Another excellent novel of historical fiction by Ms. Allende. Emilia is born in San Francisco in 1886 after her Irish mother was abandoned after a brief affair with a Chilean aristocrat. She grows up to become a strong self-sufficient young woman and an independent thinker. She begins to write pulp fiction and then turns to journalism, all using a male pen name. In 1891, she travels to Chile and becomes embroiled in a brutal civil war. Her war experiences are truly harrowing; overall, this novel is spellbinding.
Category: United States
A Table For Two – Amor Towles
Towles is a great writer of novels (A Gentleman in Moscow, The Lincoln Highway). This book features his shorter fiction. First, there are six short stories set in contemporary New York: art in the Metropolitan Museum, dining at Balthazar, music at Carnegie Hall – what’s not to love! These stories feature brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise in a marriage. And second, the book contains a novella set in 1938 Los Angeles featuring Eve from Rules of Civility in a noirish role, in a classic crime caper. Towles writing is stylish and compelling, as always.
The God Of The Woods – Liz Moore
This is a superb thriller. In 1975, a teenager (Barbara) disappears from her Adirondack summer camp. Eerily, Barbara’s older brother vanished from the same camp in 1961. This is an extraordinary story of both investigations, and of course complicating secrets abound. The characters are richly described, both well-meaning (but flawed) people and some dastardly villains. Highly recommended – very entertaining.
Ladder Of Years – Anne Tyler
A re-read of a book purchased in 1996! Delia is a 40-year-old married mother of three with a nondescript existence. At a beach vacation, she makes an unplanned and spontaneous decision to leave her family, to just walk away: not so much to leave someone or something but to start over. Her new existence is minimalist; she stares at dust motes in silence in her boarding house room (page 140). This is a compelling relationship story, both old and new: “they spoke without letting their eyes meet, like people in a play, whose words are meant for an audience”. Tyler’s insights into domestic intimacy are profound, unsettling at times, and often miraculous.
James – Percival Everett
In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck helps Jim escape slavery. Everett’s book provides Jim’s story, and there is much to admire in his writing. First, it is an adventure story of survival. Second, there is some dark humor as Jim utilizes a “correct incorrect grammar” when speaking as a slave, And third, the brutal context of pre-Civil War slavery is shown graphically with ugly cruelty directed to “black property”. What compels people to behave inhumanely?
The Mighty Red – Louise Erdrich
My first book in 2025 is … great! The setting is the Red River Valley in North Dakota, with ordinary people coping as best they can with the impending financial collapse of 2008-09. There is a premature wedding, and an embezzlement with a masquerading bank robber. The people are flawed and decent, lonely and hopeful. There are also dark secrets in the aftermath of a tragic accident. And finally, there is a brilliant understanding of human relationships with the environment. Ms. Erdrich’s writing reminds me of Lionel Shriver, high praise indeed.
Wandering Stars – Tommy Orange
This is a brilliant follow-up to Orange’s There There with some of the same characters. The first part of the book is historical, the legacies of the Sand Creek massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians. Misguided attempts at assimilation by governments and adoptions are devoted to the eradication of Native history, culture and identity. The next section of the book entitled Aftermath is even better, detailing the brutal reality of contemporary life in Oakland for two grandmothers and their three grandsons. When is life more than surviving?
This book is both shattering and wondrous – highly recommended.
Long Island – Colm Toibin
This superb book is a sequel to the exquisite Brooklyn. Twenty years have passed. It is 1976 and Eilish returns to her Irish homeland after learning about her Italian husband’s infidelity. What follows is a three-way relationship story with Nancy and Jim who are still in Enniscorthy. This is a story of unfulfilled longing with a slow reveal of intentions because of withholding. Overall, a fabulous read.
Beautyland – Marie-Helene Bertino
Adina is an extra-terrestrial sent to earth to a single mother in Philadelphia; she is “born” in 1977, simultaneously with the launch of the Voyager-1 spacecraft. Her role is to observe and report on human behaviour, using a fax machine (!) to communicate with the extra-terrestrials. Her communications are both wistful and insightful, for someone in exile at home. Adina’s life is endlessly surprising – highly recommended, thanks Amy.
What David Read 