Book reviews added in the week of 8/26-9/1

Hi all,

I know this newsletter usually is sent on Mondays, but I'm going on
vacation tomorrow. So it's being sent a few days early, but there's a
lot of new book information to share with you.

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

"And Now You Can Go" by Vendela Vida - 21-year old Ellis is an
art-history graduate student new to the New York City, when she is
accosted by a man with a gun in Riverside Park. He tells her he wants
to kill himself, but doesn't want to die alone. Ellis' reaction is to
spout whatever poetry comes to her mind, and thinking she's even worse
off than him, he lets her go unharmed. At least, physically.
Emotionally, the incident has left Ellis a bit unhinged. She keeps
her distance with everyone, the police, family, and the men who want
to "save" her. "And Now You Can Go" is the story of Ellis' search for
solace, and finding herself again after the incident upset her own
self-image. It's not until she accompanies her mother, a nurse, on a
mission to the Phillipines that Ellis begins to find some answers.
Vendela Vida's debut novel has garnered a mixed bag of reviews. The
Miami Herald calls this "deeply, beautifully textured novel."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/and_now_you_can_go

"The Canal House" by Mark Lee - Nicky Bettencourt is a photojournalist
whose travels through the horror spots of the world have left him
emotionally numb. He is paired with foreign correspondent Daniel
McFarland on an assignment to find a guerilla group in Uganda who have
taken tourists hostage. At a refugee camp in Uganda, they meet Dr.
Julia Cadell, who is being funded by an English financier who is now
also her lover. Daniel and Julia ultimately fall in love and spend a
few weeks ensconced in a house above a canal in London, knowing they
both must return to their livelihoods in remote corners of the third
world. "The Canal House" is more than just a love story, but a
journey with grizzled veterans of misery and hope through a world the
rest of just catch glimpses of on the television news. Author Mark
Lee is a foreign correspondent whose own experiences bring reality to
the settings and characters. "The Canal House" has received glowing
reviews. The Denver Post says, "The result is a story presented in
prose so fine it nearly sings, peopled by characters who burn
themselves into your mind and heart."
Excerpt and reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/canal_house

Most of the work this week has been creating a page for the books
nominated for this year's Man Booker Prize. In its thirty-fifth year,
the prize aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a
citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, and is
one of the most presitigious literary awards. Last year's winner was
"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. All the nominees for this year's prize
can be found on my new web page at
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/booker

Good literature spans all cultures, and everyone should find something
they like from these books. The setting for these books all vary from
England, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the United
States. A few of these books haven't been released yet, some haven't
been released in North America, and for some books I couldn't find any
online reviews. All the books are listed on this web page. Some of
the books have also been listed on the site for quite a while. Below
are synopses for some of the books (visit the web page to see all
nominees):

"Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood - Margaret Atwood's latest novel
begins with the narrator, who calls himself Snowman, marooned on a
beach and believing himself to be the sole survivor of a tragedy that
has destroyed the human race. He is joined by genetically-engineered
and cloned human-like creatures who worship their creator, Snowman's
friend Crake. Snowman grew up in the late 21st century in a world
where global warming has risen sea levels and destroyed cities, the
majority of the people live in squalor in vast pleeblands, and the
privileged live in secure communities run by biotech companies. Man
has learned to genetically engineer his world and can create any
animal imagined and the internet delivers constant pornography and
violence. This is a short synopsis of a novel about the world gone
awry by one of the master writers of our generation. The Independent
says, "'Oryx and Crake' is Atwood at her best - dark, dry, scabrously
witty, yet moving and studded with flashes of pure poetry."
Excerpt and eviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/oryx_and_crake

"The Romantic" by Barbara Gowdy - When Louise Kirk was 9, her mother
abandoned Louise and her father, never to be heard from again. Soon
after, a new family moves to the neighborhood and Louise instantly
becomes a virtual part of their family and becomes best friends with
their adopted son, Abel. As they become teenagers, Louise falls
obsessively in love with him, but he seems indifferent to her. Highly
intelligent and talented, Abel is also driven by inner demons and he
tells Louise that he will kill himself of her 26th birthday. Louise,
however, seems determined that her love can save him. Barbara Gowdy's
novel is a retelling of the ancient story of the doomed lovers Abelard
and Heloise set in modern Canada. The Seattle Times says, "This is an
uncommonly fine novel, peopled with three-dimensional characters
animated by an emotionally convincing plot."
Excerpt and reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/the_romantic

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon -
Christopher Boone is a 15-year old autistic savant in Swindon,
England. He hates being touched, cannot tell a lie, or understand
metaphors or jokes. He is a whiz at math and enjoys puzzles. When
the neighbor's dog is killed with a pitchfork, he seizes upon it as a
puzzle and math problem in hopes of understanding something that makes
no sense to him. This begins a journey for Christopher that takes him
places he never imagined, both physically and emotionally. Mark
Haddon's novel is narrated by Christopher, which creates a nuanced
character who is neither stereotyped nor stiff and unoriginal. "The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" has received praise
from almost all reviewers. The Fort Myers News Press says, " It would
be curious indeed if this little gem of a novel didn't find its way
onto the best-seller lists."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/curious_incident_of_the_dog

"The Light of Day" by Graham Swift - George Webb is a shell of a man,
a disgraced ex-police officer whose wife left him, and he makes his
living as a private investigator spying on philandering spouses.
Sarah Nash and her husband, Robert, have taken in a Croatian woman,
Lazi, who is a refugee from the war in the Balkans. Robert has fallen
in love with the woman and Sarah commands that Lazi leave now that the
war is over. Sarah hires George Webb to spy on the woman's departure.
Geroge, however, finds himself falling in love with Sarah and
witnesses the tearful departure of Lazi from Robert's life. This sets
the stage for Sarah's downfall and George's fervent wish to be with
her again. Graham Swift (Booker Prize-winner for "Last Orders") tells
a story about love, loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. The Washington
Post says, "With 'The Light of Day,' Graham Swift distills emotion and
incident into a hypnotic elixir. He is simply one of the most
sure-handed, savvy and remarkable writers now at work."
Excerpt and reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/light_of_day

"Brick Lane" by Monica Ali - At the age of 18, Hazneen came to England
from Bangladesh for an arranged marriage to Chanu, who is both pompous
and ineffectual. When she arrives, she can speak only two words of
English, but falls into the role of dutiful wife and mother. Not only
is she always an outsider, an immigrant to a foreign land, but her
Bangladeshi roots keep her in a subserviant role in her marriage and
family. Yet there is always that pull from the homeland. In
Bangladesh, her sister, Hasina, had eloped with her lover, spurning
her arranged marriage. This only resulted in heartbreak and tragedy.
Monica Ali's debut novel delves into the landscape of love, family,
and the yearning for a sense of belonging. Receiving mostly positive
reviews, The Observer says, "This highly evolved, accomplished book is
a reminder of how exhilarating novels can be: it opened up a world
whose contours I could recognise, but which I needed Monica Ali to
make me understand."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/brick_lane

"What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal" by Zoe Heller - This book
was originally titled just "Notes on a Scandal" in the UK. Barbara
Covett is a lonely schoolteacher in her 60s. When Sheba Hart joins
her school in north London, Barbara reaches out in friendship. After
Sheba has an affair with an underage student that ends in scandal,
Barbara latches on as her defender. She takes to writing her account
of the affair to set the facts straight. Barbara's motives, however,
are also suspect. Her own envy, lack of intimate relationships, and
possible neuroses call into question whether she's a friend or someone
taking advantage of the situation for their own nefarious reasons.
"What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal" turns from salacious to
darkly comic and sinister. Receiving high praise from most reviewers,
the Cleveland Plain Dealer says it "is not only very funny and
original, it demonstrates shrewdness, intelligence and nerve in
tackling a difficult and tricky subject, and carrying it off."
Excerpt and reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/notes_on_a_scandal

"Heligoland" by Shena Mackay - Rowena Snow has lived a life without
much hope. She's an orphaned Himalayan girl, schooled in Scotland,
and then sent to live in south London where she makes a living
providing service to others. Her fantasy is the island of Heligoland
off the German coast, an ideal place in her dreams. Instead she moves
into the Nautilus, a building designed like the sea shell in the 1930s
for a utopian society of artists and bohemians. Now it's just a shell
of its former self, as are the few remaining inhabitants. Rowena
finds herself, and her Heligoland, there. Shena Mackay's novel has
met mostly positive reviews. The Guardian says of "Heligoland", "This
is drawn so playfully and so compassionately - and with such
consistently beautiful writing - that the experience is mysteriously
comic and sweet."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/heligoland

"Frankie & Stankie" by Barbara Trapido - "Frankie & Stankie" is
Barbara Trapido's semi-autobiographical novel of growing up in South
Africa from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Her protagonist is
Dinah de Bondt, the daughter of Dutch and German parents. The
lifestyle in distinctly British, though, played against the backdrop
of growing apartheid laws and the assumption of power by the Afrikaner
Nationalists. In school, the children are taught the ways of
prejudice against the black natives and Indians in their midst. Dinah
worries because her father plays tennis with an Indian lawyer. A girl
at school at disappears after being reclassified as colored. Perhaps
more of a memoir than a novel, Barbara Trapido tells the story of the
awakening of a girl into a woman of political consciousness against
the backdrop of evil that surrounds her life. The Observer says, "It
is an accomplished memoir, a useful addition to the history shelf and
a wonderful read."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/frankie_and_stankie

"Crossing the Lines" by Melvyn Bragg - "Crossing the Lines" is the
third novel by Melvyn Bragg about the Richardson family in Cumbria.
In this latest installment tells the story of their son, Joe, in the
latter half of the 1950s. Over the course of the novel, Joe moves
from being a rural schoolboy to an Oxford undergraduate. Not only
must Joe cope with the crossing from boyhood to manhood, he must deal
with the class distinctions of society, first love, political
consciousness, and life away from home. His parents also must bear
their cross as they move into middle age and their son moving away
from home. "Crossing the Lines" has received mixed reviews. The New
Zealand Herald says, "The strength of the saga is private lives, not
public life. The appeal of the books, and they are worth reading, is
in the characters, from the original cast and the later additions."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/crossing_the_lines

"Vernon God Little" by D. B. C. Pierre - Vernon Little is a shiftless,
unassuming boy in a small Texas town. When his best friend, Jesus,
goes on a murder spree at the high school before turning the gun on
himself, the town needs a living scapegoat. They decide the Vernon
must have been an accessory. Vernon narrates the story in his own
inimitable style, and where the truth lies isn't quite clear. D. B.
C. Pierre's debut novel is a wicked satire of white-trash America with
its penchant for sensationalism, conspiracies, and Jerry Springer-like
justice. The Telegraph says, "Simply as an indictment of American
justice, 'Vernon God Little' is chilling and hilarious. But the novel
is much, much more than that. It is a showcase of superb comic
writing, every sentence turned with loving care."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/vernon_god_little

"Judge Savage" by Tim Parks - Judge Daniel Savage should be on top of
the world. He is the first black appointed to the local circuit in a
nameless British city, although he appears insensitive to minorities
before him. His womanizing has caused his wife to leave him. His
daughter gets her nose pierced, drops out, and becomes an evangelist.
His best friend and mentor dies and he then discovers he was a
pedophile. A Korean girl he had an affair with while she was a juror
on a case he presided turns up pregnant, and then he is beaten by her
brothers. His world is spinning out of his control. Can it be saved?
Tim Parks' novel has received mixed reviews. The Spectator says,
"The novel is still a virtuoso piece, a tour de force, highly
enjoyable because the characters are so alive, often so funny (as
convincing as the story is not), the milieus so vivid, the hero so
attractive, and so good at analysing his own and other people's
feelings and motives."
Reviews are at: http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/judge_savage


Happy reading!

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