Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Stories by Raymond Carver My rating: 4 of 5 stars A character in this iconic collection’s final story thinks of her … Continue reading
Wesley Yang, The Souls of Yellow Folk
The Souls of Yellow Folk by Wesley Yang My rating: 4 of 5 stars It was once a pop-socio-psychological commonplace of American foreign-policy commentary that terrorism on behalf of political … Continue reading
Jenny Offill, Dept. of Speculation
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill My rating: 3 of 5 stars This acclaimed 2014 novel of marriage, motherhood, and adultery is a perfect expression of the fictional and even … Continue reading
Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane My rating: 4 of 5 stars A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “The fact … Continue reading
Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett My rating: 4 of 5 stars One recurring theme of my reviews is that classic literary works often defy or … Continue reading
William Faulkner, Go Down, Moses
Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner My rating: 4 of 5 stars Go Down, Moses (1942), though not always grouped with Faulkner’s indisputable masterpieces, is nevertheless one of his most … Continue reading
Nick Drnaso, Sabrina
Sabrina by Nick Drnaso My rating: 2 of 5 stars I won’t write a long review of this book because I’ve already demonstrated ad nauseam in what I’ve said about … Continue reading
Jerzy Kosinski, The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński My rating: 3 of 5 stars This 1965 novel is a text so overwhelmed by its various contexts that it is almost impossible to … Continue reading
Lisa Halliday, Asymmetry
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday My rating: 3 of 5 stars The jacket copy of this fascinating 2018 debut novel—back cover and both flaps—informs us no less than four times that … Continue reading
Frances Stonor Saunders, The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters
The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders My rating: 4 of 5 stars Someone once said that beneath or behind … Continue reading
