In my binge on plays after viewing the sampler from the PBS special, I included Michael Frayn’s 1998 play Copenhagen, which promised to be set during World War II. As it turns out, the play is far more complicated than that. Based on historical figures and an actual historical event, Copenhagen covers the relationship between scientists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, with feedback from Bohr’s wife Margrethe. The play opens in an indeterminate time, because all three characters have died and are now talking in […]
The glory of mermaid friends without the silly puns.
I read Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly for CBR6, and I was excited to hear that the sequel, Rogue Wave would be coming out this last January. Well. My library didn’t get a copy for like two months, and the wait has been awful. But I tore through it this evening, and it was well worth the wait. Thankfully, the mer-puns have been replaced by much weightier plot points and character building moments. This book, however, carries heavier tales of chaos and destruction. The beautiful […]
I don’t do family drama. And guess what The Glass Castle is all about?
My book club is made up of a lot of non-fiction readers, so I’ve been reading more nonfiction than I normally do. Some books have been good, some not-so-great, but I’ve decided that memoir is overall not my genre. The Glass Castle, while one of the most startling nonfiction accounts I’ve ever read, was a tough book to read for lots of reasons. First, the story: Jeannette Walls grows up in an unconventional family. Her father is a megalomaniac and an alcoholic. Her mother is […]
Teaching a novel I love brings new insights.
Last year, I reviewed Never Let Me Go for CBR6, and I almost didn’t review it for CBR7, because I didn’t want to bore you all with a rehash. So here’s what I’ve decided. I’ll attach last year’s review, which contains a pretty decent synopsis, and then I’ll delve into the new things I picked up this year. This time around, I’m teaching it to my ENGL 1002 course, which has been enlightening and eye-opening. At first, I was super nervous teaching them a novel. […]
Burger’s Daughter
A dear friend from grad school has talked about Nadine Gordimer’s Burger’s Daughter being instrumental in her academic career, which piqued my interest. Plus, Gordimer just passed away a few months back, and I’ve been needing to read more South African writers as part of my journey into more Anglophone literature. I’m not entirely sure I’ve fully digested all that I’ve read, but I’ll give this review my best shot. Rosa Burger is the daughter of anti-apartheid leader and member of the Communist Party Lionel […]
Warning: nerdy Ishiguro fangirling to follow.
If you’ve followed my CBR Reviews these past three CBRs, then you know of my affinity for literary fiction. Particularly Kazuo Ishiguro’s novels. I’m teaching Never Let Me Go this spring to my ENGL 1002 students (and they actually *like* it, hooray!), and I’ve read all the others. It’s been ten years since Ishiguro’s last novel, and his collection of novellas/short stories, while perfectly serviceable, were nowhere near good enough for his fans as they greedily awaited his next novel. Last year, he announced that […]
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