Reported by Kristin
Tried and true, John Grisham made another appearance at Nevermore with The Summons. A story of fathers and sons, inheritances and secrets, this novel contains the tight writing for which Grisham is known. Ray Atlee followed his father the judge into a career in law, while his brother Forrest took a different path through life. Our reader claimed that this book was well written to the very end and did not disappoint.
Another reader picked up the newly released Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen and thought the characters were really interesting, but the book was just too hard to read. Set in 1971 Chicago, Pastor Russ Hildebrandt finds himself yearning to be free from his marriage. Our reader said that the first 37 pages were all about a self-pitying pastor who had a good wife but was obsessed with a “hottie” in the congregation, and she just couldn’t continue reading. Other reviews proclaim the brilliance of the author, proving that not every book is for every reader.
Bewilderment by Richard Powers was another new book brought to the table, about Robin, a nine-year-old autistic boy, and Theo, his father, exploring the natural world in the Smoky Mountains. With the recent loss of Robin’s mother, astrophysicist Theo has been raising his son alone. The writing is beautiful, overarching, and complex, and our reader admitted that when she finished the book she was a little bewildered herself.
More new fiction followed, with The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni. This coming-of-age story set in both 1979 and the present day describes the strikingly different types of education received by Vincent—as he prepares to go to college but works a summer construction job with two Vietnam veterans. Our book club member felt that this was a very eye-opening book about the very real effects of PTSD, adding that Dugoni is a skilled writer who knows how to tell a story.
Finally, turning to non-fiction, another reader just finished listening to A Promised Land by Barack Obama. Covering both terms of his United States presidency, the details of health care reform and foreign policy impressed our reader. She noted that Obama must have kept daily notes on his activities to be able to recount them in such detail. The audiobook version was also highly recommended as it was narrated by the author.
Also mentioned:
The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens
Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Some Luck by Jane Smiley
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2020
Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
No comments:
Post a Comment