Book blends history with personal details through strong writing
The Hare with Amber Eyes gets its title from a Japanese carving, among 264 others, made of ivory or Japanese wood that make up the author’s netsuke – “a very big collection…
‘Stoner’ portrays intensity of relationships in university life
The remarkable theme of this novel is the pure love of teaching, particularly of medieval literature, which shines throughout it on the part of the character Stoner, as well, I suspect,…
‘Rules of Civility’ showcases New York in the ’30s
NewYork, New York… the city is the star of this book. The year is 1938 – when coffee with eggs and toast at a diner cost 15 cents – and the central character, Katey.…
‘A Week in Winter’ uses storytelling device in believable way
Maeve Binchy was one of the best known novelists of the last 40 or 50 years (she wrote 20) and this, her latest novel, was chosen as an Oprah’s Book Club selection. One…
A masterful biography of Thornton Wilder
This biography of Thornton Wilder, whose most famous play Our Town is still played all over the country, is masterful as the author has mostly presented him through his own…
‘Mohawk’ captures town in process of decay
Mohawk was Richard Russo’s first novel and the first of several that take place in a small town in mid-New York State – the Appalachians are not far. This particular town is called…
‘Empire Falls’ showcases Russo’s unique style of writing
Empire Falls is a small, decaying town near the Maine coast. Robert Russo has chosen this setting for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, bringing it alive in its gradually fading state; contrasting…
Riveting narrative on OCD
Elsewhere is one of the few non-fiction books novelist Richard Russo, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for Empire Falls, has written. Most of his novels are set in…
‘Dear Life’ lacks important details
Alice Munro, who lives in Canada, is one of the best-known short story writers of our time. She has won many Canadian and English honors, the U.S. National Book Critics Award…
Morrison novel lacks story
Toni Morrison is among the most celebrated novelists on the American scene. She has written 10 of them. She has won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pulitzer Prize…