BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
(9/3/2014)
The novel pulses with anticipation as Nella gets closer to determining the truth behind the miniaturist’s gifts and the secrets in her own home, but the ending fades away without a satisfying wrap up. Despite this, the absorbing characters and convincing historical atmosphere make The Miniaturist worth the read.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
(8/13/2014)
Yanique's incorporation of magical realism and her ability to tie the Virgin Islands' mythical tales into her narrative, creates fantastical elements that build mood and atmosphere. The sensory descriptions and the characters' deep sense of place cement the vibrant scenes for the reader, but the addition of magical realism elements — one character has a cleft foot, another has beauty more radiant than a mermaid — transforms the narrative from passive writing into animated storytelling. We hear a
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai
(7/23/2014)
The novel's unique structure and its vibrant characters make for active, exciting reading. Questions raised in one section are answered in others, creating a reading experience that might have you flipping back and forth through the pages. The Hundred-Year House is a puzzle, a plunge into a world of fascinating characters, and an examination of human relationships. It is not to be missed.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
(6/18/2014)
As Racculia portrays a weekend of talented young musicians performing great music, she also explores the nature of talent and the grace of second chances. Bellweather Rhapsody is as engrossing as it is intelligent. The characters are captivating, the scenes vibrant, and the internal pulse of the narrative keeps the pages moving.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Black Moon by Kenneth Calhoun
(4/9/2014)
Black Moon's depiction of an insomnia epidemic is disorienting and convincing. These scenes and the illustration of intriguing characters wrestling with the problems of their frightening world would have been enough to create a fascinating read, but Calhoun takes his novel a step further. Perhaps zombie films and novels are so entertaining because their portrayals of people without humanity actually reveals to us what we prize most about it.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Wake by Anna Hope
(3/5/2014)
Wake is an emotional powerhouse. The beauty of the story lies in Hope’s ability to create great depth and feeling from small moments. Evelyn’s pain sitting at the table during her mother’s birthday lunch comes to mind. Though little action happens in the novel, the emotional evolution of these three women, as they learn how to heal their wounds, is palpable and compelling.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Ghost of the Mary Celeste by Valerie Martin
(2/19/2014)
The ways in which multiple stories can connect and tangle to create larger meaning. The conclusion suggests a satisfying resolution. Valerie Martin's novel is transportive, a haunting tale not to be missed.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe
(2/5/2014)
Though Rosetta's dialect is often grating her spunky attitude and tenacity reveals a fascinating, appealing character. Rosetta is brave enough to choose her husband's love over a life of feminine conformity. McCabe’s novel is an engrossing one, and her main character Rosetta is unforgettable.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Belle Cora: A Novel
by Phillip Margulies
(1/22/2014)
Told from Belle's perspective as an older woman, this novel, over 500 pages long, masquerades as her memoir. Belle is captivating, not only because of her unique adventures, but because of her opinions of them. Belle Cora is a grand novel in every sense of the word. It will appeal to historical fiction and literary fiction fans alike.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Longbourn by Jo Baker
(10/16/2013)
Pride and Prejudice and Longbourn create a delightfully unified whole. It is possible to read one without the other, but reading them together provides a broad and nuanced view of early 19th century England - and takes readers into the lives of some of literature's most beloved characters.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell
(7/24/2013)
Maggie O'Farrell's investigation of the three characters, all related by blood but astoundingly different, creates a vibrant portrait of what it means to create the life you want, versus the life you were conditioned to have.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville
by Clare Mulley
(7/24/2013)
This biography insightfully explores Christine Granville's ineffable qualities and illuminates a little-known, but fascinating character from history. Christine was indeed a spy who loved. She loved freedom, Poland, a handful of interesting men, and a life full of adventure. Fans of WWII history, espionage, or James Bond will be delighted by this real-life espionage story.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession
by Charlie Lovett
(7/10/2013)
Charlie Lovett’s The Bookman’s Tale is a literary mystery spiced with intrigue and conspiracy. It is also a poignant story about one antiquarian bookseller’s recovery from the loss of his beloved wife. Lovett, himself a former antiquarian bookseller, weaves an engrossing tale that contemplates the influence of literature, the pain of death, and the power of redemption.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
(6/19/2013)
McVeigh’s The Fever Tree is entrancing and provocative. It is a beautiful character drama and an insightful historical representation. This novel is not to be missed.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
(6/5/2013)
Set in America, England, and Nigeria, the novel is broad in scope and analysis. Adichie's power of descriptive detail and character development are on full display. Though the novel occasionally unfurls into raw social commentary, the primary story of Ifemelu's quest for self is beautiful and captivating.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Dream Merchant by Fred Waitzkin
(4/17/2013)
Though some have described The Dream Merchant as a dark morality tale, a label that implies that this novel will have a "moral" or lesson to take away by the end, the novel refuses to proscribe a view on whether Jim's behavior is right or wrong. Depending on the chapter in his life, the answer can cut both ways.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Memory of Love by Linda Olsson
(3/20/2013)
Linda Olsson’s story unfolds slowly, like a shell emptying sand, and just as that shell exposes its inner secrets, so too does the tale. The artful storytelling and transfixing characters creates a beautiful novel, one that passes from unhappiness to hope and regret to joy.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories
by Karen Russell
(2/20/2013)
There are many reasons to read Vampires in the Lemon Grove - highly imaginative characters, stunning language, penetrating insights into the human condition, and thought-provoking situations – but the primary reason to read this collection is that it is a great read.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Valley of Unknowing by Philip Sington
(1/23/2013)
By creating a charming narcissist who has gotten himself into a troubling scrape, Philip Sington allows us an intimate and evolving portrait of life behind the Iron Curtain. Sington’s novel contemplates serious subjects, but the narrative is often light-hearted and funny.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
(1/9/2013)
Ayana Mathis's debut novel The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is a stunning, penetrating portrait of a woman through the eyes of her children. Devotion and its intersection with love is one of the central ruminations of the novel. The narrative structure of the novel is intriguing, and somewhat like a puzzle. For example, although Hattie is the titular character, she is rarely allowed the opportunity to provide her own perspective. The effect is powerful and subtle. Each chapter provides informa
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
(10/31/2012)
Will Schwalbe's heart-wrenching memoir is difficult to categorize. It is at once a paean to his beloved mother, a treatise on the power of reading, and a handbook on how to live - and die. With direct prose and unflinching courage in the face of sadness, Schwalbe recreates the final months of his mother's life, offering a wealth of insight into how the written word can connect lives.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Healing: A Novel
(2/15/2012)
Whether or not this is possible - if a group of people can heal, can reclaim identity when it has been brutally stripped from them and then cruelly withheld - is one of the central questions of the novel. In this way, The Healing becomes much more than a historical fiction novel set in the antebellum South. As it contemplates how people are repatriated into their dormant identities, the novel ruminates on the ways in which people define themselves and whether it is possible to heal the ho
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc
by Kimberly Cutter
(11/17/2011)
Kimberly Cutter's debut novel is a gritty, absorbing exploration of the life of Joan of Arc. As Cutter explains in her afterword, Joan of Arc is one of the most written about women in history, yet I would bet that few capture the essence of Joan's journey like Cutter does. The novel follows Joan's life closely, and Cutter often uses phrases from Joan's actual conversations and correspondence for the dialogue of her character. Despite its accuracy and the adherence to the historical record, this
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Betrayal: A Novel
by Helen Dunmore
(11/3/2011)
Dunmore's brilliance lies in her ability to pare down the sweeping drama of Soviet Russia into small, clear descriptions of how average families are affected by societal forces. The reader is brought inside Anna and Andrei's relationship and made to feel the stresses, joys, fears that they feel... Dunmore's ability to integrate the reader so seamlessly into her narrative is masterful. This is a powerful novel, one that has stuck in my mind since I finished reading it. The Betrayal is perf
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Secret History of Costaguana: A Novel
by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
(7/13/2011)
The Secret History of Costaguana is a brilliant exploration of how stories and histories are told and of how one man's version of events is not another's. Fans of Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Ilosa will enjoy Juan Gabriel Vásquez's multi-layered, anguished tale - a story that seeks to understand the inheritances of history.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
22 Britannia Road: A Novel
by Amanda Hodgkinson
(5/12/2011)
22 Britannia Road is a beautiful story about the lengths to which a family will go to heal itself. Told in lyrical prose with sharp dialogue and precise detail, we are brought into a world emerging from catastrophe and into a family that will do anything to protect itself.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Tiger's Wife: A Novel
by Téa Obreht
(3/24/2011)
The Tiger's Wife is, on the surface, a tale of one woman's search for the truth behind her beloved grandfather's death, but the implications of this search are fundamental to the way we make sense of life and death. Obreht's delicate unfolding of Natalia's grandfather's past presents a multi-dimensional view of a man Natalia believed she knew. From the reader's view, these different perspectives are suspended but never resolved, so that we are left with the final, breathless conclusion th
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor
(2/16/2011)
Though Andrew Taylor's riveting novel is billed as a mystery infused with a ghost story, it is considerably more literary than it might appear. The plot concerns the investigation of a murder and a ghost, but all of the characters are haunted by something - regret, failed ambition - and it is around these "hauntings" that the story revolves. As John Holdsworth investigates the oddities of Sylvia Whichcote's death, it is clear that this novel is wrestling with larger issues: Is it possible to esc
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O'Hagan
(1/13/2011)
Ultimately, The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of his Friend Marilyn Monroe is an entertaining read, not least for its satisfying glimpses behind the curtain of Hollywood, but it will not be to everyone's taste. This is not a cute story told from a trusty dog's perspective, but a melancholy social commentary about a nation on the cusp of change. It is funny, sad, and earthy, and Maf the Dog, with his remarkable turns of phrase and impassioned beliefs, is a memorable storyteller.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Fall of Giants: The Century Trilogy #1
by Ken Follett
(10/20/2010)
In the epic tradition of Leon Uris's Trinity and James Clavell's Shogun comes Ken Follett's Fall of Giants, the first of a planned trilogy that will follow five families through the major historical moments of the 20th century... With its sweeping plot, larger than life characters, and accurately presented history, it is a perfect example of great historical fiction. The only downside is that it is the first of a trilogy, and the second installment is not set to hit bookstor
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott
(1/13/2010)
An epic tale of change, love, and science set against the backdrop of post-Revolutionary France... Overlaid on top of the excellently executed historical fiction is a page-turning mystery that will keep readers riveted... The narrative ranges from delightful scenes at the Jardin des Plantes, the epicenter of naturalist research, to the twisted, dark alleys of the poorer sections of Paris, and each moment transports the reader to a bygone era.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Broken Jewel: A Novel
by David L Robbins
(11/19/2009)
With keen insight and deft characterization, Robbins investigates the pressures of deprivation and cruelty on the most common of human relationships – the love between a father and son and the love between a man and a woman – in a most uncommon circumstance... His attention to historical detail and the sympathetic treatment of his captivating characters create an absorbing novel that will appeal to a variety of readers.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Brooklyn: A Novel
by Colm Toibin
(6/10/2009)
With deft prose and subtle characterization, Tóibín contemplates whether anyone can ever really return home.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Carpentaria: A Novel
by Alexis Wright
(5/6/2009)
Full of larger-than-life characters and prose that channels the rhythms of Aboriginal speech, Wright's book is anything but mainstream. Wright's lyrical prose, bright characters, and mythical elements create a great patchwork of an original novel - one that will enchant a variety of readers.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
All Other Nights: A Novel
by Dara Horn
(4/22/2009)
Dara Horn's third novel All Other Nights shimmers with emotion and historical detail. Set amidst the tumult of the Civil War, Jacob Rappaport is on a quest to find himself. When he flees his parents' wealthy New York life, he knows little of himself or the world. His journey takes him into the bowels of evil, self-loathing and despair; yet there is redemption for him as well as he struggles to make sense of love and duty.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Revelation: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery
by C. J. Sansom
(2/19/2009)
If you are unfamiliar with Matthew Shardlake and his Sherlockian escapades, don’t feel that you must start at the beginning of the series to enjoy this story. Revelation is perfectly accessible as a stand-alone novel. Though Sansom doesn’t provide much of Matthew's personal history or how he's connected to the people in his employ, there's enough information for the reader to gain a foothold and dive into the plot -- and that's a great thing because the plot is nuanced, intelligent, and s
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
(2/19/2009)
The Help is a beautiful novel, and Kathryn Stockett is a natural storyteller with her finger on the pulse of the human condition. Her characters, their stories, and the complex questions they raise will linger deep in your mind long after you’re done reading.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Disquiet by Julia Leigh
(11/12/2008)
Though some critics have argued that Disquiet is light on plot, Olivia's evolution is absorbing and complex. Leigh is an artist working at the top of her game, and the success of this novella lies in her ability to shave as much fat from her narrative as possible, while maintaining deep, profound significance. Similar to a Rembrandt sketch, this novella breathes full-bodied life through only a few deft, precise strokes. Like a poem, each word carries a heavy load. Leigh is a remarkable, s
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam
(9/18/2008)
Aslam explores a variety of themes and historical moments as he strives to illustrate 'the continuation of wars' and the connections between these unlikely friends. The notion that fighting, whether internal or external, between friends or amongst nations, can ever be resolved is adroitly examined as Aslam walks with these characters through their pain and searching. His beautiful language, precise imagery, and nuanced characterization add to the rich experience of reading this book. As with Asl
BookBrowse Editorial Review
What Was Lost: A Novel
by Catherine O'Flynn
(7/11/2008)
Every once in a while a book comes along that takes your breath away. What Was Lost is such a book. Catherine O'Flynn's stunning first novel contemplates the loss of innocence and the dullness of modern life. A simple story about two people's investigation of a young girl's mysterious disappearance grows into a larger rumination on modernity, maturation, and love under O'Flynn's deft and empathetic pen.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie
(6/18/2008)
Rushdie's larger points that literature (storytelling) should be the agent for understanding and that people are essentially the same is well heard and, after 500 pages, well-explained, but the novel contemplates little else. The plot circulates around itself, and though some scenes (sections in Italy and Akbar's palace come to mind) are lucid and engaging, the nonlinear sections are so frequent and so confusing that they undermine any brilliance the clearer narrative sections possess. One finds
BookBrowse Editorial Review
December by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop
(6/18/2008)
Winthrop's prose is bright and piercing at points, dull and mundane at others. Her descriptions are precise and methodical, but the specific details become burdensome at times. The shining light, and the reason the pages continue to turn, is Isabelle. Winthrop handles her expertly, and she should have been given more space. A version of this novel in first person narration from Isabelle's point of view would have been intensely revelatory.
Ultimately, however, December offers a
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The White Tiger: A Novel
by Aravind Adiga
(5/2/2008)
Adiga's novel is hilarious and impolite, a fabulous counterpoint to some of the beautiful, lyrical Indian novels that have surfaced in the past decade. Adiga does not sugarcoat Balram's view of India, and the result is a true, unique view of a country we may have thought we understood.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Outlander by Gil Adamson
(5/2/2008)
Mary Boulton's intense psychological transformation is augmented by Adamson's crystalline prose. Nothing is too minuscule for Adamson's notice: the mud at the bottom edge of Mary's hem, the glint in the brothers-in-laws' animal-like eyes, the color of the sky, the smell of the trees. Each sentence and paragraph is worth the contemplation of any great poem. The pacing is deliberate and perfect. Adamson's dark, yet delicate descriptions take this story from mere western escape story to a gothic fa
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Animal's People: A Novel
by Indra Sinha
(4/17/2008)
Animal's greatest gift, and the reason he is so sympathetic as a character, is his sense of humor. From the Western perspective, his life is awful: he must walk on all fours, he must beg for food, he believes no one will love him, and he has no opportunity to better himself. To Animal, though, his plight is merely run of the mill; in fact, it's perhaps better than most because his condition has made him special. He can run like an animal, and he has the rare ability to understand the souls of ot
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Lost City by Henry Shukman
(2/21/2008)
The strength of Shukman's work is the description of the scenery. The Lost City works best when Jackson is alone in the forest and desert, the delicate descriptions of cloud and fog, and the elegant illustrations of ancient cities shrouded in vines are beautiful and evocative. Shukman's pacing and gift for language are well showcased.
The Lost City is a great adventure story, but the promise of the grand exposé, with complex character development to follow, is unfulfill
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Day: A Novel
by A.L. Kennedy
(1/24/2008)
This disorienting prose style is the true strength of Day; in fact, it's the key that makes the entire story work. Without the constant shift of perspective and non-linear story line, we would never stand in Alfie's shoes, and that's the whole point. We must follow Alfie, be Alfie to the end, because learning what Alfie learns is the ultimate lesson of life, a lesson that that may ultimately save us from war.