Three disclaimers/confessions before I dig into this review: 1. I am a member of an organized Christian religion, and I firmly believe in the Holy Trinity, tenets of Christian faith, etc. Therefore, I am coming at this theologically from a place of familiarity with Christianity. 2. As a doctoral student in twentieth century American and British literature, I know my way around contemporary fiction. There is a certain kind of writing I enjoy. I like good writing, well-crafted prose. My favorite contemporary authors include Ishiguro, […]
Seriously, one of the best YA novels I’ve ever read.
I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long, long time. Finally, I galloped through it this afternoon, and already I want to read it over again. It’s what Eric Gansworth’s If I Ever Get Out of Here wanted to be. It’s what so many young adult novels want to be. Junior (aka Arnold Spirit) has 99 problems, and extra cerebral fluid in the brain is just one of them. He also is part of the Spokane Reservation, which means he’s super poor. And […]
If this book were a T-Pain song, it would be called, “I’m in love with a student.”
I’ve read 3 of Alan Hollinghurst’s novels, and I’ve been meaning to read the other two for a few years now. That time has come when I’m starting to riffle through all the books I’ve borrowed from my school library and want to start taking them back, so that’s been a motivator for me. It’s not my favorite Hollinghurst by a long shot. If you’re going to read him, read The Line of Beauty. It’s deep and intricate and incredibly well-written, whereas The Folding Star […]
A bird in a gilded cage
Oh, man. I really feel like I’ve been to the circus. A crazy, trippy sci-fi circus, but still. Enough to go around. I’ve heard Angela Carter’s name bandied about the contemporary British field/feminist literature field, and this work in particular, so I thought it would be good to know my field even better. The novel takes place in three parts, for the three major “stages” of the circus’s trip: London, St. Petersburg, and Siberia. In London, we become acquainted with Sophie Fevvers through journalist Jack […]
Badly Done, Emma. Well done, Jane.
It was my turn to choose the next book for my book club, and I chose Jane Austen. Duh. I mean: anyone who knows me in real life or who has followed my blog long enough knows about my completely sane, married-woman-who-somehow-manages-to-be-attracted-to-a-flesh-and-blood-man-even-after-lusting-after-Darcy obsession with Austen. But instead of picking a book where I am afraid we can get kind of fangirlish (Pride and Prejudice? I still love you. Call me), I wanted to read something less comfortable. Something that would maybe challenge us a bit. […]
No Turning Back the Clock: The Remains of Stevens’ Days
Oh, this book. This. Book. I just finished reading The Remains of the Day about 10 minutes ago, and I find myself feeling beautifully sated by gorgeous prose, and also deeply, deeply melancholy. The premise is simple, but the novel itself packs such a punch that I found myself reading slowly to soak it all in. I’ve read it before, but since this is making up half of my next dissertation chapter, I went through another read. The novel opens with Stevens, the butler at […]
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