Books

Book Review: The Remarkable Life of Storm Jameson — Attention Tenderly Paid

January 2, 2015
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After reading this scholarly and accessible biography, I am convinced that Storm Jameson’s life is a must for anyone fascinated by the history of women writers in the 20th century.

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Book Commentary: Dreiser’s “The Titan” Turns 100 — America’s “Downton Abbey”

December 31, 2014
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Theodore Dreiser’s The Titan is not the greatest novel about American business, but it is still among the best, an honorable runner-up that turned 100 this year.

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Book Review: “Nagasaki”‘s Diptych of Aloneness

December 29, 2014
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The success of this short novel set in Japan lies in the empathy it creates for a pair of ordinary and lonely characters.

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Book Review: “Missing Reels” — Breezy Film Fiction

December 19, 2014
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Ace film blogger Farran Smith Nehme’s first novel grows directly out of her adoration of classic American cinema.

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Book Review: A Well-Rounded Look at Napoleon the Man and the Myth

December 17, 2014
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Andrew Roberts has succeeded in a single volume in reconciling the two faces of this historical colossus.

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Arts Interview: Tim Page on the “Virgil Thomson: Music Chronicles, 1940-1954”

December 11, 2014
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Tim Page on a generous sampling of Virgil Thomson’s best music criticism – trenchant, outspoken, oftentimes delightfully clever, and always assured.

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Book Review: Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” — A Translation That Respects the Nuances

December 6, 2014
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Marian Schwartz’s careful translation of Anna Karenina is exquisitely mindful of the book’s complex linguistic texture.

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Book Review: Émile Zola’s “The Conquest of Plassans” — “Tartuffe” Gone Realpolitik

December 5, 2014
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Entertaining yet incisive, The Conquest of Plassans remains a devastatingly acute reminder that religion and politics make surprisingly compatible bedfellows.

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Book Review: “Outside Music, Inside Voices” — Illuminating Conversations about Creating Jazz

December 2, 2014
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Jazz fans with open ears should rush to this book: so should anyone interested in the creative process, its rewards as well as its challenges.

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Book Review: Charles D’Ambrosio’s “Loitering” — Slam-Bang Ghost Stories

December 1, 2014
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Charies D’Ambrosio’s short fiction collections were finalists for major awards, but it is his essays that I return to again and again.

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