While The Man of My Dreams is set up as a coming-of-age novel, Hannah’s growth is primarily physical rather than emotional. Although it is a rather unsatisfying read in that sense, there are many aspects to this capable narrative which make it…
Category: Commercial FIction Reviews
A review of 100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
Brian Azzarello’s story is top-notch and is written with a street dialogue that even Elmore Leonard might envy. Eduardo Risso’s artwork is evocative and vivid. He can paint a bleak cityscape of housing projects and basketball courts, move from the…
A review of Uncle Rupert by James Cumes
As a commentary, or a kind of Ayn Rand styled tract designed to support a political thesis, it will likely appeal to anyone with similar political leanings. The writing is clear, the metaphors original, and the narration at times charmingly…
A review of Waiting for Kate Bush by John Mendelssohn
Waiting for Kate Bush is a funny, fast-paced read. The characters are full of interesting Dickensian qualities, quirky parallels, and twists which tease out the theme—that nothing is quite what it seems. Fame is a fleeting and strange thing which…
A review of Jake with a Snarly Smile on His Chops by Matthew Ward
This is something of a boys own adventure story, billed by the author as a few hours entertainment, and as that, it succeeds admirably. There are plenty of chuckles, and lots of mouth watering detail which bring the setting, both…
A Review of Growing Young by Dean Warren
Dean Warren’s newest book, Growing Young, proves once again that he is a master of this writing genre. He writes of a futuristic society while weaving in facts of things happening in our own time; scientific and genetic research, unemployment,…
A Review of Death in Holy Orders by PD James
The story is straightforward, and the mystery unfolds with the right pace, and the right amount of suspense, but James is much more than a simple genre writer. Her characters are complex and well drawn, and while the story reads…
A review of John Grisham’s The Painted House
It is perhaps not fair to review The Painted House from a literary perspective, since the literary and stylistic quality of his prose is not part of his appeal. However, the setting out of critical apparatus for objective book reviewing…