Category Archives: American Literature

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

American Literature October 2, 2007 Superfast Reader 18 Comments

Synopsis: An Indian-American immigrant named after a Russian writer struggles to find his place in the world. Review: I know the month is only 2 days young, but The Namesake might be my favorite read of October. Sprawling and intimate, Gogol Ganguli’s story riveted me in a way that I wish Zadie Smith’s White Teeth had. Though perhaps that’s just that I’m an American and not British. I found Gogol’s world and struggles to be accessible, and I connected with him even though he’s very…

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

American Literature September 22, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Basically Brave New World crossed with 1984. Review: There isn’t an original idea in This Perfect Day. It’s also got one of those scenes where the main character rapes his love interest to prove his mastery, and she resists then totally gets into it and it ends up being just what she needed to become fully alive. Blech. I’m already annoyed at the time I lost reading this thing, and I don’t feel like giving it any more of my life, so that’s it…

The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle

American Literature September 16, 2007 Superfast Reader 10 Comments

Synopsis: A summer job turns into a game of strategy with potentially deadly consequences for a young aspiring scientist hoping to learn more about the implications of the regenerative powers of starfish. Review: Of course I had to read a L’Engle as soon as humanly possible, and I wanted to read one I hadn’t read before. I was unaware that The Arm of the Starfish featured some of the characters from the Wrinkle in Time books, most notably, Polyhymnia O’Keefe from An Acceptable Time. I…

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

American Literature, Australian Literature September 15, 2007 Superfast Reader 7 Comments

Synopsis: Aya’s city runs on fame, and she’s desperate to find a story to send out over her personal feed in order to crack the top 1,000 and get all her heart desires. Review: Extras is a follow up to Scott Westerfeld’s acclaimed trilogy: Uglies, Pretties, and Specials, which follow Tally Youngblood through a series of escalating body and mind modifications that basically turn her into a superhero.

Unhooked by Laura Sessions Stepp

American Literature September 15, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A dissection of hook-up culture on college campuses and in high schools, including anecdotal accounts. Review: More hand-wringing than Last Night in Paradise, less high-minded than Unprotected, Unhooked is more likely than either to provoke fear and consternation in the hearts of parents of teenagers across America–particularly if they’ve read I Am Charlotte Simmons and their daughter is looking at Duke University.

Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson by Judy Oppenheimer

American Literature September 14, 2007 Superfast Reader 5 Comments

Synopsis: A biography of Shirley Jackson, author of the short story “The Lottery,” and one of my favorite authors. Review: I was inspired to read this thanks to an email I got from Chaucerian Girl. She expressed an appreciation for Private Demons, Judy Oppenheimer’s biography of the woman I believe to be one of the greatest American writers of the mid-20th century.

Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

American Literature September 11, 2007 Superfast Reader 12 Comments

Synopsis: In a world where color has been banished, a young woman defies the king with a cloak woven from all the hues of nature, throwing the fabric of society into chaos and turmoil. Review: I became a fan of Jeffrey Overstreet after reading his book on film, Through a Screen Darkly, and subsequently become a reader of his blog, Looking Closer. Auralia’s Colors is the first in a proposed series of four, to which I say, “Bring it.”

The Red Queen’s Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov

American Literature September 1, 2007 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: The orphaned daughter of Henry VII’s widow Katherine Parr finds herself at court, ostensibly as a lady-in-waiting but in reality to serve Queen Elizabeth as a white magician. Review: The Red Queen’s Daughter is one of the last of the galleys I picked up at Book Expo this year. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction but I was intrigued by the magical aspect to the story. The book has a good balance of historical detail (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived–anybody remember…

Breathing Water by T. Greenwood

American Literature August 30, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After learning of the death of her abusive ex-boyfriend, a woman returns to the home by the lake she once loved to build a new life and exorcise old ghosts. Review: I am a very big fan of T. Greenwood’s second novel, Nearer than the Sky, and I have no excuse for why it took me so long to read Breathing Water, her debut. Simply put, Greenwood is a beautiful prose stylist who isn’t afraid to explore dark and scary places with characters who…

The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell

American Literature August 28, 2007 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: The sole survivor of humankind’s first trip to space is a ruined, broken Jesuit priest, for whom the encounter with alien life brought him both divinely inspired rapture and despair. Review: When humanity finally hears a voice from space, it’s music, and thanks to a bold young scientist the first mission to the source of the transmission is financed by the Jesuits, completely under the radar of the rest of the world. However, something has gone horribly wrong, and no one has survived the…

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