In a small Catholic village in Occupied France, Jeanne and Marie-Angèle attend the local convent school. From the beginning they are distinctly different girls from their backgrounds to their current family life. Marie- Angèle is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed daughter of the local grocer while Jeanne is a small, dark and intense girl whose mother has been reduced to cleaning ... Read More...
Archives for February 2013
Benediction
Yes. You know how much they think of you. Well, I think a lot of them too. But they never say much, do they? They never say much to me. You don’t let people, Daddy. You never have. You think that’s what it is? Yes, I do. Well. I don’t know about that. I couldn’t say. -Lorraine speaking to her father It is the beginning of summer but the end of Dad Lewis’ life. As per ... Read More...
No One is Here Except All of Us
That one world is at war does nothing to interrupt the patient churning of peaceful years someplace far away. There are so many kinds of fiction and so many ways an author can draw a reader in. Some appeal to the masses and write a quick easy read and some require more from their readers. No One is Here Except All of Us is a unique book and so, not easy to review. It’s the ... Read More...
Interview with Carlene Bauer
On Monday I posted my review of Frances and Bernard, a book I found to be witty, sharp, and deep. A complex look at love and friendship between two writers. As often happens when I enjoy a book this much I want to know more about the author and their process. Here then is a Q&A session with Carlene Bauer, conducted by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the publishers of Frances and ... Read More...
Frances and Bernard
In today’s world of email, texting, and skype there is an instant gratification element to communicating that blunts its finer points, especially in relationships. It is with great delight, then, to read Frances and Bernard, Carlene Bauer’s fictional look at the friendship between two writers, using the relationship between Flannery O’Connor and Robert Lowell as its basis. The ... Read More...
Herman Koch Interview
Earlier this week I wrote a review of The Dinner, a book that I found brilliant in its execution and one I would highly recommend to anyone in a book club as it demands discussion. Author Herman Koch challenges the reader by turning their perceptions and beliefs inside out. Where you began the book is not where you will end it. To whet your appetite here is an interview with ... Read More...
