AltWeeklies Wire
Madison Smartt Bell Brings the Civil War to Your Doorstepnew
Devil's Dream's frontispiece includes a photograph of the small-eyed, dark-bearded Civil War general Nathan Forrest. Prepare to flip back to that single photograph over and over again as you read.
Baltimore City Paper |
John Barry |
12-08-2009 |
Fiction
Book Quarterly: J.M. Coetzee, Zadie Smith, Stephen King, Nabokovnew
The discerning critics of Philadelphia City Paper review this season's most notable tomes: Summertime by J.M. Coetzee, Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith, Under the Dome by Stephen King and The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Katherine Hill, K. Ross Hoffman, Justin Bauer, Lauren F. Friedman |
12-08-2009 |
Fiction
Reclaiming Stolen History
Meet Boilerplate, History’s Mechanical Marvel.
The Inlander |
Ted S. McGregor Jr. |
11-24-2009 |
Fiction
John Irving is Once Again in Full Control of the Narrative in 'Last Night In Twisted River'new
In his latest book, Irving entertains with the grace of a novelist who knows how to be funny without hitting the reader over the head.
NOW Magazine |
David Silverberg |
11-16-2009 |
Fiction
Barbara Kingsolver Makes a Misstep as She Tries to Make Her Point in 'The Lacuna'new
Kingsolver has created a reserved, unassuming character in Harrison Shepherd. He's so unassuming, in fact, that he becomes a cipher. Kingsolver's trademark nuanced characterization is not well-served by this collaged point of view.
Tucson Weekly |
Christine Wald-Hopkins |
11-11-2009 |
Fiction
A Father and Son Connect by Way of the Summer Game in 'The Opposite Field'new
The Opposite Field blends Jesse Katz's both painful and comic struggles as a single dad to remain connected with his growing son through baseball. And like a crafty pitcher, Katz is deft at mixing speeds in his book so that readers are always surprised at what's coming next.
Willamette Week |
Henry Stern |
11-04-2009 |
Fiction
Why 'High Fidelity' Fans Will Hate Nick Hornby's Latest Booknew
Hornby's sixth fictional offering, Juliet, Naked, features another developmentally arrested male who's trapped in a codependent relationship with his record collection. Chances are Fidelity fiends are not amused. Here's why.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Smith Galtney |
10-29-2009 |
Fiction
Manhattan Goes Meta in Jonathan Lethem's 'Chronic City'new
Unlike Pynchon in The Crying of Lot 49, which this book at first resembles, Lethem keeps his readers (and his narrator) at too critical a distance, and explains far too much, and thus leaves me still waiting for that novel where Lethem finally knocks one all the way into the bleachers.
Willamette Week |
Matthew Korfhage |
10-21-2009 |
Fiction
Josh Bazell Turns His ER Experience into the Year's Best Debut Novelnew
Bazell, who wrote Beat the Reaper while working on his residency at a California hospital, crafted an ingenious, fast-paced thriller that also managed to be a work of art.
New Haven Advocate |
Drew Taylor |
10-20-2009 |
Fiction
'Putrefaction Live' Looks at Paradoxes on the Reznew
Warren Perkins' new novel is worthwhile for its authentic feel, although the plot development is a bit sketchy.
Tucson Weekly |
Christine Wald-Hopkins |
10-15-2009 |
Fiction
Nick Cave's New Novel is All Sex, Drugs and Hand Creamnew
When I interviewed Nick Cave for the Phoenix three years ago and he told me -- drolly, languidly, literarily -- that his next writing project was about "a sexually incontinent hand-cream salesman" on the south coast of England, I assumed he was taking the piss.
Boston Phoenix |
James Parker |
10-08-2009 |
Fiction
'The Wonder' Has a Dancer's Gracenew
The question of passion fuels Diana Evans' lushly imaginative second novel The Wonder.
The Georgia Straight |
Patty Jones |
10-05-2009 |
Fiction
Dan Brown's Latest Saga Thrills Until it Drops the Threadnew
The ending sucked. Sorry to be so abrupt, but I appreciate that this is a long review, and I appreciate that you might not finish it, and unlike some other book reviewers, I can't in good conscience discuss The Lost Symbol without bringing up the ending.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Rick Lax |
09-24-2009 |
Fiction
Douglas Coupland's New Novel 'Generation A' is Funny Yet Disturbingnew
Douglas Coupland caught the spirit of his own time in his breakthrough Generation X. Now he's figured out how to tune into the zeitgeist of the future.
NOW Magazine |
Susan G. Cole |
09-21-2009 |
Fiction
'AM/PM' Gives Us 120 Impeccably Compact Stories of Love, Discomfort & Concert Souvenirsnew
These single-page stories were written, one in the morning and one in the evening, over the course of two months. This timeline, and their brevity, may make it sound like this is a simple little book, but it's not.
Eugene Weekly |
Molly Templeton |
09-11-2009 |
Fiction
