Monthly Archives: June 2008

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

American Literature

Synopsis: A spirited young woman takes on the all-male secret society at her boarding school, and not just because her boyfriend’s one of the leaders. Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks reminded me a lot of Rushmore, and that’s a good thing. It’s quirky and offbeat, combining intelligence and heart within a clever, original plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Frankie’s sabotage of the Secret Order of the Basset Hound stems from her sense that her boyfriend is underestimating her. In one sense, she’s just…

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Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

Canadian Literature 8 Comments

Synopsis: Tigana is a country that has been obliterated by magic, down to its very name, yet a small group of rebels who remember decide to spark civil war to reclaim the honor of their homeland. Review: I wanted to love Tigana, I really did. Guy Gavriel Kay is a beautiful writer, excelling in exploring complex emotions and motivations within scenes that are startlingly original. There are scenes in Tigana that are achingly lovely without sacrificing dramatic impact. However, the overall story just never clicked…

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Real Sex by Lauren Winner

American Literature

Synopsis: An exploration of the meaning of chastity in the 21st century. Review: Real Sex is an excellent companion piece to Anna Broadway’s Sexless in the City. Winner offers a larger cultural and historical context for Broadway’s desire to live chastely, and has some ideas about why Broadway expresses some disappointment in the way she has been taught by the church to think about sex. Winner’s analysis is thoughtful and well-researched, and is worth reading even by those who don’t hold the same beliefs in…

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Loose Girl by Kerry Cohen

American Literature

Synopsis: An autobiography of a promiscuous life. Review: The most striking thing about Kerry Cohen’s Loose Girl is the inevitability of her misbehavior. Cohen’s parents divorced when she was a preteen, and neither one seems able to practice any kind of responsible or involved parenting. Her dad is the kind of guy who asks for a toke when he catches his daughter and her friends getting high, and her mother is a gynecologist who prescribes abortion pills for Cohen without even an office visit. Both…

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Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

American Literature 8 Comments

Synopsis: A writer and journalist who never wanted kids finds herself spiraling into obsession when she begins to try to conceive. Review: Peggy Orenstein paints herself in such a bad light in Waiting for Daisy that it’s next to impossible to sympathize with her predicament. And that’s too bad, because three miscarriages are a lot to suffer through. However, Orenstein paints her desire for a child not as a powerful emotional urge but as an accomplishment she can’t live without. She never once talks about…

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Favorite Author Meme

On Reading 1 Comment

Heather at Errant Dreams came up with a wonderful meme–enjoy & consider yourself tagged! * Answer the questions as you see fit. Although they’re all phrased to ask about a singular author, feel free to respond with multiples, or even a list. * Where possible & convenient (you don’t have to go as crazy as I did!), include a link here or there to an author’s website, your review of one of their books, or a review that inspired you to try the author(s), so…

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Healthy Child, Healthy World by Christopher Gavigan

American Literature, On Reading

Synopsis: A practical how-to guide for greening your home. Review: I could have done without the celebrity endorsements in Healthy Child, Healthy World. I really don’t care what kind of diapers Brooke Shields uses or that Noah Wyle’s kids are vegetarians. I guess these are good selling points, but to me these sidebars were just a lot of clutter. I did like the suggestions and recipes for green cleaning, which is something I’ve been working towards for some time, not just for the health of…

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