The English Understand Wool
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt Despite its brevity (about the length of a New Yorker article), The English Understand Wool provoked plenty of conversation at book club. Marguerite […]
The Go-Between
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley You may not know the British author L.P. Hartley, but you are probably familiar with the opening line of his 1953 novel The Go-Between. “The […]
The Saint of Bright Doors
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera I hated this book… and yet. Fantasy fiction bores me (Tolkien, yuck), so I was not thrilled with our November book club […]
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 1-8 by Beth Brower More my style is a series of historical novels which were recommended to me by my friend Jerry. […]
A Way of Life, Like Any Other
A Way of Life, Like Any Other by Darcy O’Brien I typically hate coming of age novels. Why would I want to relive the angst of adolescence, even through the […]
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler A few months ago, I said I would get back to you regarding the novel We Are All Completely Beside […]
Still Life with Bread Crumbs
Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen I have been a fan of Anna Quindlen’s work for years. I was an avid reader of her Pulitzer Prize winning column […]
Clare Pooley Novels
Clare Pooley Novels If you are looking for charming, feel-good stories, I recommend the novels of British author and former advertising executive Clare Pooley. I reviewed How to Age Disgracefully […]
The Novels of Barbara Pym
The Novels of Barbara Pym 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of my favorite British authors Barbara Pym. So by way of celebration, I reread a […]
Salvage the Bones
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward I could not finish this dramatically downbeat book about a poor rural family on the eve of Hurricane Katrina, but my book club’s thoughtful […]
Life After Life
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson Don’t you wonder what might have happened if you had married another, spoken sooner, or taken a different route home? Ursula Todd, the protagonist […]
Crusoe’s Daughter
Crusoe’s Daughter by Jane Gardam This is my third Gardam book in as many months. Having enjoyed Old Filth and The Man in the Wooden Hat, I turned to Crusoe’s […]
The Man in the Wooden Hat
The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam (Book 2) Don’t you occasionally wonder how your spouse experiences your mutual milestones as well as the minutia of your everyday […]
Old Filth
Old Filth by Jane Gardam (Book 1) Prior to his retirement to Dorset, Sir Edward Feathers was a successful Hong Kong judge. He was greatly admired in the legal community, […]
Beautiful Ruins
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter Satirical novels about the movie business are funny but rarely charming. Beautiful Ruins manages to be both. In 1962, a beautiful actress arrives on the […]