Fiction Reviews Archives - Page 113 of 123

The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tomm Rachman: Storytelling that pulls you in

6 June 2014 / 6 Comments

I loved The Imperfectionists. Funny, poignant and thoroughly entertaining it was stuffed full of engaging characters caught up in their own lives seemingly oblivious to the fact that the newspaper for which they worked was being pulled inexorably down the tubes by the brave new world of the internet. Expectations were high, then, for Tom

The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tomm Rachman: Storytelling that pulls you in Read More »

Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan: A tasty little titbit that leaves you hungry for more.

4 June 2014 / 4 Comments

Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore was one of the most enjoyable books I read last year. Clichéd as it may sound it made me laugh, it made me cry and kept me thoroughly entertained while doing so. I’d been told there might be a spin-off but had forgotten all about it until a neat little hardback

Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan: A tasty little titbit that leaves you hungry for more. Read More »

The Girl who was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill: Celebrity fallout, Québécois style

30 May 2014 / 2 Comments

I’m not sure how I managed to miss Heather O’Neill’s first novel – probably a case of so many books so little time – but The Girl who was Saturday Night snagged my attention when flipping through publishers’ catalogues choosing books for my Books to Look Out For in May post, or rather posts as

The Girl who was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill: Celebrity fallout, Québécois style Read More »

With a Zero at its Heart by Charles Lambert: A Marmite novel

28 May 2014 / 7 Comments

If you’re from the UK, you’ll know exactly what I mean by a Marmite novel: you’ll either love it or hate it. Charles Lambert’s new novel is made up of 24 themed chapters, each of which has 10 paragraphs of 120 words and if you’re already stalking off towards the hate camp thinking ‘how tricksily

With a Zero at its Heart by Charles Lambert: A Marmite novel Read More »

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian: Something of an acquired taste

23 May 2014 / 6 Comments

I’m still not entirely sure what I think about Julie Sarkissian’s Dear Lucy but perhaps by the time I’ve written this I’ll be a little clearer. It has more puffs from authors I admire on its jacket than I’ve seen adorning a first novel for some time including Alison Moore, Jess Richards, Ron Rash, Sarah

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian: Something of an acquired taste Read More »

The Heroes’ Welcome by Louisa Young and a trip to Fulham Palace Gardens

21 May 2014 / 9 Comments

Trawling the internet looking for somewhere to meet my aunt with the prospect of a lovely day in view, I lit upon Fulham Palace thanks to a piece in the Telegraph about quirky, less well known places to visit in London. We met on Monday which was as gorgeous as the Met. Office had promised

The Heroes’ Welcome by Louisa Young and a trip to Fulham Palace Gardens Read More »

Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman: Does what it says on the cover, and more

16 May 2014 / 3 Comments

It’s taken me a little while to get around to Ayelet Waldman’s novel, despite the fact that it comes garlanded with praise from the likes of Michael Ondaatje and Joyce Carol Oates – where does she find the time to read other people’s books given her own astonishingly prolific output. Once I’d picked it up

Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman: Does what it says on the cover, and more Read More »

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman: A rattling good yarn

14 May 2014 / 10 Comments

If you fancy a good old-fashioned piece of storytelling with beauty, the beast, freaks of nature, love stories, redemption and a faithful, loving pit bull who doesn’t know how to fight I have just the book for you. Alice Hoffman’s new novel has all this plus a hefty helping of suspense. What’s not to like?

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman: A rattling good yarn Read More »

Black Lake by Johanna Lane: A sad story, quietly told

9 May 2014 / 15 Comments

I’ve a weakness for Irish writers many of whom seem to specialise in spare, almost terse yet elegant prose from which the occasional lyrical gem shines out. Colm Tóibín, John McGahern and William Trevor – whose The Story of Lucy Gault is one of the saddest books I’ve ever read – are amongst my favourite

Black Lake by Johanna Lane: A sad story, quietly told Read More »

Life Drawing by Robin Black: A study in relationships

7 May 2014 / 7 Comments

Right from the start of Robin Black’s powerful first novel we know that Owen, our narrator’s husband, is dead and that it was not a natural death. Refugees from urban life thanks to an unexpected inheritance, Gus and Owen live in an isolated farmhouse in which she paints and he writes, or tries to. Owen

Life Drawing by Robin Black: A study in relationships Read More »

Cover image dor The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit: An accomplished, unconventional first novel

2 May 2014 / 13 Comments

I was attracted to TaraShea Nesbit’s debut as much for its location as for its subject. My attention’s snagged by anything set against the stunning landscape of the American South West – recommendations gratefully received. It looked like a handy antidote to Richard Powers’ cerebral Orfeo but turned out to be very much more than

The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit: An accomplished, unconventional first novel Read More »