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Gone So Long: A Novel

October 8, 2018

gone

Gone So Long is both the title and the main situation in this new novel from Andre DuBus III. Daniel Ahearn is dying of cancer. He lives a quiet life alone in a small New England town and works repairing fine furniture. Before he dies he is determined to find his daughter, whom he hasn’t seen in 40 years. Twenty-five of those years were spent in prison for murdering his wife, ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, family, literary, New England, W.W. Norton

The Burning Girl by Claire Messud

September 7, 2017

burning

Julia and Cassie meet in nursery school and are best friends from that moment on. Cassie is the power and spirit in their duo and Julia is the steadfast and careful one. The dynamic works until the end of middle school when what was so strong starts to fray. Cassie makes a new friend, a girl she used to mock with Julia, for being so silly and interested in boys. Julia watches ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, childhood, coming-of-age, friendship, literary, W.W. Norton

Miss Jane: A Novel

December 12, 2016

miss jane

Jane Chisolm is a surprise baby, born to her parents long after her two older brothers have gone off to college and her sister is ten-years-old. But that’s not the only thing about Jane that’s unexpected. Her body didn’t fully develop in the womb and she is born with genital defects that rule out a normal woman’s life in rural Mississippi. It’s 1915, a time when no medical ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: family, historical fiction, literary, Southern life, W.W. Norton

The Madwoman in the Volvo

November 14, 2014

madwoman volvo

I don’t generally begin a review by telling people to stop reading but if you are a man hand the laptop/iPad to your better half and go watch ESPN because I’m about to talk about a book about m-e-n-o-p-a-u-s-e. And, really, not even we women want to talk about it so I’m saving you a world of hurt. Now go away. Yes, it’s a natural part of life but while pregnancy is something ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: book clubs, memoir, midlife, W.W. Norton

The Gods of Heavenly Punishment

January 17, 2014

gods of heavenly punishment

  There are numerous novels about World War II and the events leading up to it but TheThe Gods of Heavenly Punishment: A Novel comes from a perspective not often seen—that of life in Japan in the late 1930s. Author Jennifer Cody Epstein intermingles the lives of disparate characters that come together and move apart against the backdrop of war. Anton Reynolds is an American ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, cultural, historical fiction, Japan, W.W. Norton, WWII

Finding Camlann

January 9, 2013

The legend of King Arthur and the search for proof of his existence has occupied fiction and non-fiction authors for decades. Sean Pidgeon jumps into the fray with his debut novel Finding Camlann. Donald Gladstone is an archeologist preparing for the publication of his latest book on the true origins of the Arthurian legend. After meeting with his publisher and being given ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, historical fiction, W.W. Norton

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