| With all the complications
of love and friendship explained directly to the reader by the
characters' secret versions of events, LOVE,ETC. by Julian Barnes
is a tragicomedy of marriage and divorce. The three characters
were introduced in Barnes' TALKING IT OVER. He also wrote FLAUBERT'S
PARROT. |
| The prolific Anita Brookner has written THE BAY
OF ANGELS. This is one for those Jane Austen and Henry James
fans looking for a contemporary author. It's about Zoe Cunningham
and her widowed mother who remarries. Entering into a new "fairy
tale" life, the women must learn to judge appearances and
shed illusions. Brookner's writing is elegant and controlled.
|
| Called "A Doctor Zhivago
for the Far East" by the London Independent, THE GLASS
PALACE by Amitav Ghosh is an epic story of a poor boy who, in
the midst of 19th century political and social chaos, creates
an empire in the Burmese teak forest. Also a love story, the
rags-to-riches novel describes life in Burma and India. |
| TROUBLEMAKER AND OTHER SAINTS, short stories
by Christina Chiu introduce the Wongs, Shengs, and Tsuis, whose
struggles present crossroads for the complex decisions of life.
Strongly written characters in vivid predicaments pique interest
in this fiction debut. |
| A FRANK WATERS READER: A SOUTHWESTERN
LIFE IN WRITING samples the fiction and non-fiction of a spokesman
for the Southwest whose life spanned most of the 20th century(1902-1995).Descriptions
of the land in earthy prose with spiritual dimensions transport
the reader to a life far different from suburban Connecticut.
A refreshing read. |
| Surgeon and professor turned writer, Richard
Seltzer considers THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE SOUL: NEW AND SELECTED
ESSAYS in his latest book. Not for the squeamish, but replete
with pulsing descriptions of body parts and enthusiastic celebrations
of life and death, the images stay with you as the ideas resonate.
|
| From NPR, Reynolds Price has
collected FEASTING THE HEART: FIFTY TWO COMMENTARIES FOR THE
AIR. These wide ranging, short pieces observe the world with
a thoughtful, opinionated and intelligent view. In each, Reynolds
touches a moment in time and brings it alive. |
dcelia@westportlibrary.org