Category: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

A review of Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Atwood’s world is thoroughly formed, her imagination extraordinary, but only just one step in front of the world of today. She touches on serious biological concerns, terrorism both individual and corporate, and big philosophical concerns, without losing the beauty and…

A review of The Light of Day by Graham Swift

Go deep below the surface of any person, and you will find Swift’s narrator, George Webb, a man for whom the normal movements of life have become odd, and replaced by a kind of quiet obsession – love perhaps, or…

A review of Can Poetry Matter By Dana Gioia

The reader will not need to agree with Gioia to enjoy this book. It constitutes by the nature of its subject a wandering into both the unknown and the unknowable. But Gioia seldom goes so far into speculation that he…

A review of Fresh Milk by Fiona Giles

For those of us who have experienced the sensual, emotional, and intense power of being able to feed our children for extended periods, there are many chapters in this book which will resonate. Those who haven’t probably won’t be interested.…

A review of Withdrawal by Michael Hoffman

Is this artlessness or is it art perfected? One hardly cares, for Hoffman is a natural storyteller and, although this is often not high praise for a writer, it achieves a different dimension when, as here, the writer is sufficient…

A review of Gabriel Gate’s Guide to Everyday Cooking

Guide to Everyday Cooking is an all-inclusive primer, with over 200 dishes and lots of information on techniques, ingredients, and kitchen help. As with all of Gate’s books, the focus is on using the freshest and best quality ingredients you can…

A review of The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

In the end, we choose our point, arbitrarily: “A period, a dot of punctuation, a point of stasis.” Atwood reminds us that the story could easily end elsewhere, that endings are random, and that, for her protagonists (but not for…