Clea Simon

March Short Fuses — Materia Critica

March 2, 2023
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Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.

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Rock Concert Review: Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe — The Rewards and Hazards of Reinterpretation

August 17, 2022
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Age certainly wasn’t an issue in terms of energy. Elvis Costello played for a solid two hours with barely a break, running through four decades of music with a heavy emphasis on the old favorites.

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Book Review: “Woman, Eating” — A Poignant Bite All Its Own

May 21, 2022
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Author Claire Kohda is particularly deft at illustrating how unacknowledged desire will out, undermining our best intentions.

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Book Review: Donna Leon’s “Give Unto Others” — The Cost We Have All Paid

March 19, 2022
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Even as an entry in such an idiosyncratic (and appealing) series, this case is one of the most personal our protagonist – a thoughtful, compassionate man – has faced.

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Arts Feature: Recommended Books, 2021

December 28, 2021
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An eclectic round-up of the favorite books of the year from our critics, including some disappointments.

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Book Review: “Milk Fed” — The Glory of the Zaftig

December 1, 2021
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For all the sensual lushness of Melissa Broder’s writing, that hard center remains, one where appetite invites awareness, bringing with it pain as well as satiety.

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Book Review: Rock and Roll Fantasy — Getting the Balance Right

October 11, 2021
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On many levels, Hold Me Down is terrific. Its power lies in the vitality of Clea Simon’s prose and her insider savvy.

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Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (June Entry)

June 16, 2021
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Arts Fuse writers continue their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and this month’s list includes Leonard Bernstein, Leon Russell, The Faces, Carla Bley, and Rod Stewart.

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Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (May Entry)

May 5, 2021
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Arts Fuse writers continue their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and this month’s list includes The Temptations, Janis Joplln, John Hartford, Carole King, and The Carpenters.

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Book Review: “V2” — Robert Harris’s Gentler, Kinder World War II

November 19, 2020
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This is history from a distance. Harris’s characters feel more real when they’re working out the equations that will make a missile fly or fall than when they’re fleeing a double agent or a misfiring rocket.

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