Books that captivate with their exquisite prose and unforgettable storytelling. Perfect for readers who appreciate the art of language.
The Art of Fielding
Chad Harbach, 2011
528 pp.
February, 2012
For many reviewers, The Art of Fielding stands alongside Bernard Malamud's The Natural as one of the great baseball classics of all time.
Chad Harbach channels Malamud, to be sure, but Herman Melville is his real muse. Melville is here in the quirky asides and even more in the dark Romantic theme of life as unknowable, undefinable, and indescribable.
The Cat's Table
Michael Ondaatje, 2011
288 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
January, 2012
A stunner—beautiful, elusive, mysterious. The Cat's Table explores how events of childhood, fleeting and often perplexing, have the power to shape the adults we become.
As Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) writes, in the voice of his now older character, childhood "smuggled us away accidentally, with no knowledge of the act, into the future."
Nightwoods
Charles Frazier, 2011
272 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
December, 2011
Yes, it's true. Charles Frazier, National Book Award winner for Cold Mountain, may have a bit of a shtick. Some critics—by no means all—accuse him of burdening his storylines with heavy-handed, florid prose. I disagree.
For me Frazier evokes William Faulkner, another king of verbiage who creates idiosyncratic worlds. Like Faulkner's, Frazier's are lost worlds—resplendent yet precarious, they no longer exist. Still, they're so complete it's hard to pull away, even when the book is closed.
The Astral
Kate Christensen, 2011
320 pp.
November 2011
At the center of this book's cover* is a guy on a bicycle surrounded by a vacant stretch of pavement. Presuming the figure represents Harry Quirk, the novel's protagonist, it's a clever metaphor for the predicament Harry finds himself in.
Harry's a guy who weaves and bobs his way through the byways of Brooklyn, in other words, through life itself. No straight line to where he's going: it's a meandering, crooked path. Not to worry though, Harry finally reaches his destination. The joy of this book is Harry himself and Brooklyn, New York—its byways and waterways, sidewalks and bars...and the quirky creatures who inhabit all of it.
Freedom
Jonathan Franzen, 2011
608 pp.
November 2011
Franzen got off to a terrific start when he dissed Oprah ten years ago. She'd chosen his book, Corrections, as a book club read, but Franzen's response was "oh dear, oh dear. If Oprah likes it, men won't touch it." So Oprah said, "forget it, big boy." The whole thing turned into a big ballyhoo—and garnered Corrections a lot of free publicity. Lucky guy.
Forgive and forget, I suppose, because Oprah turned right around and picked Freedom as another selection. This time Franzen did appear on Oprah's show and accepted her imprimatur. Lucky again.