I found Oates' story unpleasant, off key, and conceptually flawed by her
silly imposition of modern sensabilities on topics like old-age, children,
authors, "fans", etc.

Besides the unpleasant tone, her factual errors were annoying.  She seems to
have been familiar with Cooley's book,  and attempted to get facts right.
She also took artistic license by chaging names and places, but at times she
gets facts wrong in ways that look more like sloppiness than artistic
license--

She says every girl whom Twain had loved when young was dead (never mind
Laura Hawkins who outlived Twain, and I think at least one other who became
a school teacher in Texas but I'd need to double-check this second one)

Twain could not remember when "Suzy" died. (yes he could, in fact he
couldn't forget, and he could also spell her name correctly)

Livy died in 1903 (reports of her death in 1903 were exaggerated; how about
June, 1904?)

John Marshall Clemens died in 1857 when Twain was eleven (he died in 1847
and that's no exaggeration; and in 1857 Twain was 22)

Clara went with Twain to the Lotos Club where hundred of "fans" lined up at
an autograph party where Twain signed his books on the title-page. (There
are sooo many things wrong with this entire concept--- Authors did not hold
modern-day style autograph parties like they do now, nor book tours, and
Twain usually signed inside front covers rather than title-pages to avoid
having his autograph clipped out and sold,  and "hundreds of fans" never
showed up in long lines at the Lotos Club which was a private club, etc,
etc) I'm not aware of Clara accompanying him to the Lotos Club for any major
dinners, although she may have visited the Club at other times when he
dropped by.

Angelfish pins were enamel and gold (not gold --silver-- I have several of
them).

Twain's autograph was an illegible scrawl (Twain's autograph, even in old
age was quite legible even though it got wobbly toward the end; in fact his
handwriting and autograph are among the easiest to read of all 19th century
authors)  There do survive a couple of death-bed notes that are an illegible
scrawl, one asking for a glass of water, but he was not signing autographs
for folks as he lay dying at Stormfield.

But her story would fail even if she'd got her facts right.

Kevin Mac Donnell
Austin TX