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Katerina: A Novel by James Frey

September 27, 2018

katerina

Last week I wrote about The Golden State, a novel that literally flowed, with very little punctuation or grammar, from the protagonist’s mind. Oddly, enough immediately after that book, I read James Frey’s Katerina and he utilizes the same style. The good news? In both cases it works. Katerina is the story of Jay, a writer at two very different points in his life. In 1992 he is ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, contemporary life, Paris

The Silence of the Girls

September 24, 2018

silence

Whether you read The Iliad in the original Greek, in an academic translation, or watched Brad Pitt and Eric Bana glisten as they warred on a sandy beach what everyone knows of the Trojan War is the men. And why not? It’s a story of men told by men. Author Pat Barker is having none of that. Instead, she’s looks at the war that lasted nine years and was set off by one man’s pride ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Doubleday, mythology, war, women

The Golden State

September 19, 2018

golden

At first glance, Daphne has a great life. She’s in her early thirties, lives in San Francisco, is mother to a beautiful 16-month-old daughter, Honey, and is happily married, with a job that may not be the most satisfying, but pays well. The only problem? Thanks to Immigration officer intimidation at SFO airport her husband, Engin, had his green card taken away and was deported ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, debut, literary, Macmillan, women

She Would Be King

September 17, 2018

she

An unlikely trio comes together in the fight for a new nation in She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore’s debut novel about Liberia. There is 18-year-old Gbessa, exiled from her small West African village as a witch, who survives the bite of a poisonous snake.  June Dey is a 15-year-old Virginian slave, who kills two men while trying to save the woman who raised him. When others try ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Africa, book clubs, debut, historical fiction, literary, magical realism

The Dreaded DNF: Mini-Reviews

September 14, 2018

dreaded

There is more than one reason for not finishing a book. Sometimes it's a case of 'It's Not You, It's Me'. Other times it's the right book at the wrong time. And then, there are the cases when neither of these apply and it is more basic: life is too short for me to keep reading this book that is working my last nerve. It happens and becomes a dreaded DNF. Here are my two most ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, satire, WWII

The Betrayals by Fiona Neill

September 12, 2018

betrayals

A seemingly happy marriage has cracks that shatter one summer when two families vacation together on the Norfolk coast. Two families with best friends at their center. Rosie and Lisa have known each other since they were teenagers so it was wonderful that their families aligned so well.  Right up until Lisa has an affair with Nick, Rosie’s husband. Suddenly, what was, wasn’t, ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, family, marriage, mental health, Pegasus

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