McClain is an excellent writer (The Paris Wife) and Circling The Sun is also a very good book – a fictionalized account of Beryl Markham’s life in Kenya in the 1920-30s. Beryl interacts with the characters from Out Of Africa – Karen Blixen, Denys Finch-Hatton, etc. The book is unabashedly romantic in the treatment of complicated human relationships and the mystery of Africa.
Category: Location / Setting
The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart
Urquhart writes exquisite books: The Underpainter, The Stone Carvers, A Map of Glass, etc. This great new book is mainly set in the SW of Ireland (County Kerry) in the 1940-50s. The characters are vivid: two Irish brothers, an Englishwoman who eventually moves to Ireland, and a Canadian mural painter. A beautiful part of the book describes a prolonged fog delay in Gander Airport which allows detailed contemplation of a mural. There is much discussion about art and love, and even a bike race in the beauty of Ireland. This is one of my best reads of 2015.
Restlessness – Aretha Van Herk
This is a fascinating and intriguing book, the dialog between a woman and the man she has contracted to kill her, essentially an assisted suicide. The book takes place in and around the Palliser Hotel in downtown Calgary, and the conversation includes a treatise on travelling and hotels.
84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
A series of letters written over 20 years (1949-1969) between a book buyer in NY and a London book shop is the basis of this short book. Despite the brevity of the letters, much is revealed about the writers and the context is explained wonderfully: love of literature, post-war rationing in England; and most interesting, the evolution of a relationship between people who never meet in person. Thanks Sarah for this recommendation.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro writes impeccable books about life in England: e.g. Remains of the Day and my favourite, Never Let Me Go. This intriguing story takes place in post-Arthur Britain, with Britons and Saxons and a knight (Sir Gawain) and ogres, pixies and a dragon. There is something “off”, a forgetfulness or loss of memory, that drives the story in a fascinating way. Two principal characters, Axl and Beatrice, are delightful; overall, an excellent book.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22522805-the-buried-giant
Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The writing in this books reminds me of Toni Morrison, so high praise. There is a strong sense of impending doom for a Mississippi family (poverty, dog-fighting, teen-age pregnancy) while Katrina bores down on them. Excellent descriptive writing.
Close To Hugh by Marina Endicott
This is a brilliant book about complex relationships of love and friendship. At the core is Hugh, a 50-something man whose life is unravelling for physical and psychological reasons. The story is set in Peterborough and art (painting, installations art, and especially theatre) features prominently. The writing is very fine throughout.
A Spool Of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Tyler’s 20th novel is, once again, about a Baltimore family, 3 generations. The writing is elegant, with a subtle reveal of strong emotions: love but also bewilderment and surprising strengths in surprising situations. Characters that we initially dismiss as shallow turn out to be stronger than we expected or suspected. Tyler continues to be a literary treasure.
The Green Road by Ann Enright
A splendid story set in the west of Ireland, about a family: wife/mother and four siblings. In the first part of the book, we meet the individual family members but the best part is in the latter half when the entire somewhat dysfunctional family is together. Complex relationships are described wonderfully.
What David Read 