09 April 2013

Three Mini Book Reviews


My blog has been on the dormant side recently, but my reading has not.  Here are three mini reviews of books that I've read that are recently (or soon to be) published, and by "mini reviews," I essentially mean that these are the small shelf tags that accompany these books in my bookstore. 

Frances & Bernard by Carlene Bauer. Has a letter ever changed your life?  When Frances and Bernard meet at an artists’ colony, they are not quite certain what to make of each other, but one letter changes everything. Bernard’s first letter to Frances leads to a deep and intense friendship. Not-so-loosely based on Flannery O’Connor and Robert Lowell, Frances and Bernard navigate the tricky waters of publishing, romance, religion, and mental illness in this hauntingly beautiful story. If you enjoy the works of Marilynne Robinson or 84 Charing Cross Road, or if you appreciate the bittersweet aspects of life, give this one a spin. 


The Mothers by Jennifer Gilmore. I had to remind myself several times while reading this book that it’s a novel and not a memoir—that’s how realistic and heartbreaking it feels. After years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, Jesse and Ramon desperately want to adopt a child, but they never could have imagined the difficulties lying in wait for them in the process, not least of which is determining how willing they’d be to adopt a child born with Down’s syndrome, fetal alcohol, blindness, deafness, spina bifida, or any combination thereof. This is an emotional and compelling read.


The Dinner by Herman Koch.  What starts off as a rather Bourgeois novel quickly takes a darker turn and descends into the realm of menace, both underhanded and overt.  Clearly there is more to our unnamed, mild-mannered narrator than first meets the eye, and as he learns more about his son’s new and disturbing hobby, the reader learns more about him.  The further this insidious father-son story unfolded, the faster I was compelled to turn the pages.  This book is a bestseller in Europe and recently translated for English-speaking audiences. 

15 comments:

  1. I've been curious about THE DINNER so far I think I've received most of the titles from that imprint with the exception of this one and it's the one that's intrigued me most! Haha.

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    1. Isn't that ironic? Perhaps you could contact the publisher and have them send you one.

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  2. It sounds like all three of these should be added to my tbr pile. ;) I've seen very mixed reviews of The Dinner...which, to be honest, only makes me more curious about the book!

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    1. Even the NYT had mixed reviews on The Dinner. One of the things that was great about my own reading experience, though, was that I had not one idea what the book was about when I picked it up. There was no plot synopsis or anything on my copy, so I came to it completely fresh.

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  3. Oooh, all three I have on my TBR -- but I'm kind of avoiding because they seem dark/intense/moody and I'm not quite in that place at the moment!

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    1. Yeah, you might want to wait on these, then. Particularly The Dinner!

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  4. ahh, I loved frances&bernard. so gorgeous.

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  5. These sound like downers, madam. DOWNERS.

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  6. I'm going to buy The Dinner and The Mothers because I already have the other one. You must stop making everything you read sound so deliciously lovely. I am going to go bankrupt reading your blog! Ha - just kidding. However, my Kindle is filling up faster than I can read.

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  7. I've heard a lot about The Dinner. Thanks for adding your thoughts!

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  8. Have just added two out of three to my TBR list....right now I'm avoiding anything that's a total downer. Thanks again....

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  9. They do sound like downers but as you say, 'in a good way' LOL! Appreciate the "mini" reviews; they're on par with my attention span.

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  10. Frances and Bernard sounds great. It certainly seems like Robert Lowell was friends with a lot of ladies. I remember discussing his relationship with Marianne Moore in one of my college classes.

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  11. The Mothers sounds emotional but powerful, I've added it to my wishlist.

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Please, sir, may I have some more? (Comments, that is!)