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
Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole My rating: 3 of 5 stars Published pseudonymously in 1764 by an English politician, The Castle of Otranto is usually praised as the … 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
Jens Peter Jacobsen, Niels Lyhne
Niels Lyhne by Jens Peter Jacobsen My rating: 4 of 5 stars This 1880 Danish novel was once immensely influential: it and its author were cited or praised by Hermann … Continue reading
François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters, The Theory of the Grain of Sand
The Theory of the Grain of Sand by Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Theory of the Grain of Sand (2016; originally published in 2007-2008 in … Continue reading
Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart, Seaguy
Seaguy by Grant Morrison My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thanks to all my regular readers who come here in search of slightly more traditional essays on the “classics,” however … 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
Iris Murdoch, The Bell
The Bell by Iris Murdoch My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Bell is Iris Murdoch’s fourth novel. I had never read the celebrated 20th-century British philosopher and novelist before … Continue reading
