The Starter Marriage by Pamela Paul

March 28th, 2008 · No Comments

Synopsis:
An overview of the recent phenomenon of marriages that end before they reach the five-year mark.
Review:
I hate books that never tell you more than what you read in the title. I generally enjoy books like this, as I’m keenly interested in human behavior and social trends, but this book really didn’t do it for [...]

Popularity: 33% [?]

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Tags: American Literature

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

March 9th, 2008 · 5 Comments

Synopsis:
A collection of short stories set mostly among Indian immigrants in the US.
Review:
Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake was one of my favorite reads of last year, so I decided I needed to check out her much-buzzed about collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. It will surprise no one who has read these tales that [...]

Popularity: 46% [?]

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Tags: American Literature

Angelica by Arthur Phillips

October 22nd, 2007 · 2 Comments

Synopsis:
Fearful of her husband’s sexual advances, a young mother falls into a spectacular case of hysteria–that might not be all in her head.
Review:
Angelica is yet another neo-Gothic tale, set in a Victorian England conjured more from literature than from history. It has all of the elements you’d want: repressed sexuality, midnight visions, hysteria and [...]

Popularity: 44% [?]

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Tags: American Literature

Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Shulman

August 19th, 2007 · 2 Comments

Synopsis:
Despite being both beautiful and smart, former teen beauty Sasha’s love life is a shambles, and–even worse–she’s approaching 30 with rapid speed.
Review:
I usually don’t say blank is the new blank, but I’ve never been more glad that 30 is the new 20 than after reading this depressing book. When I was in my 20s, [...]

Popularity: 38% [?]

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Tags: American Literature

The Cross (Kristin Lavransdatter 3) by Sigrid Undset

May 22nd, 2007 · 8 Comments

Synopsis:
As her seven sons grow to manhood in 13th Century Norway, Kristin finds her marriage tested by long-simmering resentments, and struggles with her passage into senescence.
Review:
This might be my favorite of all three Kristin Lavransdatter books, because I think Undset is operating at the peak of her narrative powers. She really brings to life [...]

Popularity: 76% [?]

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Tags: Norwegian Literature

The Price of Silence by Camilla Trinchieri

May 15th, 2007 · 5 Comments

Synopsis:
After she befriends secretive An-Ling, a menopausal wife and mother’s family collapses under the weight of a lifetime of lies that may have lead to An-Ling’s murder.
Popularity: 43% [?]

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Popularity: 43% [?]

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Tags: American Literature

The Wife (Kristin Lavransdatter II) by Sigrid Undset

March 23rd, 2007 · No Comments

Synopsis:
Now married to her beloved Erlend Niklausson, Kristin takes up her new life as the mistress of Husaby, fearful that the child that grows inside her will expose her secret shame and cause her father to reject her.
Review:
I didn’t think it was going to be possible for Undset to outdo her achievement The Wreath, book [...]

Popularity: 60% [?]

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Tags: Norwegian Literature

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (translated by Joel Carmichael)

February 10th, 2007 · 3 Comments

Synopsis:
The tale of a society woman and her unconventional love affair contrasts with that of a landowner struggling with faith and duty.
Review:
Anna Karenina. The very words have struck me with fear and awe ever since a disastrous Russian History class in 12th grade, where I discovered my superpower’s limits for the first time. [...]

Popularity: 40% [?]

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Tags: Russian Literature

Glittering Images by Susan Howatch

December 21st, 2006 · No Comments

Synopsis:
When the Archbishop of Canterbury sends a canon to uncover evidence of sexual misconduct in the home of one of his bishops, a mare’s nest of scandal erupts and the canon must face hard truths about the hypocrisies in his life.
Popularity: 24% [?]

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Popularity: 24% [?]

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Tags: British Literature

The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce by Judith Wallerstein

December 17th, 2006 · 2 Comments

Synopsis:
Judith Wallerstein began a long-term study of the effects of divorce on children 25 years ago, and this book presents a portrait of the history and present of 5 children of divorce, and 5 who lived in families with similar dynamics where the parents did not divorce.
Popularity: 19% [?]

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Popularity: 19% [?]

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Tags: American Literature