Author Archives: Jim

Tough, Beguiling, Captivating: The Somewhat Devilish Path of Ben Fountain’s “Devil Makes Three”

“The country has a coup, and Tommy Rittenhouse throws a fuckfest.” And there you have it. Early on, exactly at p. 12 of Devil Makes Three, Ben Fountain uses Matt, his major male character (of many, many important characters, both … Continue reading

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CHEROKEE AMERICA IS OUT! AND IT ROCKS!

“. . . a sprawling, character-rich depiction of a group of people–Cherokee full-bloods and half-bloods along with some blacks and even a few whites–living in the post-Civil War territory referred to throughout as the Cherokee Nation.” Continue reading

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Vladimir Nabokov’s Enduring, Magical Lexical Flim-Flammery

Ah, words! Those of you who remember that I wrote a novel called Problems of Translation will hardly be surprised that the sounds as well as the meanings of those pesky little tools for constructing sentences are very close to … Continue reading

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On Jan. 29th, Come Brighten the New Year With Us!

Coming soon, an event about which I’m very excited!   On Monday, January 29th, 6-7:30 pm at the Cornelia Street Café, I’ll be reading from two works of fiction: my newly completed novel, The Condor’s Shadow (a story of twisted courage and … Continue reading

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Michael Chabon’s Moonglow: A Novel Shines From Within

Michael Chabon, of course, needs no introduction. But you may wonder whether his latest book, Moonglow: A Novel, is  actually a novel or a memoir. He calls this work a novel in the title itself and so it is, but … Continue reading

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“Maud’s Line”: A Terrifying, Heart-Tugging Tale of A Hard-Scrabble Life

Eastern Oklahoma in the 1920s, in an area inhabited mostly by Cherokees. This is the setting for Margaret Verble’s remarkable, heart-breaking yet ultimately life-affirming first novel, Maud’s Line. Why did this book’s title grab me so sharply? First, because I … Continue reading

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TRY SHOOTING YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS ONE! HANNAH TINTI’S “THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY”

What a spectacular yarn! A doting father with a crime-riddled past whose claims on him are not yet expired (and whose failures are recorded on nearly every inch of his body). A devoted daughter who tends to act (or react) … Continue reading

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Colum McCann’s Wonderful Recent Collection

[I wrote this back in October. But after I mentioned it today to a fairly regular reader of this blog, and noticed the puzzled look on her face, I checked back and found that I’d actually never published it. So here it is now. … Continue reading

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Guess What! Cover of Publishers Weekly!

Hey, guys! Sorry to toot my own horn, but I’m on the cover of Publishers Weekly! Well, not me, exactly, but my book, Problems of Translation. I feel quite thrilled to see that image of my book staring up at … Continue reading

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ANOTHER FREEBIE IS HERE! TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Okay, here’s the big news! Once again, we’ve decided to do a promotion for my comic adventure novel Problems of Translation, or Charlie’s Comic, Romantic, Terrifying, Loopy Round-the-World Journey in Search of Linguistic Happiness! Starting today and for the next 3 … Continue reading

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