Novels Now

A Separate Country
By Robert Hicks
Completed December 6, 2009
In A Separate Country, Robert Hicks draws upon one of the Confederacy’s most colorful generals, John Bell Hood, to tell a story of love, redemption and life in post-Reconstruction New Orleans.
After the war, John Bell Hood came to New Orleans a shredded man. Physically scarred with [...]

So Brave, Young and Handsome
By Leif Enger
Completed November 8, 2009

Leif Enger’s So Brave, Young and Handsome, like its predessor Peace Like A River, was one of those thoughtful books – full of interesting characters, beautiful prose, and journeys both physical and emotional. Like a river, the plot flowed steadily – sometimes tumbling forth in a [...]

Her Fearful Symmetry
By Audrey Niffenegger
Completed October 22, 2009

It’s very hard to write a review of Her Fearful Symmetry - the latest book by Audrey Niffenegger – without giving away spoilers. I usually summarize a book before I offer my opinions, but with this book, I will remain vague about its plot. I don’t want to [...]

The Heretic’s Daughter
By Kathleen Kent
Completed October 16, 2009
There are many dark points in American history, and one of the earliest was the Salem Witch Trials. Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic’s Daughter, based her debut book on her ancestor, Martha Carrier, who was executed for witchcraft. Kent researched extensively her ancestry and this time period, [...]

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
By Katherine Howe
Completed OCtober 6, 2009
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe examined an alternate view of witchcraft in colonial New England. The story was based on “cunning women,” who used magic, herbs and prayer to heal people. While an interesting premise, this story didn’t fit together as [...]

In The Kitchen
By Monica Ali
Completed August 23, 2009

In The Kitchen by Monica Ali was like a good-looking, sweet-smelling dessert that held so much promise – until you sunk your teeth into it. Despite its delectable exterior, it turned out to be a book with little taste or appeal.
The recipe was classic. Gabriel Lightfoot was on [...]

Sacred Hearts
By Sarah Dunant
Completed August 15, 2009
The third novel in her Italian Renaissance series, Sarah Dunant transported her readers into the everyday lives of nuns in her latest book, Sacred Hearts. Set in a convent in Northern Italy, Dunant continued her pristine historical writing through strong characters and women’s quests to find freedom during a [...]

The HelpBy Kathryn StockettCompleted August 9, 2009
Set in the turbulent Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960’s, The Help was the debut novel by Kathryn Stockett. Many times, when I read a novelist’s debut book, I think: “that’s not a bad start” or “some flaws but a promising career.” Rarely does a debut knock my socks [...]

The Elephant Keeper
By Christopher Nicholson
Completed August 2, 2009
For an animal lover like me, it’s hard to dislike The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson. The main character, Tom Page, is a likeable guy, who devoted his life to care for two elephants in late 18th century England. The elephants were all personality – characters that you loved [...]

American Wife
By Curtis Sittenfeld
Completed July 30, 2009
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld is, according to the author, 15 percent based on the life of former First Lady Laura Bush. I feel obligated to express that I am not a fan of George W. Bush’s presidency, and the quiet, submissive nature of the First Lady also bothered [...]

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivey
By Reif Larsen
Completed July 2, 2009
It was with great anticipation that I picked up The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet from the library. The synopsis of a 12-year-old science prodigy hopping a train “hobo style” to accept an award from the Smithsonian sounded like the coming of tale that I [...]

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski
Completed June 28, 2009
 Suspected murder, family loyalty and tragedy all marked David Wroblewski’s debut book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Loosely based on Hamlet, this doorstop of a book centered on main character, 14-year-old Edgar, and his suspicions of his father’s death.
Edgar was born mute. While going to school, [...]

Shanghai Girls
By Lisa See
Completed May 12, 2009
Shanghai Girls is the latest book by best-selling author, Lisa See. Readers have raved about her Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I have not read, but I jumped at the opportunity to read See’s latest book. Overall, I was not disappointed.
Pearl and May were young Chinese women [...]

One More Year: Stories
By Sana Krasikov
Completed April 17, 2009
One More Year was a collection of short stories by new writer, Sana Krasikov. In this book, Krasikov introduced us to memorable characters through eight stories – each focused on Russians and their experiences in America and their homeland.
Each short story dropped the reader in the middle [...]

The Blue Notebook
By James A. Levine
Completed April 11, 2009
The Blue Notebook was one of the most eloquent but haunting books I have read in a long time. It’s the story of Batuk, a 15-year-old prostitute, whose father sold her into sexual slavery when she was nine. Living in a brothel in India, Batuk took up [...]

American Rust
By Philipp Meyer
Completed March 9, 2009
For some reason, the debut novel by Philipp Meyer, American Rust, did not resonate with me. It took me two weeks to complete, which is unusual for my reading pace, and I wanted to abandon it at many times. I stuck with it, but in the end, I wish [...]

Etta
By Gerald Kolpan
Completed December 28, 2008
Etta is the debut novel by journalist Gerald Kolpan. Inspired by a documentary about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Kolpan became interested in the mysterious Etta Place – Sundance Kid’s lover. Kolpan researched Etta, turned up very little, and decided to write a fictional account about this elusive [...]

This One Is Mine
By Maria Semple
Completed December 3, 2008
This One Is Mine is the debut novel by former TV screenwriter, Maria Semple. It’s a chick lit book, full of humor, man troubles, fashion woes and self-exploration. More intriguing for me was the satirical look at the Beverly Hills life of the two main characters.
Violet Parry [...]

I think there’s an old saying that you should never have to bury your child. Outliving my kids ranks number one in things “I don’t want to happen,” but sadly, there are parents who face this reality every day.

While some parents lose children days, months or years after their births, some parents lose their child before the baby is born, experiencing a stillborn birth. This happened to popular novelist Elizabeth McCracken and was the subject of her memoir, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination.

The Believers by Zoe Heller is the story of the Litvinoff family – led by Joel, a political activist and lawyer whose sudden collapse from a stroke put his family into chaos – compounded when a secret was revealed that rocked the family’s already fragile structure. Joel and his wife Audrey did not believe in raising a child-centric family. They were active in the worker’s movement in New York, and Joel was known for representing radical defendants. Audrey was “unmotherly” toward her two daughters, Karla and Rosa, but had a more tender side for her down-and-out adopted son, Lenny [...]