Narcopolis: An Untraditional Indian Novel by Jeet Thayil

On April 10, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Jeet Thayil’s luminous debut novel completely subverts and challenges the literary traditions for which the Indian novel is celebrated. This is a book about drugs, sex, death, perversion, addiction, love, and god, and has more in common in its subject matter with the work of William S. Burroughs or Baudelaire than with the subcontinent’s familiar literary lights.

The Cove: A Dark Tale of Appalachian Superstition by Ron Rash

The New York Times bestselling author of Serena returns to Appalachia, this time at the height of World War I, with the story of a blazing but doomed love affair caught in the turmoil of a nation at war.

Veronica Backham’s Interview With Lorelei Bell, Author Of The Sabrina Strong Series

Veronica Backham continues her series of interviews with the rich and famous. Today she took the opportunity to talk with yet another celebrity, Lorelei Bell, the author of the Sabrina Strong series.

The O’Briens – Chronicle of an Irish-Canadian Family by Peter Behrens

On March 19, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

An unforgettable saga of love, loss, and exhilarating change spanning half a century in the lives of a restless family, from the author of the acclaimed novel The Law of Dreams.

Coral Glynn: A Novel by Peter Cameron

On March 7, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, by Editor

A period novel observed through a refreshingly gimlet eye, Coral Glynn explores how quickly need and desire can blossom into love, and just as quickly transform into something less categorical. Borrowing from themes and characters prevalent in the work of mid-twentieth-century British women writers, Peter Cameron examines how we live and how we love—with his customary empathy and wit.

Heft: A Heartwarming Novel About Larger-Than-Life Characters And Second Chances by Liz Moore

On February 26, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Heft tells the winning story of two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives. Like Elizabeth McCracken’s The Giant’s House, Heft is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places.

Thoughts on “The Symposium”

On February 23, 2012, in Ariel Ceylan, Guest Writers, by Ariel Ceylan

I am currently in the Humanites Honors track of my college and we just finished reading “The Symposium” by Plato. It makes me think all kinds of things regarding reason. Before I begin, I would like to get off my chest that a symposium, even though it is called “a meeting of the minds”, it [...]

Gillespie and I: An Elegant Novel Of Love, Loss And Redemption by Jane Harris

On February 21, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, by Editor

Infused with rich period detail, shot through with sly humor, and featuring a memorable cast of characters, Gillespie and I is an absorbing, atmospheric tale of one young woman’s friendship with a volatile artist and her place in the controversy that consumes him—a tour de force from one of the emerging names of modern fiction.

History of a Pleasure Seeker – A Provocative And Keenly Funny Portrait Of A Rake by Richard Mason

On February 20, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, Romance, by Editor

From the acclaimed author of The Drowning People (“A literary sensation” —The New York Times Book Review) and Natural Elements (“A magnum opus” —The New Yorker), an opulent, romantic coming-of-age drama set at the height of Europe’s belle époque, written in the grand tradition with a lightness of touch that is wholly modern and original.

Restoration: A Romance Novel Set Against A Dramatic Backdrop Of War by Olaf Olafsson

On February 18, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, Romance, by Editor

In this sweeping story of passion and betrayal, Olafsson works his profound magic once again, creating a novel that grapples with the moral abyss of war while rendering the psychological portraits of those living through it with masterful strokes.