Book reviews added in the week of 7/20-7/26

Hi all,

Multiple links to full-length professional reviews of the following
books released in the US have been added to
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com in the last week:

"Blackbird House" by Alice Hoffman - Alice Hoffman tells the story of
Blackbird House, a small farm on Cape Cod, with each chapter about a
different set of the house's inhabitants. It was built by a family in
the early 1800s, but disaster strikes during a fishing trip, leaving
only one son alive and the pet blackbird turned white, which would
haunt the farm for the rest of the novel. Later, Blackbird House is
owned by a man who lost a leg to a huge halibut, and who falls in love
with a widow who wears red shoes, the mark of a witch. Stories like
this populate Alice Hoffman's book, not quite a novel and not quite a
short story collection, where disaster, misfortune, love, and death
test the mettle of its occupants. "Blackbird House" has received
mostly positive reviews with the Seattle Times saying, "'Blackbird
House' details the spaces between time, the evolution of a home and
the heartbreak, love and sadness that transpire as new occupants move
in and leave. Hoffman masterfully plays with the tensions between
character and place, creating a setting so vivid that it breathes and
bleeds along with her characters."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/blackbird_house

"The Summer Guest" by Justin Cronin - "The Summer Guest" of this
novel's title is the wealthy financier Harry Wainwright, who has come
to visit the same fishing camp in northern Maine every summer. Now
dying of cancer, he's come for one last fishing trip and to buy the
camp so he can bequeath it to Jordan Patterson, a haunted young man
who is his fishing guide. The camp's owners are Joe Crosby, a
Vietnam-era draft dodger who spent years in Canada, and his wife,
Lucy, who's been loved for years by Harry. Joe and Lucy's daughter,
Kate, is also at the camp. Justin Cronin's novel is told from all
their perspectives, and moves back and forth over 50 years as their
stories are told and secrets unfold. "The Summer Guest" shows that
even in the most remote corners of our life, passion and longing are
still universal themes. It's received positive reviews with the
Portland Press Herald saying "'The Summer Guest' is not just summer
reading. It's lingering memory of love, and an almost mystical place
beyond the rushed pace of life, something to remind us that such
corners of the world do indeed still exist. Such places, such people,
are beyond fiction. Mystery, secrets are part of all lives."
Excerpt and reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/summer_guest

"All Fishermen Are Liars" by Linda Greenlaw - "All Fishermen Are
Liars" is Linda Greenlaw's third nonfiction book, and this time,
instead of just telling her stories at sea, she shares stories of
others' sea adventures. Greenlaw met her best friend and mentor,
Alden, for lunch and drinks at the Dry Dock Bar. They recount their
own sea fishing stories, and soon other patrons join them with their
tales. The stories include brushes with dangerous weather and death
to clueless and luckless crew mates. Greenlaw also includes "bar
snacks" between the stories, little vignettes or top-ten lists. She
also explains why lying is so widespread among fishermen so as not to
share valuable information with other competitors. "All Fishermen Are
Liars" has received mostly positive reviews with the Miami Herald
saying, "You can't help but be a bit in awe of Greenlaw for her
gutsiness, and she comes across as so darn likable you wish you were
sitting at the Dry Dock with her."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/all_fishermen_are_liars

"So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star" by Jacob Slichter - "So You Wanna
Be a Rock & Roll Star" is the memoir of Jacob Slichter, the drummer
for the band Semisonic, on their short ride through the music industry
until they quickly fell from grace. Slichter was a 32-year old
Harvard graduate working temp jobs when asked to join a new band.
After lukewarm sales of their first album, the second one sold over a
million copies and the band was on top for a short time. Slichter
tells how band expenses are charged against their royalties, so that
the band was eventually over a million dollars in debt to their label.
They made music videos MTV refused to play, and radio program
directors would abuse their power and engage in the payola in
determining which songs to air. After disappointing sales of their
third album, Semisonic was dropped by the label and the ride was over.
"So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star" is a combination of
self-deprecating memoir and an insider's look at the music industry.
It's received mostly positive reviews with Pop Matters saying, "While
Slichter might not be the most talented drummer in rock history, after
reading 'Rock & Roll' I also can't help but wonder if Slichter isn't
one of the most interesting, intelligent and articulate mainstream
rock personalities around."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/so_you_wanna_be_a_rock_and_roll_star


Multiple links to full-length professional reviews of the following
books released in the UK have been added in the last week:

"Birds Without Wings" by Louis de Bernieres - "Birds Without Wings"
begins in the early 1900s in an idyllic town in southwest Turkey in
the declining years of the Ottoman Empire. The people are a mix of
Greek and Turkish, Muslim and Christian, and they live harmoniously in
a simple life unfettered by outside forces. The beautiful Philothei,
who is Christian, loves the Muslim boy, Ibrahim. Rustem Bey, the
local landlord, finds his wife with another man, murders her lover,
and drags her to the town square to be stoned, but the imam saves her.
Intertwined with their stories of the townspeople is the history of
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. The rise of
Turkish nationalism, the onset of World War I, the conscription of the
local boys and men, the battle of Gallipoli, and ethnic cleansing tear
their world apart. Louis de Bernieres (author of "Captain Corelli's
Mandolin") returns with an epic novel about small town life and the
worldwide forces that have changed the world forever. "Birds Without
Wings" has received mixed reviews with the Sydney Morning Herald
saying, "At a time when the hypocrisy of modern invasions and of
simplistic caricatures of other faiths circulates all too easily, this
book offers a timely message to us all."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/birds_without_wings

"The Family Way" by Tony Parsons - "The Family Way" is all about being
pregnant, or trying not to, and centers around three sisters. Cat,
the oldest, was the surrogate mother to the others when their real
mother abandoned them, and she has no interest in having children.
Jessica desperately wants to have children, but seems unable to.
Megan, a doctor, finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand. As
each of them struggles with pregnancy or lack thereof, the men in
their lives gently bungle their way through too. Tony Parsons
explores the emotions and actions of both men and women in this
extended family as their impending parenthood looms near. "The Family
Way" has received mixed reviews with the Telegraph saying, "[T]he raw
ingredients of 'The Family Way' emulsify successfully into what seems
certain to be another massive best-seller, leaving an aftertaste with
only the faintest hint of queasiness."
Excerpt and reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/family_way


Happy reading!

Bill - administrator of http://www.reviewsofbooks.com