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Operation Wandering Soul
Richard Powers Book Review

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Plot Summary of Operation Wandering Soul
"Powers's fourth novel centers on the activities in the pediatrics ward of a Los Angeles hospital. The protagonist physician tries to help the various children with rare and often fatal diseases to cope. References to the Children's Crusade and other historical events that crushed children and their wishes and futures are woven into the story; at the climax, the kids on the ward stage a production of the Pied Piper. This is perhaps Powers's darkest, most despairing novel, with the usual intellectual provocations and wordplay one finds in his novels."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Operation Wandering Soul
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - seduction (yum!)
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Life of a profession: - doctor
Family, caring for ill Yes
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes
Brain/Body disability? - physical disability

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - doctor
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - doctor
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
United States Yes
The US: - California
Europe Yes
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Southeast Asia
Jungles? Yes
City? Yes
City: - Los Angeles - dirty, grimy (like New York)

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - actual description of hetero sex
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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