Book reviews added in the week of 8/19-8/25

Hi all,

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

"Love Me" by Garrison Keillor - Larry Wyler is an aspiring writer in
St. Paul, Minnesota who has big dreams of success. When his novel
becomes a bestseller, he leaves for the high life of New York City.
His wife, however, refuses to go with him and tells him to come home
once he's gotten New York out of his system. When his second novel is
a flop and writer's block becomes a way of life, Larry takes a job at
the New Yorker. He still feels like an outsider of the literary inner
circles, and after losing his job and his royalties dry up, he comes
back to Minnesota. There he pens an advice to the lovelorn column
while finding again the love and life that he had left behind.
Garrison Keillor's latest novel has received mostly positive reviews.
The Washington Post says, "In its revelation of what it means to be a
human being in our gloriously absurd day and age, 'Love Me' is
Garrison Keillor's funniest and most ambitious novel to date."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/love_me

"The Known World" by Edward P. Jones - In antebellum Virginia, Henry
Townsend is not only a free black man, but one who owns his own land
and his own slaves. Despite the fact that he owns these men, women,
and children's lives completely, his aim is to treat them
compassionately. His mentor, the most powerful white man in the
country, is deeply in love with a slave and their two mulatto
children. When Henry dies, his wife Caldonia tries to run the
plantation in his absence. Sensing the opportunity, slaves begin the
sneak away at night. White patrollers catch the runaway slaves for
rewards, occasionally grabbing free black men too. Edward P. Jones's
novel tells the story across the span of many years, illuminating the
world of slavery through its many contradictions and its cost of
humanity and lives. "The Known World" has received high praise.
Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post calls it "the best new work of
American fiction to cross my desk in years."
Excerpt and reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/known_world

"The Secret Life of Cowboys" by Tom Groneberg - Tom Groneberg was a
Chicago kid with a degree in English when he answered a magazine ad
and got a job at a dude ranch leading tourists on horseback. He fell
in love with horses and with a dream to be a real cowboy. He learned
all he could about being a cowboy and left for a job on a ranch in
Montana and marries his college sweetheart. Eventually he buys his
own ranch, and he and his wife suffer through the turmoil of hard
work, reluctant animals, and uncooperative weather. In "The Secret
Life of Cowboys", Tom Groneberg demystifies the legend of cowboys and
reveals them to be regular hardworking people doing something they
love. With an almost brutal honesty, he chronicles his own
shortcomings, lessons learned the hard way, victories, and defeats.
The Baltimore Sun says, "He has produced a book that shares certain
qualities with the men he so admires. It's strong and honest and earns
your respect."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/secret_life_of_cowboys

"The Prince of Providence" by Mike Stanton - Buddy Cianci won six
terms as mayor of Providence, the capital and largest city in Rhode
Island. He was popular, colorful, charismatic, and was an important
factor in a revitalization of the downtown district. He was also a
corrupt and violent man and treated the city like his own fiefdom,
forcing kickbacks and bribes from anyone who wanted to do business
with the city. The federal government tried for years to catch and
convict Buddy Cianci for corruption, and finally succeeded.
Pulitzer-Prize winning Mike Stanton tells the story of Providence and
its mayor who was a genius at being both a politician and a crook.
The Boston Globe calls it "one of the best books about contemporary
urban politics."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/prince_of_providence


Happy reading!

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