Witty, somber, irreverent—just a few of the words I’d use to describe George Saunders’s new novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. And because I know you’re wondering: bardo is the Buddhist concept of the interim place the soul goes before moving into its next reincarnation. In this case, the soul belongs to Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s eleven-year-old son who dies of ... Read More...
Idaho: A Novel by Emily Ruskovich
When a mother brutally murders one of her young children in the first quarter of a novel there is an expectation that the motivation behind the act will be a theme or, maybe, her backstory and how it led to such an act, but in Emily Ruskovich’s debut, Idaho, neither happens. I picked up, put down and tried to re-engage this novel multiple times in the course of several ... Read More...
High School Trauma and Drama: Mini-Reviews
There are few people who look back on high school as the best years of their life and, quite frankly, I don’t trust them. These two novels encapsulate what may or may not be the truth of high school life in America today. Is it accurate? Dear God, I hope not, but I’m so far removed from that time that all I can do is share my thoughts on them as novels. Mostly, they made me ... Read More...
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
Wonderful news, kittens, one of my 5 star, favorite novels of 2016 comes out in paperback tomorrow! The Swans of Fifth Avenue is fabulously divine reading about Truman Capote, 1950s Manhattan and wealthy people behaving badly. Witty and sharp, it is THE antidote for everything that is dreary right now. Once upon a time there was a group of very special ... Read More...
Behold the Dreamers
Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel Behold the Dreamers falls into a quirky category of mine—books with titles that perfectly encapsulate the story. This novel is the American dream from two vastly different perspectives—one, that of an immigrant here on a limited work visa and the other, an investment banker. Jende Jonga is hired as a chauffeur by Clark Edwards, the banker. His ... Read More...
Bright, Precious Days
Russell and Corrine Calloway move in all the right circles, but at the grand banquet that is New York society they’re seated at the children’s table. Yes, Russell owns his company, but it’s a publishing firm and while it has cachet it doesn’t have much cash. They live at an enviable address downtown, but in a cramped loft with one bathroom for four people. When Bright, ... Read More...
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