Drifting Along Some Fine Writing Bellow, Saul. (1973). Humbolt’s Gift. New York: Penguin. The story is about the life of a New York City writer who makes it big, but is haunted by the memory of his writing mentor, Humbolt, … Continue reading
A Light Romp Through Early America Carey, Peter. (2010) Parrot and Olivier In America. New York: Knopf. Alexis de Tocqueville was a French aristocrat, philosopher and historian shortly after the French revolution, in the 1830’s. He hated the Bourbon king who … Continue reading
Cute Immigrants Chieng, Chieh (2005). A Long Stay In A Distant Land. New York: Bloomsbury. This quirky, multi-generational family story begins in southern California. The Lum family are middle-class Chinese-American. Louis works for a magazine but moves back home to tend his … Continue reading
Light Satire From a Thin Story Kunzru, Hari (2004). Transmission. New York: Penguin. Arjun Mehta is a computer nerd in India who is hired by a recruiting firm to work as a programmer in America, his life’s dream come true. He … Continue reading
Is It Wrong To Be Unhappy? Adams, W. A. (2010). [Review of the book, Manufacturing Depresson]. PsycCRITIQUES – Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, September 1, 2010, Vol. 55, Release 35, Article 1. Author and psychotherapist Gary Greenberg has a strong … Continue reading
A Barely Coherent Mystery Faulkner, William (1931). Sanctuary. New York: Vintage. Often billed as Faulkner’s commercial whodunit, this novel hovers on the edge of unintelligibility. But, it’s a “classic,” so what do I know. Temple Drake, a young, well-off college student … Continue reading
Fan Fiction Goes Mainstream Cunningham, Michael (1998). The Hours. New York: Picador USA Fan fiction rarely gets published, but Cunningham’s The Hours somehow managed it. Fan fiction is written by fans of characters in stories created by someone else. A fan-writer produces elaborations … Continue reading
Wonderful Language, Dull Story Nabokov, Vladimir. (1955). Lolita. New York: Vintage 50th Anniversary Edition. This is a book whose reputation precedes reading. Everyone knows the story of a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession with a twelve-year-old girl. Humbert Humbert, a European gentleman, … Continue reading
Wildly Overrated Doctorow, E.L. (1974). Ragtime. New York: Penguin. This impressionistic portrait of New York in the early 1900’s has been widely praised as a “classic,” and has been made into a movie and a Broadway show. I can’t understand … Continue reading
Like a Tarantula on an Angel Food Cake Chandler, Raymond (1940/1992). Farewell, My Lovely. New York: Vintage/Random. “Chandleresque” is a writing style that cannot be matched, though many have tried, even me. Tough guy PI, Philip Marlowe, is the definition of … Continue reading