Whatever “it” is, this book has it. Unsurprisingly, The Neapolitan Novels series has been among the much-discussed darlings of the lit fic world — a world that I largely ignore, as I mainly stick to genre. Despite sounding intriguing enough to prompt me to read it, I still knew very little about it. And so, Elena Greco and Lila Cerrullo came to me freshly conceived, raw and open and complex, out of their run-down and violent neighborhood, seeking an opening to become something more than […]
When you didn’t hate the book, but can’t think of the title: a meh-ish review.
This was the last book of the book club I started in my local area. Aaaaand I read it over a month ago, so my memory is fuzzy, so this review isn’t going to be one for the record books. The book was recommended to me by a few folks, plus it was set it Italy, where I had just returned from a trip, so it seemed like a no brainer to tackle it next. All in all, I found it serviceable, but I just […]
Back on a true crime kick
This book is very interesting. OK, that sentence feels like a 4th grade book report. Really though , it’s interesting. There are so many details, and such well researched facts. You can tell that the authors got a little obsessed with the Monster. Their obsession cataloged thirty years worth of evidence, nearly half a dozen suspects (almost all were tried, convicted, and then acquitted), fourteen to sixteen murders, and two countries. Douglas Preston was an American author trying to write a crime novel. He met […]
In fair Verona, We lay our scene
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has a bittersweet ending. Our teenage heroes lay dead, but over their broken bodies their shattered parents make peace. No longer will the Montagues and Capulets wage war against each other. They’ve seen enough death. That’s how the play ends. With peace. Of course, a truce is easier said than done. After all, this battle has been raging between generations. Not everyone is content to pick up their swords and go home. Blood is still boiling, and someone is determined to […]
Hell Hath No Fury…
This is a quick-paced, brutally frank, and sometimes hilarious look at a woman scorned. The first line of the book jumps right into the action — “One April afternoon, right after lunch, my husband announced that he wanted to leave me.” On the surface, this is a story that’s been told a million times. Husband has an affair, leaves wife. Wife feels desperate, sad, angry. Wife starts to feel better and then finds love again. But Ferrante is a brilliant writer who can purposely pick […]
Lives up to the hype and then some: Neapolitan Novels
I’m afraid I may never be able enjoy another book. These Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante are pure perfection and set way too high a bar for anything I may read from now on. I’m reviewing them as a set because I gobbled up all four in under three weeks and they are so cohesive. Although the books were released one by one, each September since 2012, it’s easy to imagine Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym) sitting down and writing all 2,000 or so pages in […]
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