Room

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

A life-changing read

Cons: 

Not for the faint-hearted, in terms of imagining the depths of human cruelty

[WARNING: This review contains spoilers.]

Six Weeks

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

A thoughtful well crafted book that looks at all sides of a complex issue with emotion and humanity.

Cons: 

Brief at only sixty-six pages, but this book fights well above its weight.

Six Weeks is an intimate novella, taking us through the emotional and intellectual struggle that its protagonist, Imogene, has to make in the frighteningly brief six week period available to her, in order to decide what to do about her suddenly discovered pregnancy.

Digging to America

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

A poignant but slyly satirical novel about cross-culture adoption.

Cons: 

No cons for me.

I’ve long been a fan of Anne Tyler who, apparently, has been called the American Jane Austen. For an overused analogy,  I think it’s rather a good comparison in this case. She produces the same sharp, wittily satirical portraits of everyday life with the same fundamental tenderness towards humanity, understanding foibles and flaws whilst transforming them into tremendous vehicles for humour. There are dark shadows in Tyler’s work that Austen does not possess, however, and tragedy is never far away from the brilliant and carefully observed scenes of comedy.

The Tapestry of Love

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

Exquisite writing in this moving story of a woman starting a new life.

Cons: 

There aren't any!

Rosy Thornton really ought to be known to a much wider audience, but I think this omission is due to the tedious but inevitable categorization process that guides marketing departments. On paper, her books are classified as romances, and on one level they are. But I think they have an ethical depth to them that transcends genre, in which her characters are continually pondering what constitutes a good life, how virtue might be made livable, how to reconcile urgent personal desires with the sacrifices demanded by children, work and the wider family.

The Messiah of Morris Avenue

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

Wickedly funny, moving, revealing look at our culture and the state of our collective spirituality

Cons: 

Skewers self-righteous religion. Ooops, that's also a "Pro"

If my son-in-law didn't work at an FDNY firehouse near Morris Avenue, I probably would not have bothered to read this book.  It would have been a terrible loss.  The writing is rollicking, humorous, character-driven, but works mysteriously into full-blown biblical cross-references through a spiritual journey set in the near future.  Those of you who have spent some time in the New Testament will find this book really engaging, but if you don't like your religion taken with a grain of salt, read elsewhere.

Ghostwritten

Reviewer rating: 

4

Pros: 

Great writing. Literary but not over the top flowery. The subtle connections between the stories.

Cons: 

Final chapter seemed like an afterthought. Female protags sounded male.

When I first read David Mitchell's most famous book 'Cloud Atlas' I was somewhat dissapointed. Although I couldn't fault the writing, I felt that the individual stories were rather weak and the connections somewhat contrived, so it was with some trepidation that I opened 'Ghostwritten'. Rather than the three stories of 'Cloud Atlas', 'Ghostwritten' tackles nine seperate incidents and spreads them across the globe, from Mongolia to New York via a sleepy Irish Island.

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation

Reviewer rating: 

4

Pros: 

Wonderful detailed writing.

Cons: 

A bit too much with diets and food at times

I've long been an Elizabeth Berg fan and this collection of short stories did not disappoint. It's a  wonderful collection in which all the heroines are women  who face all the unfairness of being women of a certain age: children who no longer need them, diets that make them crazy, best friends who are ill, the lonliness of widowhood and longing for romance. Berg threads the needle between humor and poignancy so well that she often  had me laughing and crying  in the same sentence.

Shantaram

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

superbly written, lifts the human spirit

Cons: 

none

What do the Blair Witch Project and Shantaram have in common? They are two works of fiction that people still believe are based on real people and events. What is the biggest difference between the two? Blair Witch is creepy and forgettable - Shantaram can change your life and make you feel good about the human condition.