Books that captivate with their exquisite prose and unforgettable storytelling. Perfect for readers who appreciate the art of language.
The House of the Spirits
Isabel Allende, 1985
433 pp.
February 2008
Having just re-read this marvelous book after 18 years, I'd forgotten how much I liked it. Three generations of women populate the story and the eponymous "house of the spirits"—they make for fascinating and compelling characters.
The story begins with the death of the beautiful and unearthly green-haired Rosa, the only woman in the book whose name refers to a color. Her sister Clara (clear) eventually marries Rosa's fiance, Esteban Trueba—thereby beginning the line of women whose names signifiy white, Blanca and Alba.
The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro, 1989
256 pp.
January 2008
I know. This is sooo not cutting edge. Remains has been around for 20 years now, and it's been discussed ad nauseam. In fact, I wanted to write about Ishiguro's more recent Never Let Me Go—but this book is just so good.
Remains is an English teacher's dream: there's so much going on beneath the surface—and it's so carefully pieced together—that it makes the sparks fly out of our chalk. It's a modern classic.
A Thousand Acres
Jane Smiley, 1991
384 pp.
December 2007
King Lear travels to Iowa, brought here in the late 20th century by Jane Smiley. This is Smiley's stunning tour de force, a Pulitzer Prize winner and many believe a contemporary classic.
A Thousand Acres is a modern re-telling of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, but told from the perspective of Ginny, a latter day Goneril (Lear's evil daughter in the original). In this version, Ginny/Goneril is the heroine.
Empire Falls
Richard Russo, 2001
496 pp.
November 2007
There seems to be no end to my use of superlatives when it comes to describing Richard Russo as a writer: lucid, funny, humane, poignant perceptive, trenchant.... It's an embarrassment of adjectival riches.
What I'm trying to say is simply this: Empire Falls is a good book—a wonderful book. It's the story of stifled dreams or, more precisely, of those afraid even to have dreams.
The Whole World Over
Julia Glass, 2006
512 pp.
October 2007
I was feeling dejected—having just finished a number of books by well-known authors, none of which I could recommend. Then I picked up this beautiful book, and it may well be my recent favorite, along with Bel Canto.
Julia Glass (author of Three Junes, a 2002 National Book Award winner) populates this novel with a large cast of characters, each provided with a rich past and generous inner life.