While the novel slouches towards magic realism, the double voice enables the reader to maintain enough of a distance to create a tension. It is quite possible that Yitzhak is a visionary. It is equally possible that he is either…
Category: Book Reviews
Book Reviews
A review of Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
The mixture of everyday life, and a very common set of tragedies coupled with moments of transcendence makes for a fast paced read. In the end, we are left with the permanence of love in the face of the temporarily…
A review of Write to Publish by Christopher Klim
For beginning writers, or young people wanting to take their work to the next level–including publication–Write to Publish will be helpful in both a practical sense, as well as inspirational, without suggesting that writers try to run before they can…
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 Hermit in Paris – Autobiographical Writings by Italo Calvino
Hermit in Paris, along with The Road to San Giovanni comprises the extent of Calvino’s autobiographical writings, at least in English. There is still a mystery about Calvino, and that will remain; you won’t be able to understand, from the…
A review of Writing Alone, Writing Together by Judy Reeves
Writing groups can provide all sorts of benefits, from stimulating us to write new material in new ways, helping to improve our writing, encouraging our efforts and teaching us new skills, not to mention the camaraderie and pleasure of sharing…
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…