offer to be her financier, lover and model, the door opens wide for a novel filled with Monica's attempts at reconciling her suddenly male role with her female sensibilities. The ability to pull this potentially hokey story together is a testament to Gordon's skill as a writer. Though Spending lacks the impact Gordon's "Final Payments," its treatment of feminism shows an intellectual maturity that Gordon lacked when writing "Company of Women." She also continues to offer often stunning prose and attention to detail that makes the story intimate. Gordon shines particularly in her descriptions of art and the creative process. Monica's interest in art and her discussion of the works of lesser known Masters could easily have made Spending inaccessible to all but the most serious students of art. Instead, Mantenga, Rosso and Sodoma come to life. Similarly, Monica's time with the sketch pad and in the studio draws the reader close when it could disenfranchise. It seems that Gordon must have fairly extensive experience as a painter. Moreover, Gordon avails herself as a master of allusion. Spending is nothing if not incredibly referential, and as Gordon waxes on subjects as diverse as Mapelthorpe and the Tolmec Indians, or fashion and the futures market, she proves herself to be a student of much more than art. While Spending is far from perfect, Gordon's breezy, informed depiction of Monica is so well done that it manages to carry everything else. The end result is a romance novel written by and for literati - perfect for rainy day reverie, though less important and vital than some of Gordon's earlier work.
Rating: 
Summary: leaves something to be desired
Review: Mary Gordon has created an entertaining and alluring read. She has also succeeded in doing what men have done for centuries in their art--creating an attractive but unrealistic love interest. The male muse in the novel, "B.," hardly seems human. Can any person in a sexual relationship be so completely undemanding, so unselfish as to never have any wants of their own? Also, by the end of the novel, 3 years have passed and only then does the question of love cross the mind of the protagonist, Monica. I'm just over 30 myself, but I hope that in middle age it does not take me 3 years of sex before the "L-word" is raised in my mind! Gordon's pat answer to the question of where artistic inspiration comes from is simply this: passionate sex. OK, but methinks real life is a bit more complicated. Still, I must admit this was an enjoyable, sensual story.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written Prose, Compelling Characters
Review: Monica Szabo is a 50 something artist looking for something. She finds something as B, responds to her question during a speech about where the male muses are. But B is much more than just her muse, he becomes her lover and her financial support at the same time. Some really important questions are asked as we move through the book. For me, her attempts to rise above the fact that she was having sex with B and he was giving her money for her art and whether that made her a whore was one I gave a lot of thought to. Moreover, I think some really interesting takes on modern day feminism were explored. The thing that made this book so compelling for me was that Monica is not a likeable character in the least. She's a horrible mother, she's selfish, she doesn't treat B very well most of the time and yet, you want to read more about her. Very few authors can suck you in that way. I didn't see this book as a romance novel. Goodness knows I've read enough of them. There is no ease here, no real romance. Sex sure, but a lot of difficult exploration of personal stuff keeps it far from the harlequin romance descriptions I've seen in some other reviews. The real difficulty of balancing one's feminist preconceptions with the reality of sharing a life with someone else, especially when they are supporting you financially brings it to a completely different level. No, the book isn't perfect but it is compelling and beautifully written. This is a rare and delicious treat.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written Prose, Compelling Characters
Review: Monica Szabo is a 50 something artist looking for something. She finds something as B, responds to her question during a speech about where the male muses are. But B is much more than just her muse, he becomes her lover and her financial support at the same time. Some really important questions are asked as we move through the book. For me, her attempts to rise above the fact that she was having sex with B and he was giving her money for her art and whether that made her a whore was one I gave a lot of thought to. Moreover, I think some really interesting takes on modern day feminism were explored. The thing that made this book so compelling for me was that Monica is not a likeable character in the least. She's a horrible mother, she's selfish, she doesn't treat B very well most of the time and yet, you want to read more about her. Very few authors can suck you in that way. I didn't see this book as a romance novel. Goodness knows I've read enough of them. There is no ease here, no real romance. Sex sure, but a lot of difficult exploration of personal stuff keeps it far from the harlequin romance descriptions I've seen in some other reviews. The real difficulty of balancing one's feminist preconceptions with the reality of sharing a life with someone else, especially when they are supporting you financially brings it to a completely different level. No, the book isn't perfect but it is compelling and beautifully written. This is a rare and delicious treat.
Rating:
Summary: A Very good read
Review: One of the most readable and yet not dumbed-down modern novels that I have read. I found the protagonist to be very amusing and was extremely impressed by Gordon's writing. In fact, since first reading this book a couple of years ago, I have read most of her other novels and Spending continues to be my favorite with "Men and Angels" a close second place.
Rating: 
Summary: pretentious
Review: The narrator of this novel is pretentious and annoying. The ending is hackneyed.
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