Category Archives: Book Reviews

A FOOLISH TOWN? OR JUST  SOME FOOLISH FOLKS?

Nobody’s Fool. Everybody’s Fool. Somebody’s Fool. Well, every book Richard Russo writes proves that none of those characterization apply to him. Russo earned the Pulitzer Prize when he wrote about a town called Empire Falls, but when he penned Nobody’s … Continue reading

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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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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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