I recently posted on here about Veronica, and said I was a little unsure on whether I liked it or not, but I was leaning more towards the negative. I’ve been very busy so I haven’t finished it yet, but I have to say I love how the author describes the surroundings and backdrop. I love how she describes NYC-I’ve been there a bunch of times and she definitely captures the somewhat alienating but full of life and possibilities aura of the city. Although this book still does not captivate me, I really enjoy the author’s use of details and setting descriptions. Plus, the cover art is amazing.
- Alicia M. (College Misericordia)
Reviewed by Mark Woollams
Trouble is Patrick Somerville’s first novel and on its pages the modern man stands awkwardly on display. Trouble is a complicated case study on the male perspective, it is one that is never seen on any television channel, read in any magazine or heard on any album. Instead, Somerville is real. Free of the false pretenses which seem to pervade the other, off base, perspectives, Somerville is “right on” in so many of these stories. (more…)
Reviewed by Heidi Immesberger
Peter Mayle’s A Good Year follows several months in the life of Max Skinner. After losing his job in London, Max serendipitously receives notice that he has inherited his uncle’s house in Provence, including a vineyard. Max travels to France to take over the estate and to plan how to best use it to eliminate his debts. What follows are Max’s attempts at relationships with two French women, an investigation into whether Max is the legal heir to the estate, and intrigue surrounding the vineyard’s wine. (more…)
I’m about halfway through Veronica and honestly I’m quite undecided on whether I like it or not. I won’t go so far as to say its compelling- I feel like I’m reading it simply to finish it. Also, I liked how it had a sort of “gritty” feeling to it, not like ordinary “chick lit”, but I felt like this book was trying too hard to be gritty. It just feels fake. Has anyone read Dave Eggers “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”? I feel like this book is sort of trying to be a female version of “A Heartbre…”, except it does not succeed in showing the dirty side of reality like “A Heartbre…” does. I think this book would be successful if it relied a little less on the metaphors and slimy descriptions to illustrate reality. After all, true life isn’t peachy all the time.
Thanks,
Alicia M. (College Misericordia)
Reviewed by Katie Farnam
Eternity is a concept that haunts, mystifies and instills hope in many. In Dara Horn’s The World to Come, eternity is presented in a scattered spectrum of obscure, yet thoughtful scenarios. The novel focuses on Benjamin and Sara Ziskind, a set of thirty-something Jewish twins, and a Chagall painting which has been part of their family for several generations. (more…)