BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Meal in Winter: A Novel of World War II
by Hubert Mingarelli (author), Sam Taylor (translator)
(8/3/2016)
Though brief, this is neither a fast, nor easy read. Mingarelli touches on so many inconsistencies within the human psyche, and so much cognitive dissonance. He explores how very treacherous the world is due to longstanding, yet misguided, ideals of masculinity and authority. The story inspires questions as to whether these ideals are outmoded and at odds with a civilized, modern society. The truths Mingarelli writes about are still too relevant for comfort. Read this at risk of Emmerich, Bauer
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Storm Murders: The Storm Murders Trilogy (Volume 1)
by John Farrow
(6/3/2015)
The plot not only thickens, it gels into a teeming, delightful stew (sorry for the mixed metaphor) of clues, red herrings, and blind alleys – some in New Orleans, Louisiana where Sandra is kidnapped. There's even a point where, despite all the law enforcement involved from Montreal to New Orleans to Washington, DC, no one appears above suspicion. Mmm. Delicious. And just when I thought I had it all figured out – yes, Farrow is that tricky – everything I thought was going on was tossed into the a
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Gutenberg's Apprentice by Alix Christie
(10/1/2014)
Gutenberg’s Apprentice is my favorite kind of historical novel, the kind that inspires me to stop every couple of chapters and ponder. Alix Christie’s extraordinary book made me want to ponder the tremendous ruthlessness of History (capital H intended), how it takes no prisoners when its gears begin to churn out global change. We see it today in so many ways, but seldom reflect on the individual lives of those who were chosen to mete out those changes. Changes without which nothing
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Colder War by Charles Cumming
(9/17/2014)
Cumming writes about spies with an acid-burnt edge of short, staccato chapters that spill information piecemeal on a need-to-know basis and build in true espionage fashion to a teeth-rattling implosion. Cold. So cold indeed. Scary cold.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
One Kick: A Kick Lannigan Novel
by Chelsea Cain
(9/3/2014)
If you like complex protagonists you absolutely must meet Kick. But be forewarned, she is given to fits of out-of-the-blue behavior that can inflict cognitive whiplash. The young woman is very deep and very threatening – threatening to become my favorite fictional character, that is.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Euphoria by Lily King
(7/9/2014)
This is a damn good book. It's a compelling story with fascinating characters. Cover to cover, it is just a really great read.
Now that we've got that out of the way I want to suggest you ignore other professional reviews of Lily King's Euphoria, at least until after you've read the book yourself. Don't get me wrong. There are no spoilers. But, had I read the reviews, I might have been turned off of this terrific novel about three scientists studying indigenous New Guinea tribes
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Invisible City: A Rebekah Roberts Novel
by Julia Dahl
(6/4/2014)
There is so much packed into Dahl’s scaled-down narrative: the murder (not a spoiler), the contrast between what is taught in journalism class and the reality of boots-on-the-ground reporting, the tacit acceptance of lowest-common-denominator tabloids versus lofty journalistic ideals, the whole motherless child vibe that thrums within Rebekah’s psyche, and the relevance of ultra-conservative, misogynistic religious communities. Indeed, perhaps the only flaw in Dahl’s debut is a few scattered len
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 by Francine Prose
(5/7/2014)
...the stories ensue with a medley of deliciously unreliable narrators told, by turns, in the unique voices of Yvonne and Gabor, of his patron, wealthy baroness Lily De Rossignol, of Lionel Maine, and of Gabor’s wife, Suzanne and her niece, Lou’s biographer. Honestly, Prose’s writing is so striking in its own chameleon-like ability to adjust to the diverse points of view and voices that that quality alone makes this a worthwhile read.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel
by Gabrielle Zevin
(4/9/2014)
Zevin has written a near-perfect novel. Punctuated by explicit references to classic short stories, implicit literary references, self-deprecating swipes at literary snobs (Is a twist less satisfying if you know it’s coming? Is a twist that you can’t predict symptomatic of bad construction?) and book club discussions, with humor and flawless characterization, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry fills all the bills in straightforward, no-frills prose.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Gemini by Carol Cassella
(4/9/2014)
With expert foreshadowing so delicate that I missed it on the first read, Cassella draws me in with wicked plot twists until I can’t wait to find out how it all ends, but I don’t want it to end because her descriptions of things, emotions, feelings are so good that I want more.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Hit by Melvin Burgess
(3/19/2014)
It’s been a long while since a thriller made me think; presented me with complex issues even while I was hungrily turning pages to get onto the next step, the next cliff. But Michael Burgess’s The Hit – about Adam, a 17-year-old Manchester youth who goes on a weeklong drug-addled bender knowing he will die at the end of it – does just that. Indeed, now that I think of it, reading the book is a bit like taking a weeklong trip. Except, of course, you’re chomping down the pages so quickly t
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Book of Heaven by Patricia Storace
(3/5/2014)
I am not a biblical scholar, nor do I think it's necessary to be one to enjoy The Book of Heaven. As with any magical fiction, Storace takes liberal poetic license with these historical women's stories. The original tales were written by men; told from their perspective. Storace has clearly has pondered these women's lives and experiences and has arrived at these different allegories; told from their perspectives. As a woman it is not all that difficult for me to give myself - and my disb
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
(3/5/2014)
The self-awareness, the humanness of these flawed but beautiful characters makes them just as important to the world as Type A overachievers and we ought to learn to appreciate them. This, plus Quick's lovely, sharp, funny prose, is what makes The Good Luck of Right Now a very worthwhile read.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely
(2/5/2014)
To be honest, as a mother of two (now grown) sons I reacted viscerally to this novel. Make no mistake. There is no graphic sexuality here. No. What is worse is the raw, graphic emotion.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Detroit Shuffle: A Detroit Mystery
by D. E. Johnson
(11/6/2013)
My only, albeit infinitesimal, complaint is that sometimes Johnson's story arc and wickedly sharp characterizations fall second place under the weight of these meticulously researched descriptions. But as I think about it, that may just be Johnson's secret to plot pacing. Because he is indeed a master at establishing a finely tuned tempo, holding a reader just breathless enough to keep turning page after page.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton
(10/2/2013)
Have you ever come late to a party thinking you missed most of the fun, only find out that the best was yet to come? Well, I seem to have come late to John Lawton’s party because this is the first book of his that I’ve read. And it is so good that I will now pick up his previous seven (Frederick Troy) books. What’s more, I look forward to his next book about John Wilfred Holderness, aka Wilderness, aka Joe.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda
(8/21/2013)
I am in awe of Pochoda's craft, not just because of her skill in placing the reader viscerally at the heart of Red Hook, but because she can do so without sacrificing the story line. There's no noticeable break in the forward action of the plot.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Summer of Dead Toys: An Inspector Salgado Thriller
by Antonio Hill
(7/24/2013)
Like the titillating glimmer in the eye of a handsome stranger, a book that makes me laugh on its first page promises pleasures untold. I've been known to be a sucker for both. What's more I've also been known to swoon over well crafted, flawed, quirky or wicked-smart protagonists. And Antonio Hill's Inspector Hector Salgado - from his debut novel The Summer of Dead Toys - is all of these rolled into one.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Midwife's Tale by Samuel Thomas
(3/6/2013)
The sights, the sounds, the aura of midwifery and the city of York in the midst of rebellion resonate as if part of a chorus that thrums behind the tune of Thomas's charming mystery. The only flaw in this otherwise consonant novel is that we know so little of the characters' backstories. I am hoping there will be more from Thomas and the machinations of the team of Lady Bridget Hodgson and her servant, Martha Hawkins.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Prophet by Michael Koryta
(9/12/2012)
Hot diggity! How can you lose by reading a gritty whodunit about football, smack in the thick of football season? Here's the thing: You can't. Even if you're not a football fan. Even if you can't tell a cornerback from a lineman. Because, see, I don't even know the difference between those two positions and I loved this book. Michael Koryta takes full advantage of the football theme in The Prophet. It serves as a story arc, a metaphor and - most interestingly - structure for this dark thr
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The English Monster: or, The Melancholy Transactions of William Ablass
by Lloyd Shepherd
(7/25/2012)
Shepherd's devilishly clever debut isn't just a swashbuckler, nor is it just an historic thriller or a police procedural or even an allegory with a soupçon of magical realism. No. It's an elegant admixture of several genres and a smashing feat of derring-do that roller coasters between the 16th and 19th centuries. And although there is a satisfying conclusion, it is less important than the ride. With all its twists and turns, there is a singular free fall that clinches the story, making the
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Flight from Berlin: A Novel
by David John
(7/25/2012)
If Berlin feels like a scary fog, John's coverage of scenes from the Olympic competitions puts the reader smack inside the roar and excitement of the crowds. Combining the pressure of young athletic performances with the stress of Hitler's efforts to stage a phony humanitarian show for the watching world and the unwinding fictional espionage plot highlights John's authorial mastery. It rivals the very best of spy novels. I would like to see more of Richard Denham, maybe in another adventure sinc
BookBrowse Editorial Review
In the Kingdom of Men: A Novel
by Kim Barnes
(6/14/2012)
Kim Barnes is a genius. I got so swept away in the company of her ruthless, ruthful, grasping men that for the space of 314 pages I was Virginia Mae (Gin) McPhee. Thanks to Barnes's masterly personification, Gin breaks the bonds of the mere mundane fictional heroine - cuts the marionette strings as it were - and blooms into an irrepressible everywoman.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Sadness of the Samurai: A Novel
by Victor del Arbol
(5/30/2012)
I have to applaud any author who can weave so many threads into such a smart, fascinating yarn... If you like your thrillers simple, straightforward, good-guys/bad-guys, this is not a novel for you. But if, like me, you like to savor a sophisticated chiller then by all means dig into this one.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Lehrter Station: A John Russell WWII Thriller
by David Downing
(5/16/2012)
This is not a heartening look at post-war Europe by any means. Nor is it a reassuring view of war, period. And at times characterization and plot take a back seat to setting the scene of the abject devastation of people's lives, friends, family and homes. So, has Downing written a novel or an anti-war polemic? Maybe it is a little of each. For many of us, recent wars have waged nearly invisible damage on our everyday lives; perhaps Downing's work is intended to deliver the feel if not the realit
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung
(3/21/2012)
...Chung knows her protagonist, and the strength of that finely tuned characterization carries the plot. Even when some plot points remain unresolved, it is forgivable because, well, that's just the kind of person Janie is. Her Eastern/Western culture blend doesn't beg easy answers or pat resolutions. So, reader, we will have to forego them as well. No matter. Really. Some of the best books leave us with undigested morsels to ponder at our leisure. Now that Chung has reached such a high bar with
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Or the Bull Kills You: A Mystery
by Jason Webster
(11/3/2011)
Beyond Max's sharply drawn character, Webster weaves a finely intricate mystery with political intrigue, social commentary, and sufficient cultural background for those of us unfamiliar with Spain's complex relationship with bullfighting... Despite a couple minute points off for drawing Max too like other fictional crime fighters, Webster's protagonist is strong enough and the narrative well-crafted enough to stand this series debut in good stead among its peers. I really can't wait to read more
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Killed at the Whim of a Hat: A Jimm Juree Mystery, #1
by Colin Cotterill
(9/21/2011)
Cotterill's wry, irreverent sense of humor is a drone missile that quietly cruises from page to page, taking no prisoners. In varying degrees, everybody and everything is fair game. In short, this is my kind of book. So much so that while reading it I stopped several times to recite passages aloud to my husband.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today
by Rob Dunn
(8/4/2011)
Some readers may feel that the message biologist and noted science writer Rob Dunn conveys is somewhat unsavory, but no one can deny his delivery is outstanding. In other words, you won't want to shoot this messenger just because his assertions have a certain "ew" factor. With a brio and rakish good humor only a biologist can bring to the table, Dunn details exactly how "biological" we human beings are - even as we try our darnedest to separate ourselves from the microscopic, symbiotic critters
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Funeral for a Dog: A Novel
by Thomas Pletzinger
(4/6/2011)
Picking up Pletzinger's literary tour de force, Funeral for a Dog, feels like crashing a party that is in full swing by the time you walk in the door. If you've ever entered a roomful of people you don't know, but who all know each other, you can relate. It may take some time and trust in Pletzinger's authorial skill to get into the groove of the book - and maybe a glass or two of wine - but in the end, your efforts will be worthwhile.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Fates Will Find Their Way: A Novel
by Hannah Pittard
(3/9/2011)
Pittard so successfully and effortlessly blends these boys' voices into those of grown men that even though we never truly know for certain what happens to Nora, by the last page we do feel that the mystery, the fantasies about Nora Lindell have come full circle.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Miracles, Inc.: A Novel
by T.J. Forrester
(2/3/2011)
Forrester's wizardry at creating a truly complex character makes reading this book a thoroughly amusing mental exercise.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Take Me Home: A Novel
by Brian Leung
(11/3/2010)
Brian Leung's haunting, lyrical love story is a powerful parable about how someone's personal history can be superseded by the creative machinations of those involved in writing history... In the end, it seems that Leung is reminding us that the stories - both personal and national - that endure are not necessarily the whole truth but simply a version of the storyteller's truth.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Great House: A Novel
by Nicole Krauss
(10/20/2010)
One of the best things about being a BookBrowse book critic is gaining advance notice that a favorite author has written a new book. Which is why, as soon as I learned that Nicole Krauss had a new novel slated for release, I jumped at the opportunity to review it. I have been a fan for a while and couldn't wait to read her latest. She did not disappoint. Great House possesses the same inventive, graceful prose that she's known for.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Keeper: One House, Three Generations, and a Journey into Alzheimer's
by Andrea Gillies
(9/8/2010)
There are memoirs that inspire and there are memoirs that are inspired. Gillies's exceptional, award-winning account of caring for her ailing mother-in-law fits squarely into both categories... Punctuating her candid personal experiences and lots of medical information on Alzheimer's are glorious morsels of truth gleaned from the wisdom of the ages... This is not a feel-good book. At times, everyone's suffering is so raw it's painful. But this is also a beautiful, perceptive and inspiring book.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Debba by Avner Mandelman
(9/8/2010)
If The Debba were a building it might be an M.C. Escher-like structure with staircases doubling back onto themselves creating an awesome network of levels and plotlines. On the surface this may appear to be a murder mystery, but from page one it became clear to me that it was much more than I was expecting... This is a fine book for readers who, like me, have basically only broad-brush knowledge of Middle East politics, have few preconceptions about said politics and who relish ingeniousl
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel
by Brady Udall
(7/8/2010)
Thanks to Udall's awesome ability to craft these lives and this place – the American west – Golden et al come off the page and join the reader ... I am going to miss Golden Richards. And Trish, Golden's fourth wife. And Cooter, Golden's bug-eyed dachshund mix who, due to an obsessive licking problem, occasionally has to wear tiny undershorts that once belonged to a Swingin' Baby Timmy doll and are "all white except for a yellow explosion on the rear, inside of which the words HOME RUN!!! were pr
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Ask: A Novel
by Sam Lipsyte
(4/21/2010)
No sacred cows are spared by Sam Lipsyte's laser wit as he chronicles the analog life and digital times of protagonist Milo Burke. What this means is, rather than a sleek, flashy hi-def 21st century video game Milo's tale more easily resembles an old-fashioned pinball game... The Ask makes delicious fun at the expense of this man whose job consists of begging (called "the ask") donations (called "the give") from tightfisted millionaires to benefit his third-rate university.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Bad Book Affair: A Mobile Library Mystery
by Ian Sansom
(3/3/2010)
Mr. Sansom's fourth in the Mobile Library Series is a 3-D book. No, it is not a pop-up book. Nor is it so described because the characters and their small town in Northern Ireland come forward fully formed like Venus from the sea, although that is certainly part of it. It's because in addition to depth and definitude, Sansom adds a third dimension: daftness. Daftness is such a rarified dimension, a stratum where only the immensely gifted can survive. Here is where Sansom thrives. The characters,
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem
(10/21/2009)
If Jonathan Lethem's novels were food they would pile the pounds on those who consume them, not from empty calories but from a rich feast of extravagant fare, like lobster in drawn butter or Eggs Benedict swimming in creamy hollandaise. It invariably takes me a long time to read his books because every page bursts with lush language. Lethem uses words and tosses reality around with awe-inspiring creativity. With the possible exception of Motherless Brooklyn (which I loved and re-read to s
BookBrowse Editorial Review
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
(10/7/2009)
Be warned: you will laugh. You may not always be proud of why you're laughing, but unless you're a paragon of virtue who can resist all urges to indulge in a little schadenfreude, you will laugh. Laughter aside, however, beneath Tropper's wicked sense of humor there is a universal substructure of wisdom that is applicable to all families and blood relationships. Read it and weep… and laugh.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Girl in a Blue Dress: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles Dickens
by Gaynor Arnold
(9/2/2009)
Freshman novelist Gaynor Arnold exquisitely manages to imbue a story that takes place more than 150 years ago with a ripped-from-today’s-headlines texture, while simultaneously hurtling readers headlong into the heart and soul of Victorian womanhood... Thank you, Gaynor Arnold, for one fine novel.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Huge by James Fuerst
(8/12/2009)
Fuerst’s small-time detective and his whodunit mystery delivered me straight to readers' heaven... Huge's narrative voice swings seamlessly from snappy wiseguy cant to philosophical musings, pre-teen naïveté and savvy smarts without losing the essence of the boy's character... An unlikely combo of pulp PI-wit plus 19th Century transcendentalism contributes to Eugene's uber-unique charm.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Big Steal by Emyl Jenkins
(8/12/2009)
Although we don't know whether or not protagonist Sterling Glass is a "traditionally built" woman, she does possess much of the same type of homespun, parent-inspired wit and wisdom of Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Precious Ramotswe... This generates an irresistible charm and adds depth to a character that becomes frosting on the cake of what I would call an engaging American parlor mystery.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Bellini Madonna: A Novel
by Elizabeth Lowry
(6/10/2009)
Elizabeth Lowry’s Thomas Joseph Lynch can hold his own among the best fictional characters. In the end we do like Lynch but abhor certain aspects of his character. He may not be trustworthy but he is a hell of a storyteller and Lowry's elegant-on-steroids prose (Oxford English Dictionary editor, indeed) does as much to elevate Lynch to best-fictional-character status as do his actions. Crackpot or not (you decide) we would have Thomas Joseph Lynch over for dinner but likely count the silver afte
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Visible Darkness: A Mystery
by Michael Gregorio
(4/22/2009)
Chief among the many gifts the husband and wife writing team of Michael G Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio bring to this atmospheric thriller is the ability to deliver the environment of Prussia's Baltic Coast in 1808 as a living, breathing, odiferous locale. Indeed, it is fair to say I spent a good deal of the time reading this novel with my nose wrinkled. But that is a good thing, since the effect not only enhances a sense of place but brings the summer of 1808 to the forefront to the extent that
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace
by William Lobdell
(4/22/2009)
One way I can tell whether a nonfiction book has met its goal is if, after finishing it, I want to call the author and invite him/her to lunch. I have to say that nothing would make me happier than spending a quiet spring afternoon sipping a nice sauvignon blanc and chatting with Bill Lobdell. I feel just that close to him. More than that, I feel we are kindred spirits; battered souls on a quest to make sense of a confusing world. Better yet, I think there are more people who have a lot more in
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
(4/1/2009)
I’m glad to know that Walker promises more Bruno books. As for the flagship novel of the series, it was such a pleasure to read that I can’t help but suspect Walker had equal fun writing it.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Eclipse by Richard North Patterson
(2/19/2009)
Simplicity is something to which Patterson never succumbs, even though at times it might feel a blessing. But in the cosmos of Eclipse there are almost more strata of complex desire, motivation and intention than it is possible to track. And each desire, motivation and intention eclipses something else until no character is able to see things plainly. It is what sets a Richard North Patterson thriller apart from its competitors on bookstore shelves and keeps him hitting the New York Times
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Beat the Reaper: A Novel
by Josh Bazell
(2/5/2009)
In between dodging bad guys Brown tries to keep up his hospital rounds and patient care while becoming more and more sleep-deprived and even more "upper" drug dependent. Things become increasingly zany to the point where he notes that, "you may have taken things too far…when you're holding a knife you've just made out of your own shinbone." Oh, yeah. Beat the Reaper is just that gritty. But it is testament to Bazell's skill that he can deliver a message of personal responsibility and acco
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Land of Marvels: A Novel
by Barry Unsworth
(1/21/2009)
Unsworth has a narrative style that sneaks up on you. Understated, subtle but not slow moving each sentence entices, lures, teases, dares you to read the next until you are immersed in a place, a time, a convergence of personalities that you can't get out of your head. And that's okay, because Land of Marvels proves you can trust this Booker Prize winning author. The characters are true to themselves. The place is familiar yet exotic and more than a little scary. And the times, well, the
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Bamboo and Blood: An Inspector O Novel, #3
by James Church
(1/7/2009)
James Church has crafted the quintessential quiet man trying his best to do his job within a corrupt and volatile political system while not allowing its values to reset his own moral compass. The narrative says it all as Inspector O's first person account unveils a man of few words – indeed the dialogue is spare almost to the point of stark – but with incredibly picturesque and insightful observations. O is at once a man of his country, one gets a picture of a land of lean beauty and unforgivin
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Graveyard Book
(10/15/2008)
In all – despite brief bouts with rather grisly evildoers – this is a most satisfying tale suitable for children ten and older. Gaiman's lyrical prose not only mitigates the book's more unpleasant occurrences it elevates the stature of its warmest and most endearing characters. And his crisp dialogue speaks to the kind of hipness that pre-teens most enjoy.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
(10/1/2008)
Good books satisfy a reader's curiosity about plot points. Excellent books do that plus they leave a reader with more, rather than less, to ponder about life and the world we live in. Damn you, Bayard, your book with all its questions will haunt me for a long time to come.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
by Jennet Conant
(9/18/2008)
Conant's spirited account brings all these characters and their wartime intrigue to scintillating life as she drops names and exposes more extramarital affairs among the nation's powerbrokers than today's religious right wingers could shake a "shame-on-you stick" at.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tethered: A Novel
by Amy Mackinnon
(8/13/2008)
Tethered is the first book in recent memory that I absolutely could
not read fast enough to see how it comes out .... I still can't say whether
Tethered should be categorized as a mystery or a literary novel but what I
do know is that with her stupendous prose and intricate characterizations
MacKinnon has penned a winner.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Vengeful Longing: A Novel
by R. N. Morris
(7/11/2008)
While characterization is a commanding aspect of Morris's book the author is equally adept at grounding the story with a powerful sense of place and time. He depicts the political atmosphere of mid 19th century Imperial Russia using a light, almost painterly, hand. Subtle hints to the era's diverse attitudes toward the Tsar and government in general lie buried within the dialog. More explicit descriptions of the sweltering summer heat plus lengthier passages portraying the unspeakably bleak livi
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris
(6/18/2008)
Finding Nouf is as much a riveting mystery as it is an absorbing profile of the conflict between the traditional and the modern in Saudi Arabian/Islamic culture.
Ferraris, an American who spent some time in Saudi Arabia, clearly came away with a comprehension of and sensitivity to the virtues and the flaws of a culture that pours through her characters' thoughts and actions and culminates in a great read. I hope there are more adventures with Nayir and Katya to come.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The House at Riverton: A Novel
by Kate Morton
(5/15/2008)
While other reviewers have faulted The House at Riverton for being slow moving I think it moves along at just the right pace. In order to get to know Grace in all her complexity the plot couldn't be rushed. Peering, as we do, into her memories gives us a thorough understanding of where she has been, how she has evolved and who she currently is. It also establishes motivation for the actions of the people she summons up from her past. In the end I was glad to have become acquainted with Gr
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong
(4/17/2008)
There is so much to glean from Jiang Rong's sprawling semi-autobiographical novel that it's tempting to suggest a second read, if not the whole book, at least parts of it. Although Jiang has taken criticism in other reviews for underdeveloped characters, there is no need to develop them further. So what if, aside from Chen, Bilgee, Little Cub and the landscape, the others are distinctly 2-D? The story is told. The points are made. Powerfully. Jiang's recollections of his time on the steppes of I