Book news, reviews and recommendations
Published in the States under Sarah Jessica Parker’s imprint, Alina Grabowski’s Women and Children First came billed as perfect for Elizabeth Strout fans but it was its structure and small-town setting that made me read it. Grabowski traces the lives of ten woman and girls before and after the death of a high school student […]
Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski: A small town tragedy Read More »
So many readers whose opinions I trust enjoyed Catherine Newman’s We All Want Impossible Things that I snapped up Sandwich which came with a feelgood billing and a Cape Cod setting, one of which I was sorely in need of after thinking too much about the state of the world, the other I find irresistible
Sandwich by Catherine Newman: Learning to let go Read More »
I’ve been reading Anna Quindlen’s quietly perceptive novels for years, wondering if she might get the Elizabeth Strout style recognition she deserves here in the UK. It didn’t happen with either Still Life with Breadcrumbs or Alternate Side but perhaps it will with After Annie which spans the year after Annie Brown’s death, following her
After Annie by Anna Quindlen: ‘There’s no right or wrong way to grieve’ Read More »
That subtitle is Help Wanted’s touching dedication which had me predisposed to like Adelle Waldman’s novel from the outset. My only experience of retail is bookselling which has left me with a fellow feeling for all who work in this low wage sector which has become increasingly insecure. Help Wanted is about the logistics section
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman: ‘To all retail workers’ Read More »
It wasn’t until Roxana Robinson’s Leaving arrived that I realised I’d read several other novels by her years ago. She writes the kind of quiet, thoughtful and unflashy novels that often don’t get a lot of attention although she’s won prizes in the States. Hers was one of the rare proofs I request in print
Leaving by Roxana Robinson: ‘Passion and honour’ Read More »
I’m always up for a bit of academic satire which is why I said yes to a proof of Julius Taranto’s How I Won a Nobel Prize, much lauded in the US. Its central theme is cancel culture which, as my very own academic tells me, is a much bigger deal in American academia than
How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto: Cancelling the cancelled Read More »
I was delighted when I spotted a new Nathan Hill in the schedules having thoroughly enjoyed The Nix which I’d originally spotted it in Dussmann’s, Berlin’s wonderful bookshop and arts centre, but its chunkster proportions meant I couldn’t buy it on holiday. Wellness weighs in at roughly the same length, exploring a multitude of themes
Wellness by Nathan Hill: Soulmates or placebo love Read More »
I read Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend a few years ago and although I enjoyed it I wasn’t nearly as impressed as many readers I trust so approached The Vulnerables with caution, particularly as it came billed as a pandemic novel featuring a parrot. Set during the spring of 2020, Nunez’s novel follows an unnamed writer
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez: A treat from start to finish Read More »
I was thrilled when a new Michael Cunningham popped through my letter box. I’ve been a fan since A Home at the End of the World which I loved for its depiction of a different sort of family from the conventional norm. It’s remained my favourite Cunningham novel, still fresh in my mind, which is
Day by Michael Cunningham: Love, loss and carrying on Read More »
That’s an eye-catching cover, isn’t it? It’s what made me put up my hand for a proof when I spotted it on Twitter (can’t be doing with that X nonsense) and it fits the novel beautifully. I’d registered lots of love for Ainslie Hogarth’s Mothering but hadn’t got around to reading it which also made
Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth: Losing the plot Read More »
I loved Bryan Washington’s Lot and Memorial, both written with empathy and a wonderful fluency which made Family Meal a dead cert for me. While Lot was particularly striking in its evocation of Houston, Memorial’s loving descriptions of food and cooking stood out vividly. Unsurprisingly, there’s more of that in Family Meal which sees Cam
Family Meal by Bryan Washington: ‘Love is a tangible thing’ Read More »