Editor's Choice
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
Hardcover (Jan 2017), 288 pages. Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.8/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieReviewed by Lisa Butts
History of Wolves' narrator, fourteen-year-old Madeline Furston, is adrift in Loose River Minnesota, the "Walleye Capital of the World." She lives in a lakeside cabin with her parents, the sole remaining members of a former commune. Madeline is a lonely girl who feels a kinship with wolves, recognizing something feral within herself that is desperate for expression. Her parents are distant and odd, providing little in the way of authority or guidance. When there are rumors at school that the new history teacher is a pedophile, she throws herself at him, desperate to be wanted. When the Gardner family moves into the cabin across the lake, she becomes transfixed by the glimmer of normalcy that has always been out of her reach. Fridlund builds tension and dread skillfully with meditative, slow-churning prose. She describes the walleye hibernating under the frozen lake, "barely beating their hearts," the lake itself ever threatening to fracture and break. When the weather turns warm, the heat is "oppressive" and there are forest fires. Madeline's ennui is predatory: "the whole day seemed to bare its open jaws at me," she recalls. While her circumstances give her reason to feel particularly isolated, Madeline is also an archetype of adolescent alienation. Fridlund portrays this feeling accurately, in all its absurdity: "I thought if I slammed the door hard enough, Mr Grierson might come after me. That's what it's like to be fourteen." This is a compelling and unconventional narrative where we are asked to examine degrees of guilt and complicity. History of Wolves is also unique because the main character is on the periphery of someone else's story, yet no less impacted. Fridlund's only flaw is that she articulates these themes a little more explicitly than necessary, either not trusting the reader to make their own connections, or not trusting that she did her job well enough. If it's the latter, she needn't have worried. Full access to our reviews & beyond the book articles are for members only. But there are always four free Editor's Choice reviews and beyond the book articles available.
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Beyond the Book: Christian Science
Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
Christian Science was founded in 1894 by Mary Baker Eddy as a means of embracing "primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing." The foundational text is Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, published in 1875, which Emily Fridlund references several times in History of Wolves. Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) grew up in a family of devout Puritans, and her early life was beset by hardship. She was frequently ill as a child, and as a young woman she lost both her brother and husband in a short span. Beginning in 1862, Eddy was in correspondence with Phineas P. Quimby, proponent of an early form of homeopathy. She combined Quimby's beliefs with her own religious convictions to create Science and Health and launch the Church of Christ, Scientist... continue reading
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Editor's Choice
The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza
Paperback (Dec 2016), 208 pages. Publisher: Europa Editions. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.7/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieReviewed by Kim Kovacs
The Gardens of Consolation introduces 12-year-old Talla, and her 20-year-old husband Sadar, as they leave their village to build a better life in the outskirts of Tehran. Set during the first half of the 20th century, Consolation describes the daily lives of average Iranian citizens such as Talla and Sadar. This debut novel, which won the 2015 Prix Senghor award given to Francophone writers, also explores the effects of the country's transforming politics and social norms. Reza's writing, aided by Adriana Hunter's talented translation from the French, is lyrical, the text almost reads like a fable. At once simple and vivid, the author brings Iranian history, attitudes and politics to life in an engrossing, entertaining and informative way. Fiction has the power to transport readers to an unfamiliar world and teach them about unfamiliar cultures. The Gardens of Consolation meets and exceeds this goal. It will doubtless delight anyone wishing to learn more about Iran and its recent history, and Reza's beautiful writing is sure to please. The novel is especially recommended for book groups, as its various themes (women's rights, generational change, etc.) will provide ample material for discussion.
Read the full review & an excerpt Full access to our reviews & beyond the book articles are for members only. But there are always four free Editor's Choice reviews and beyond the book articles available.
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Beyond the Book: Mohammad Mossadegh
Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is the "beyond the book" article for The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza
In Gardens of Consolation, one of the main characters becomes a supporter of Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, who served from 1951 - 1953 until he was ousted in a coup d'Ă©tat backed by the American CIA and the British SIS. Mossadegh was born in Tehran in 1882 into a well-connected family. His father Mirza Hedayat Ashtiani, was Iran's Minister of Finance and his mother, Najm al-Saltaneh, was related to the ruling Qajar dynasty. Interestingly, "Mossadegh" was not a family name, but a title awarded by the ruling Shah in appreciation of the family's service. Later, when Iran introduced identity cards and all citizens had to be registered with a given and a family name, Mohammad supposedly chose Mossadegh because it meant "true and authentic." He began his political career at the age of 15 when he was appointed Chief of Finance to one of Iran's provinces. At 19, he married Zia al-Saltaneh, another member of the Qajar family, a granddaughter of the Shah, and a princess in her own right. He participated in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911) which led to the establishment of a parliament, the Majlis. This cataclysmic change in the political structure of the country initiated what's considered the modern period in Iran's history, characterized by a continual back-and-forth struggle between social reform and autocratic rule .... continued |
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Blog: A New Year's Challenge
Well, here we are. The beginning of a new year with the conclusion of a turbulent presidential campaign behind us. Dare I say that most of our heads are still spinning? Some with glee, others with, what?, political angst? Over the past weeks there has been much written about our divided nation, including BookBrowse's encouraging message of helping us come together by reaching for the bookshelf. I am not a well-traveled person, having spent all of my life within the confines of North America. But I have traveled extensively via books. Whenever possible I reach for a book about someone who lives or has lived in a country or era that I am unfamiliar with. Books have given me a worldview I think even world travelers can easily miss out on. Especially those who travel abroad but never venture far from their 4-star hotel. It's one thing to "see" a country, quite another to "live" there vicariously through a book. This brings me to my purpose. I'd like to throw out a New Year's challenge to you, my reading friends. I am challenging you to read a book by an author from an opposite political ideology to the one you currently embrace. If you're a liberal please read a book by and about those who hold a conservative position. If you are a conservative please read a book by and about those who are liberal. Lists of recommended books abound on Google, Goodreads and Amazon to name a few websites. ...continued by Donna Chavez
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News
Jan 04 2017 The winners have been announced for the five Costa Book Awards. These five now form the shortlist for the Costa Book of the Year prize which will be announced January 31. We have info on all five on BookBrowse. Novel: Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (publishes in US on Jan 27) First novel: Golden Hill by Francis Spufford (currently scheduled to publish in the US in June) Biography: Dadland: A Journey into Uncharted Territory by Keggie Carew (publishes in US in March) Poetry: Falling Awake by Alice Oswald Children's: The Bombs That Brought Us Together by Brian Conaghan
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Win This Book
The Widow by Fiona BartonPublished Feb 2016 336 pages
Enter the Giveaway
A loving husband or a heartless killer...She'd know. Wouldn't she? For fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife. A New York Times bestseller An NPR Best Book of 2016 One of The Wall Street Journal's 5 "Killer Books" of the Year Now in Paperback! "Engrossing. Suspenseful." - Stephen King 5 people will each win a paperback copy of The Widow. This giveaway is open to residents of the USA only, unless you are a BookBrowse member, in which case you are eligible to win wherever you might live. Enter the giveaway & find out more about this book Past Winners
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