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In Sunlight and In Shadow

October 1, 2012

in sunlight

And if you were a spirit, and time did not bind you, and patience and love were all you knew, then there you would wait for someone to return, and the story to unfold. Mark Helprin’s Winter's Tale was a magical enthralling ode to New York City and the first and only book I wanted to read after 9/11, despite having originally read it when I lived in NYC . It’s a timeless tale ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 20th century, book clubs, family saga, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, literary, New York City

Beautiful Lies

September 28, 2012

beautiful lies

Set in late 1800s England, Beautiful Lies is the story of Maribel Campbell Lowe and her husband, Liberal MP, Edward Campbell Lowe. The story follows Edward’s mission to bring economic relief to the working classes in England who, at that time, are in the midst of massive poverty and joblessness. This part of the story is clearly defined and well thought out. Clare Clark has ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: historical fiction

The Forgiven

September 24, 2012

forgiven

The suburbs of Tangiers were ruined, but the gardens were still there. And so were the crippled lemon trees and olives, the dogged disillusion and empty factories, the smell of seething young men. A sybaritic weekend in the Saharan desert of Morocco, at a fantastically renovated fortress compound. Richard and Dally have invited friends from around the globe and for Londoners, ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Africa, book clubs, cultural, Hogarth, literary

The Headmaster’s Wager

September 21, 2012

headmaster's wager

  In 1930 Percival Chen’s father left him and his mother in mainland China to go to Vietnam and seek his fortune. He never returned and so, after his mother’s death, Percival left their province to go to school in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the Japanese invasion in 1941 meant that Hong Kong was no longer safe, but it precipitated Percival’s marriage to a young beauty much above ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, China, Doubleday, historical fiction, Vietnam, Vietnam War

Sometimes a Great Notion

September 17, 2012

sometimes

When I learned that Ken Kesey grew up in Oregon I thought I was long overdue to read one of his books. I had seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and didn’t think I needed to revisit that subject so I opted for his second novel, Sometimes a Great Notion. The story is set in Oregon logging country in the early 1960s. It catches the Stamper family (aptly named) at the height of ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, classics, family saga, literary, Pacific Northwest, Penguin

The Chocolate Money

September 16, 2012

Call me twisted but when a book opens with a wealthy woman complaining that no one understood her nude-themed Christmas card, I’m going to laugh. And have high hopes that something snarky and fun is about to transpire. Unfortunately, this does not work out in The Chocolate Money. Babs is the heiress to the Ballentyne chocolate fortune. She and her young daughter, Bettina, live ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Chicago, coming-of-age, debut, Mariner Books, wealth

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