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by Roxana Robinson
'Roxana Robinson brings chillingly to life a family showing us how - like a luminous yet ominous landscape - their tangible visible world can coincide with the invisible, tumultuous world of their emotions.'
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Interviews |
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Dara Horn
In two separate interviews Dara Horn discusses her 2009 novel All Other Nights, set during the American Civil War; and her 2006 novel, The World To Come, about the artist Marc Chagall.
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Lisa See
In two separate interviews, Lisa See talks about Peony in Love (2007) and Shanghai Girls (2009).
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Alan Bradley
Alan Bradley discusses his first novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - the first of six planned books set in England in the 1950s to feature 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce.
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Wendy Moore
Wendy Moore explains how she came to write Wedlock, the
true story of the disastrous marriage and remarkable divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, who at age 11 became the richest heiress in 18th Century England only to stumble headlong into an abusive marriage and scandal following her first husband's early death.
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The Best Recent Reader Reviews |
To write your own review, simply click on the "Reader Review" link from any book review or book excerpt page at BookBrowse. |
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The Great Stink
by
Clare Clark
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7/3/2009: A bit hard to get into, but once in, it was even more difficult to get out and put it down. A very interesting look into the deeper parts of Victorian London, the great stinking sewers and from here to the traumatic Crimea War. It is a wonder that anyone survived at all during this period. Left me wanting to know more about William and his family and their later trials and... |
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You Are Here
by
Christopher Potter
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6/26/2009: As a physicist of old, this book is a revelation as it maneuvers so easily between many technical subjects - in fact it reminds me of Peter Watson's "A Terrible Beauty" - a favourite- in its breadth and fluidity. It is not a "popular science" book if you expect oversimplification; it does give many insights into the ways and perils of the "scientific method". The use of orders of magnitude to take you up and down the scales of space and time works well. The... |
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Museum of Human Beings
by
Colin Sargent
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6/16/2009: In Museum of Human Beings, author Colin Sargent focuses on the life of a relatively little known character associated with one of the most famous American sagas —the Lewis and Clark expedition—spinning a wondrous tale spanning more than six decades. In this well-paced debut novel, we experience the new and old world through the eyes of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the half-breed son of Sacagawea, the expedition’s Shoshone guide to the Pacific Ocean.
Raised by William Clark after Sacagewea’s... |
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The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by
Muriel Barbery
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6/12/2009: I can't remember when I enjoyed a story as much as I did this one; I read it twice! The author's style was, to me, enchanting; I love her use of the language itself....metaphors and similes, in particular. I found Renee's sense of humor, combined with her intelligence, to be refreshing and thought-provoking; I would like to have had her for a friend. While Paloma has, in addition to her intelligence, the emotions and immaturity of a young girl, I felt that she will mature into an... |
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Random Acts of Heroic Love
by
Danny Scheinmann
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6/8/2009: The chapters that follow Moritz Daniecki’s WWI exploits are marvelous historical fiction. They’re rich in detail without bogging down. His story is the more entertaining one, something like the story of Odysseus - without the gods and monsters (although some he met along the way were rather inhuman, now that I think about it). Less exciting but far more moving is Leo Deakin’s struggle with the death of his love. His pain and guilt are palpable, and his search for meaning feels incredibly... |
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City of Thieves
by
David Benioff
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6/8/2009: What can I say...I am somewhat lethargic when it comes to reading. I usually start a book and read for a few days and then my attention is turned elsewhere and I don,t pick it up again for a month....to be honest sometimes books take me months to read.......but not this book. This is the first novel I have read in years which completely captivated my attention, I started reading it on a Sunday evening and had finished it by Monday Dinner time, for me this is a feat believe me. The Characters... |
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Lavinia
by
Ursula K. Le Guin
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6/5/2009: I read the first two pages and thought, oh dear, Mary Renault. Not that I have anything against Mary Renault, who was very good in her way, but she was not Ursula Le Guin. At the end of the second page, everything changed, and it became altogether more complex, a novel about creation, writing, the life of invented characters. Ursula Le Guin has always been able to tell a good story, whatever else she may have been trying to do, and although she has "lost" one or two of the good bits from... |
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Honolulu
by
Alan Brennert
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6/5/2009: This book has what I look for in a book: it took me to a time and place not well known to me in the company of people I care about. Even the bad guys are more than cardboard people.
The story follows Gen,an extremely restricted traditional young Korean woman who escapes to Hawai'i by becoming a "picture bride" in 1914. On the way she travels with four other picture brides, and we follow them for several decades as they make lives for themselves and mostly thrive in the slums of... |
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Ghostwalk
by
Rebecca Stott
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6/5/2009: The author started with an obvious passion for the 17th century, and her extensive research into the period is evident. There are parts of this novel that seem like they could have been the kernel of the author’s Ph.D. thesis. She layers a rather spooky ghost story on top of her historical musings, and I feel like these two strata of the plot work particularly well. She then throws in sub-plots about the protagonist’s extramarital affair, a radical animal-rights group, modern-day murders,... |
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All Over But The Shoutin'
by
Rick Bragg
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6/2/2009: Having lived in the South 8 years as a Midwesterner, I think Mr. Bragg's depiction of southern people is vivacious, creative, and respectful. His sheer honesty, clear descriptions, and use of the English language is incredible. I am listening while driving to the book on CD and laughing and crying in the same chapters. Get a copy right... |
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Gone For Good
by
Harlan Coben
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5/31/2009: This is the second Harlan Coben novel I've read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I'm finding that he is fast becoming one of my favorite "light" authors. This book, in particular, was intriguing and fast-paced with many unexpected plot twists that kept me amply entertained. It kept me reading late into the night. It’s definitely one I’ll recommend to my reading friends as a terrific book to consider when choosing a novel solely for its entertainment... |
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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
by
David Wroblewski
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5/30/2009: This book had so much buzz and I spent the greater part of a year trying to get it at 2 libraries. Well, after finally sitting down the book, I spent 2 days of enjoyable reading. Then came the last chapter and I was MOST disappointed and even confused. Why would the author leave his story without closure? Are the readers to make up their own conclusion? I was angry and told a host of friends that are dog lovers not to read it. I will not look for this author again. I am happy to see... |
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The Whore's Child
by
Richard Russo
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5/27/2009: I had to read this book for an Honors American Literature class, and from the books my teacher had picked so far, I was less than excited. However, upon reading this book, I was actually into it. The story was quite gripping with just the right amount of sorrow and humor to balance each other out. This is a pretty quick read, and anyone who is just looking to enjoy a book should read this... |
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Seabiscuit
by
Laura Hillenbrand
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5/23/2009: A nearly 400-page biography of a horse? Well, Seabiscuit was no ordinary horse: in 1938 he reportedly received more newspaper coverage than Roosevelt, Hitler or Mussolini. His match that year with his arch rival, War Admiral -- which pitted racing fans from the West Coast against racing fans from the East -- was one of the most widely followed stories of the year and one of the decade's biggest sports events.
''The whole country is divided into two camps,'' a 1938 San Francisco Chronicle... |
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People of the Book
by
Geraldine Brooks
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5/22/2009: I really loved the idea of tracing an important book back through history using clues left in its binding. The parts of this novel that focused on the object's past and on the people who had been involved in its handling were excellent and illuminating; it made great historical fiction. Unfortunately, these marvelous scenes are bracketed by the unconvincing modern-day story of the woman charged with restoring the book. Some of actions she takes are ludicrous, her character is unbelievable,... |
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| Editor's Choice |
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The Bellini Madonna
Elizabeth Lowry |
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Thomas Lynch was once a brilliant young art historian. Now he is a disgraced, middle-aged art historian, overly fond of the bottle and of his fresh young students. But everything will change now that he’s on the trail of a lost masterpiece. |
Censoring an Iranian Love Story
Shahriar Mandanipour |
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From one of Iran’s most acclaimed and controversial contemporary writers, his first novel to appear in English—a dazzlingly inventive work of fiction that opens a revelatory window onto what it’s like to live, to love, and to be an artist in today’s Iran. |
Sunnyside
Glen David Gold |
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A novel with Charlie Chaplin at its center, capturing the moment when American capitalism, a world at war, and the emerging mecca of Hollywood intersect to spawn an enduring culture of celebrity. |
Halfway to Heaven
Mark Obmascik |
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When Mark Obmascik's twelve-year-old son gets bitten by the climbing bug, he can't resist the opportunity for some father-son bonding. But after their first joint climb, Obmascik decides to scale all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot mountains - and to do them in less than one year. |
Havana Fever
Leonardo Padura |
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Mario Conde, retired from the police force, now makes a living trading antique books. In a book, Conde discovers a newspaper article about a beautiful bolero singer of the 1950’s, who disappeared mysteriously. Conde’s intuition sets him off on an investigation into the murder. |
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The Great Stink by Clare Clark |
| A bit hard to get into, but once in, it was even more difficult to get out and put it down. A very interesting look into the deeper parts of ...
read more |
|
You Are Here by Christopher Potter |
| As a physicist of old, this book is a revelation as it maneuvers so easily between many technical subjects - in fact it reminds me of Peter Watson's ...
read more |
|
Museum of Human Beings by Colin Sargent |
| In Museum of Human Beings, author Colin Sargent focuses on the life of a relatively little known character associated with one of the most famous ...
read more |
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| Latest BookBrowse News |
Stieg Larsson's heirs agree no fourth book (Jul 02 2009)
Publishers Lunch reports that while there are a number of issues of contention between the late Stieg Larsson's heirs and his partner of thirty years Eva...
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Judge rules in favor of J.D. Salinger (Jul 02 2009)
J.D. Salinger has scored a legal victory in his attempt to block publication of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye by Fredrik Colting under the...
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