A Doubtful Family.

Book Review for “The Believers” by Zoë Heller. Summary: "When Audrey makes a devastating discovery about her husband, New York radial lawyer Joel Litvinoff, she is forced to re-examine everything she thought she knew about their forty-year marriage. Joel's children will soon have to come to terms with this unsettling secret themselves, but for the … Continue reading A Doubtful Family. →

Connecting Jewish Worlds

Book Review for “White Zion” by Gila Green. Miriam’s father is a dark-skinned Israeli from Yemen, and her mother is a fair-skinned Jew from Canada. Their histories and families, together with Miriam’s own experiences, span across many decades and take us from pre-Statehood Israel, to Ottawa, to modern Jerusalem. This is the essence of this … Continue reading Connecting Jewish Worlds →

Bookish Kinship Building.

Book Review for “The Printed Letter Bookshop” by Katherine Reay. This is the story of three women and the memory of another. The memory is of Maddie Cullen, the owner of the Printed Letter Bookshop in the small town of Eagle Valley IL, not far from Chicago. Two of these three women work with Maddie … Continue reading Bookish Kinship Building. →

My “Hello” to Philip Roth!

Book Review of “Goodbye Columbus” a novella and five short stories by Philip Roth. When I heard of Roth’s passing, I realized that while I knew the name well, and I’d seen some films based on his writings, I never read any of his books. In an attempt to correct that situation, I immediately went … Continue reading My “Hello” to Philip Roth! →

Home Again, Kathleen

Book review of The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher This biographical, historical fiction novel, by debut author Kerri Maher, focuses on the life of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, later known as Kathleen Cavendish, the Marchioness of Hartington. Before she became a Marchioness, Kick was the fourth child and second daughter, of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, who … Continue reading Home Again, Kathleen →

Not a blueprint!

Book Review of "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. (Note: This is my 200th book review! To celebrate this, I thought it only right it should be about a classic novel. This also gives me the opportunity to throw in a bit of politics, which my readers know I've completely avoided using this blog for … Continue reading Not a blueprint! →

21st Century Fairy Tales?

Book Review of "Ninety-Nine Stories of God" by Joy Williams. Some book reviews are harder to write than others are, and this is going to be one of those. As I noted in another review I wrote for the website Book Browse (review coming soon), I'm not a fan of religious fiction, including Jewish religious … Continue reading 21st Century Fairy Tales? →

Progress per traditionem.

Book Review of "Different Class" by Joanne Harris. Much to the chagrin and worry of the aging Latin Master, Mr. Straightly, John Harrington is back at St. Oswald's, but this time he's not a student; he's the new Head. Harrington has some ideas of how he wants to bring St. Oswald's into the 21st century, … Continue reading Progress per traditionem. →

In Congruence

Book Review for "Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights" by Salman Rushdie. This novel, according to Rushdie's website, is "a wonder tale about the way we live now, a rich and multifaceted work that blends history, mythology, and a timeless love story to bring alive a world – our world – that has been … Continue reading In Congruence →

A Literal Fly on the Wall

Book Review of "Jacob's Folly" by Rebecca Miller. Jacob Cerf was an impoverished, religious Jewish peddler in 18th Century Paris. Circumstance led him away from his family and faith and into a world of impious debauchery. 300 years later, he's back, but now he's a fly in 21st Century New York and involved in the … Continue reading A Literal Fly on the Wall →