The template for this brittle tale is the classic 1930 film “The Blue Angel,” the story of a nightclub singer, played by Marlene Dietrich, who seduces and ruins an old professor. Prose’s version sticks so close to the film’s plot that any chance of suspense is shot from the start for anyone who’s seen the movie. But while Swenson’s doom is a foregone conclusion, Prose’s riffs on the original are so clever that you hang around just to watch her work. For example, near the end of the story, with his ruin all but complete, the self-pitying Swenson goes to a video store to rent “The Blue Angel.” When he can’t find it, the perky cashier suggests renting “It’s a Wonderful Life” instead. “It’s the best angel movie there is,” she chirps. This is a blisteringly funny yet compassionate novel about making bad decisions. As for the author, she never makes a single wrong move.
Blue AngelFrancine Prose (HarperCollins) 314 pages. $25
