Jason Lutes, Berlin
Berlin by Jason Lutes My rating: 3 of 5 stars For readers and writers of contemporary fiction, history can play the role that myth once did. Just as Sophocles’s audience … Continue reading
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut My rating: 2 of 5 stars But was I wrong, in “In Praise of Semicolons,” to be so severe in my judgment of Kurt Vonnegut, to … Continue reading
Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows, Providence
Providence Act 1 by Alan Moore My rating: 4 of 5 stars It is with hesitation that I write anything about Providence. This recent three-volume graphic novel—a prequel/sequel to the … Continue reading
William Giraldi, American Audacity: In Defense of Literary Daring
American Audacity: In Defense of Literary Daring by William Giraldi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Though better known as the novelist who wrote the now-Netflixed Hold the Dark, William … Continue reading
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
