All Hoffman’s stories show events occurring on a plane different from the one that we occupy. And they concern truths that have their own imperatives. However much this demands of the reader, this strange world is in the hands of…
Category: Book Reviews
Book Reviews
A Review of Billie’s Ghost by Chad Hautmann
Chad Hautmann has chosen a difficult subject for this book. A story of the pain and heartache at the loss of someone we love and the long road back to life among the living. He does this with gut-wrenching descriptions…
A Review of A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain
Does the idea of eating a still beating cobra heart and following it up with a blood chaser appeal to you? How about a potentially deadly puffer fish? Lamb gonads? Tete de veau (sweetbread stuffed calves face)? An old rubbery iguana? Birds nest soup? What about a sublime 20 course meal at The French Laundry in Napa Valley Ca, or roasted bone marrow at St. John restaurant, London. A Cook’s Tour is partly a foodie’s book, covering both the delectable and the disgusting, and it is also a travel book, tracing Boudain’s course through Tokyo, Vietnam, Cambodia, Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, Russia, Mexico, California, Scotland, and England.
A Review of Abaza by Louis Nowra
This approach frees the narrative from the mainstream pattern of beginning, middle and end. In some ways this is no different from the controlled narrative disclosures of such books as John Banville’s Eclipse or Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. But there is in the case…
A Review of Seducing Mr Maclean by Loubna Haikal
educing Mr Maclean is full of lush descriptions about Lebanese culture, dancing, music, and in particular, food (you’ll be craving hummous, baclava, and halva for weeks after reading it). It is an enjoyable and funny read which touches on an important…
A review of Robin Loftus’ Backyard Cosmos
Robin Loftus’ new collection of poetry Backyard Cosmos is a small collection, almost more of a pamphlet than a book, containing 50 pieces including a few haiku, but the work has that transformative quality which Ellmann refers to. Some of…
A Review of Eclipse by John Banville
This book, though short, demands slow, close reading. It is a difficult book as much from the artfulness of the author as from the tragic subject. All critics have commented on the beauty of Banville’s writing and this beauty sustains…
A Review of Haverleigh by James Cumes
Haverleigh is a well written and engaging story which moves smoothly between the front lines, and the quiet town of Haverleigh, between war at its face, and the impact of war on those left at home. The work is also…
A Review of A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
You are never told exactly where in India this novel unfolds, but the city has the feel of Calcutta. It is fascinating to see the main character, Dina, move through disgust at the men who are working for her, tailors,…
A Review of The Superior Person’s Book of Words by Peter Bowler
There is certainly no reason to accept the dumbing down of our society and Bowler tears up the cobblestones to form a barricade in what is very likely a losing battle. This is a book worth treasuring by all who…