Archive for the ‘2010 Favorites’ Category

NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro

NEVER LET ME GO is a magnificent achievement, one that I personally rate above all other Ishiguro novels, because it adds an unexpected and quietly devastating emotional dimension to his already-powerful armory. Although this book has something of the alternative-reality feel of THE UNCONSOLED, it is by no means as difficult to read. It probably beats even THE REMAINS OF THE DAY in the surface lucidity of its narration, and emotions that had been denied or repressed in that earlier novel are here allowed to flower, albeit briefly. Indeed, one strand of this most unusual Bildungsroman is a love story, simple, true, and almost traditional, though denied the traditional happy-ever-after ending.

September 13, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , ,  · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Alternate History, Literary, Scifi, United Kingdom, y Award Winning Author

THIRTEEN HOURS by Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer’s books just keep getting better and better. His newest thriller, THIRTEEN HOURS, had me on the edge of my seat from the first chapter. For those readers not familiar with Meyer’s previous books, his novels take place in his homeland of South Africa with this novel taking place in Capetown. The book is a roller coaster of a read with several different plot lines vying for precedence at the same time and each of them as compelling as the other. The book takes place in a time period of thirteen hours, hence the title.

September 10, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags:  · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Class - Race - Gender, South Africa, Thriller/Spy/Caper, World Lit

FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen

…But here’s the catch: Jonathan Franzen’s FREEDOM is worth every accolade and every bit of heaping praise it garners. In one word, the novel is spectacular.

September 3, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Contemporary, Literary

BITTER IN THE MOUTH by Monique Truong

Early on in Monique Truong’s powerful new novel, BITTER IN THE MOUTH, the narrator, Linda Hammerick, realizes her family is keeping secrets from her. “What I know about you, little girl, would break you in two. Those were the last words that my grandmother ever said to me,” Linda recalls. It will take many more years before Linda can discover what those secrets are but before then she must navigate a strained childhood in the small town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

September 1, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , ,  · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary, Family Matters, Literary, Reading Guide

A NOVEL BOOKSTORE by Laurence Cosse

A few months ago, someone told me he’d just finished one of the most amazing books he’d ever read. He was visibly shaken by the idea that he’d found the book by accident and could so easily have missed the book altogether. “What if I went through life without reading this novel,” he mused, and this was followed by another thought, “how many other novels as good as this am I missing?” From this point, the conversation moved on to the observation that readers are saturated by publicity for some books while others are quietly published and subsequently sink and disappear without a trace. This conversation came back to me when I read A NOVEL BOOKSTORE, a book written by Laurence Cossé and translated by Alison Anderson. On the surface level, this is a mystery, but on a meta-level, A Novel Bookstore is an indictment of the cannibalizing publishing industry, the mass marketing of “taste,” and a subtle examination of fascism. All this in just around 400 pages. A NOVEL BOOKSTORE plays out just like an excellent French film–great entertainment on a surface level, but yet some deep philosophical statements resonate in the background.

August 31, 2010 · Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: , , ,  · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, France, Mystery/Suspense, Reading Guide, World Lit, y Award Winning Author

OUR TRAGIC UNIVERSE by Scarlett Thomas

What makes Scarlett Thomas’ writing stand out is her gift of largesse–the narrator’s generosity combined with a brainy appeal that tunneled fluidly into my psyche. She is plainspoken and warm and yet finely cultivated. Thomas introduces esoteric principles as if it were the natural state of things. She can talk about Derrida and Darwin in a way that is effortless, intuitive. Her protagonist’s voice is addictive and honest; indeed, Meg’s thoughts mirror the everyday banter inside my head. Like an overlapping image in pictures, her voice became my voice.

August 30, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Contemporary, Literary, Unique Narrative, y Award Winning Author