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We follow a different member of the Johnston family each chapter as they interact with each other during doomed holiday dinners and on their own, usually unfortunate, tangents. Matriarch Jerene manages to hold the family together by wielding a formidable array of threats and lies, all while impeccable groomed, until events progress beyond even her extreme damage control skills.
Well written, and exploding with symbolism, the story is really about Balram’s struggle for freedom—freedom from “the Darkness” where most people live in subhuman conditions. It is a quick read, and after the first chapter, you won’t be able to put it down.
And since it’s such a quick read, those of you in your 20s and 30s should read it this weekend and join our GenLit Book Discussion Group on Monday, July 16 at 6:30 at Taste of India in Willowbrook. Get your copy of The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga today.
This book about identity theft will make you stop and think. There are wonderful characters that portray how it feels to be a victim of identity theft. The plot has twists along the way which keeps the story moving along. I was surprised by the story and think it is a good one. The best quote I saw after reading Talk Talk is from the Portland Oregonian. “Yet the book as a whole still resonates beyond the end, having provided not just entertainment but also tangible new experiences for readers to absorb.”
Learn all about the author and check out the reading guide to this provocative novel.
Ranging from the 1930s to 1990s and back again, we hear a rural chorus of voices telling the story of three brothers. Recalling William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, each chapter is headed with a character name and told from his point of view and each releases essential information. Some of the chapters are little more than a few sentences, but effectively present the story of conflict between old versus new – rural versus modern. Inspiring and poignant, this novel by Clinch addresses one of Faulkner's favorite themes: our ability to endure.
Visit the author's webiste and view his reading guide. Read the L.A. Times review.
If you’re looking for a novel you can really “sink your teeth into,” you’ll like this story of a liberal Minneapolis family dealing with themselves, each other, and the political climate during the Bush years. Well drawn, multidimensional characters and the author’s smart, sometimes humorous and often irreverent writing, add to the book’s appeal.
Listen Jonathan Franzen discuss his book on All Things Considered and read the New York Times review.
An immigrant tale set in the early 1950s, Brooklyn follows Eilis Lacey as she journeys from Ireland to New York City to escape economic hardship and begin a new life. This heartwarming coming of age story filled with grit and determination may move too slowly for some, but features interesting characters and lovely writing.
Brooklyn was the Chicago Public Library’s selection for “One Book One Chicago” in spring 2010. Read more about the book and visit the author's website.
Listen to NPR's Scott Simon reflect on Greene's books, learn more about the author from the website Greeneland: the world of Graham Greene and explore the New York Times topics on Graham Greene.
This book – set in France – started out a little slow. I had not thought about phenomenology/existentialism since college. It soon turns focus on many exciting characters who move in unexpected directions. Cultural rules and stereotypes are broken.
Read an interview with the author and the New York Times review.
Major Pettigrew is a very proper English gentleman. Widowed and retired, he is ready for romance when Mrs. Ali, owner of the local convenience store, enters his life. But her stern and critical nephew and the Major's own self-involved son, not to mention all of the matrons at the local golf club, seem to conspire to keep the two apart.
Visit the author's website, preview the book and read the Washington Post book review.
In 1966, the Arno flooded its banks and devastated the priceless collections of galleries, libraries and churches in Florence. Margot Harrington, a 29-year-old American book conservator, travels to Italy to join those who went to help rescue priceless treasures. Margot pitches in where she can and eventually she ends up at a convent... While working to save their library, she discovers a lost book of pornography that dates back to the Renaissance. She realizes that the sale of this book, once properly preserved, could save the Abbey.
The author Robert Hellenga goes into great detail about the book restoration process, Florence in the 1960s and the moral and social situations in which Margot gets involved – all of which change her life in ways she never imagined.
Read an interview with the author, preview the book and review the reading guide.
Set on a run-down horse ranch in small-town Colorado, this coming-of-age story is a powerful tale. Alice Winston helps her father run the riding stable while coping with her reclusive mother and the loss of her older sister, who has run off with a rodeo cowboy. As the adolescent voice, 12-year-old Alice is smarter than most. Her character is charming and authentic but she is a child with more than she can handle and no one to help her cope.
Aryn Kyle has crafted a brilliant debut; a sad story of compromises and dreams that will never come true.
Visit the author's website and preview the book.
T. C. Boyle is an easy-to-read, interesting author who writes accurate historical fiction. This story about the women in the life of Frank Lloyd Wright is a realistic read. Anyone who knows Wright's architectural background will truly enjoy this book of his personal life. If you don't know or care about Wright's life, this book is still a very interesting read about a man's life in the years 1880s to 1950s.
Watch the video clip of the author discussing his book and read the New York Times review.