The Ensemble
by Aja Gabel
BookBrowse Review
In May 1994, the members of the Van Ness String Quartet are completing their final graduate recital at a San Francisco conservatory and preparing for the Esterhazy quartet ...
Book Reviewed by:
Rebecca Foster
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Beyond the Book: String Quartets
In the second half of the eighteenth century, chamber music, which was played by ensembles (small groups of musicians and thus suitable for smaller rooms), became very fashionable. The term 'ensemble' comes from the Old French word for 'together' and... Beyond the Book
The Electric Woman
by Tessa Fontaine
BookBrowse Review
In 2010, author Tessa Fontaine's mother had a near-fatal hemorrhagic stroke, leaving her with a permanent brain bleed and unable to walk or talk. In spite of continuing ...
Book Reviewed by:
Kim Kovacs
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Beyond the Book: World of Wonders
In her memoir, The Electric Woman, Tess Fontaine recounts her experiences working for a five-month long season with World of Wonders, the last traditional traveling sideshow in the United States. As the name implies, sideshows are smaller acts ... Beyond the Book
The Female Persuasion
by Meg Wolitzer
BookBrowse Review
A college freshman struggling for identity. A 1960s feminist icon attempting to maintain her relevance. A son trying to heal his broken family. A daughter striving for ...
Book Reviewed by:
Meara Conner
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Beyond the Book: Gloria Steinem
Though the character of Faith Frank in The Female Persuasion is an amalgamation of many '60s feminist icons, she appears to be drawn most heavily from Gloria Steinem. Steinem got her start writing articles for magazines like Esquire and Cosmopolitan ... Beyond the Book
A Lucky Man
by Jamel Brinkley
BookBrowse Review
If his debut collection of short stories, A Lucky Man is any indicator, Jamel Brinkley is poised on the cusp of becoming a literary superstar.
The essence of A Lucky Man ...
Book Reviewed by:
Poornima Apte
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Beyond the Book: The Art of Capoeira
In 'Everything the Mouth Eats,' one of the stories in A Lucky Man, the martial art/dance form of capoeira takes center stage. Capoeira originated in Brazil possibly among enslaved Africans who were brought to work the land for the Portuguese ... Beyond the Book
Other People's Houses
by Abbi Waxman
A hilarious and poignant novel about four families and the affair that changes everything.
Reader Reviews
Eternal Life
by Dara Horn
The award-winning author returns with an ingenious novel about what it would mean to live forever.
Reader Reviews
Members read and review books before they're published. See what they'll be reviewing soon.
Harbor of Spies
A captivating thriller-at-sea, Harbor of Spies is at once a spy story, a sea story and a love story set in Spanish colonial Havana in the 1860s, a time when the city was flush...
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The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin
A blistering dark comedy that explores delineating lines of race, class, religion, and time.
Roland Merullo's playful, eloquent, and life-affirming novel finds the Pope and the Dalai ...
Book Reviewed by
Kim Kovacs
A new novel from the USA Today Bestselling author of The Magician's Lie
Book Reviewed by
Davida Chazan
Salt Houses
by Hala Alyan
Salt Houses is a difficult story and the author did not shy away from difficult situations and family conflicts. It is the story of displacement and yearning for ...
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One Child
by Mei Fong
This account of China's one child policy shows the far reaching unintended or latent consequences of this social policy. On the surface we think of the intended ...
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The Midnight Watch
by David Dyer
The Midnight Watch is the first novel by Australian teacher and author, David Dyer. While the story of the sinking of the SS Titanic in April 1912 will be familiar to ...
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The Girl Who Smiled Beads
by Clemantine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil
This is one of the most difficult books I have read, yet it is an essential read. It is at once a memoir and an expose. How can I ever relate to Clemantine’s life? I ...
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The Girl Who Smiled Beads
by Clemantine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil
This is one of the most difficult books I have read, yet it is an essential read. It is at once a memoir and an expose. How can I ever relate to Clemantine’s life? I ...
read more
Do Not Become Alarmed
by Maile Meloy
It all began with a cruise on a ship out in the wild seas. This family decided to make good on having a good time on a cruise. The writer made it clear from the beginning...
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