Describing what’s impossible – “Mr. Vertigo”
For a writer to describe something impossible or inconceivable, they might use metaphors, similes, understatement, incomplete phrases, invented words, blankContinue Reading
Category: Review of historical fiction
Backstories critiques Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction romance Romances and Love Stories
It wasn’t trash after all
I’ve lost track of how many books and authors I’ve reviewed and written about. I’ve regularly published reviews since 2009,Continue Reading
Discussion of writing style Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of memoir
Beautiful and quotable – Antinous was dead.
In the process of writing lyrics, I’ve been doing an awful lot of critical listening, and I’ve been reading aContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Discussion of writing style Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book
Time-travel into a nightmarish moment in history – The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell wrote the sublime historical novel Hamnet and Judith, about the children of William Shakespeare. She has a wonderfulContinue Reading
Who knew Norse Mythology could be funny? – Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman
I was reading Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, his retelling of the stories of the Old Norse gods that are containedContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of classical fiction Review of classical novel Review of historical fiction Review of translated novel
Two tales of Japan of more than a thousand years ago – The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Murasaki
Tension between Russia and Japan is increasing at the moment, because of the disputed nation status of the Kuril Islands,Continue Reading
When a novelist turns to poetry
Poetry within Fiction: sometimes, for the sake of fully portraying a character, a writer may invent the poetry, stories orContinue Reading
“…Peace in a little heap of vivid dust” – The Leopard, by Tomasi di Lampedusa
Because I absolutely loved Lampedusa, by Steven Price, I had to go back to the novel which caused all theContinue Reading
Award-winning novel Creative Process Discussion of writing style Literary analysis New Non-Fiction Readers and reading Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction
A man on the roof of a 70-storey building – Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
Wolf Hall is 672 pages long. It is 672 pages in which every single line and every single word haveContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of historical fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Family sagas, Socialism and Chile – A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende
The latest novel by Isabel Allende is a family saga that depicts the modern history of Chile as well asContinue Reading
The downfall of Cromwell – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 4 of 4)
In the previous three posts, I looked deeper into the third and last part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy.Continue Reading
What is “too long”? – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 3 of 4)
In this post I continue to analyze the long and deeply nuanced historical novel, The Mirror and the Light. Previously,Continue Reading
Complete and intense immersion – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel
Having read every single page in the 883-page long historical novel The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel, IContinue Reading
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (3) – Undone by Mysteries
The Last Empress, by Anchee Min, is the second in a set of two novels about the Chinese Qing DynastyContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction
A Paraguayan Perspective on the Strange Case of the President of Paraguay and the Irish Courtesan
A few months ago, I wrote a piece about three novels that have as their subjects the former President ofContinue Reading
Video review of the Forbidden Zone
Here’s a less than 2-minute review of Jon Gliddon’s latest novel, The Forbidden Zone. It was easy to add graphicsContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Authors to watch Creative Process Discussion of writing style Künstlerroman Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book
Wonderful! – Hamnet and Judith, by Maggie O’Farrell
For the first time in a very long while, I could feel tears coming to my eyes while I wasContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Dust, diamonds and damnation in the Namib Desert – The Forbidden Zone, by Jon Gliddon
Radio interview with Jon Gliddon about The Forbidden Zone Becca · Jon Gliddon Interview Review There’s a reason whyContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction
The Strange Case of the President of Paraguay and the Irish Courtesan
If you look up Paraguay on a map, like I had to, you will see that it is a countryContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of Horror Fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Departing from the winning formula? The latest Night Vale novel
The Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) phenomenon is now so well known that the listeners to the podcast are actuallyContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels CanLit Discussion of writing style kunstlerromane Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Falling for the Leopard – Lampedusa, by Steven Price
Do you where Lampedusa is? Or what it is? Steven Price’s historical novel, Lampedusa, is not actually about the islandContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Backstories Discussion of writing style Review of classical fiction Review of classical novel Review of historical fiction Review of previously published novel
Two old people left behind, holding hands – The Fish Can Sing, by Halldór Laxness
A reader should approach with caution any book that has won a whole bunch of awards. A reader should alsoContinue Reading
53-second take on Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt
Some novels just cry out to be made into films. Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt, is one of those. IContinue Reading
Mannered throwaway lines and very bad people – Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt
It seems to me that Hollywood film producers keep rehashing the same subjects and plots, which is why I rarelyContinue Reading
Award-winning novel Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of novel Review of previously published novel Review of translated novel
Revenge Served Cold in the Snow – The Blue Fox, by Sjón
“Sjón, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds, toContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Literary analysis Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book
Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was, by Sjón
Sjón: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds,Continue Reading
Backstories Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Reviews of short stories
The mystery of the misquoted quote from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
Sometimes, a line from a book or a film just sounds to good to resist. It sticks in your headContinue Reading
46-second review of The Last Kind Words Saloon
Compact Crits #5: 46-second review of The Last Kind Words Saloon, by Larry McMurtry
The Fine Art of Economical Prose – The Last Kind Words Saloon, by Larry McMurtry
The title is probably one of the longest phrases in the novel, which is a mere 191 pages, including illustrationsContinue Reading
Review in a 60-second video – Caroline, by Sarah Miller
Compact Crits #4: 60-second review of Caroline, by Sarah Miller Here’s the long list of all the novels – apartContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of new book Trending
A portrait of stoicism and fortitude – Caroline, by Sarah Miller
What is the appeal of the old-fashioned stiff upper lip? Of a person with backbone, inner strength, dogged determination? Caroline,Continue Reading
Review in a 57-second video – Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders
Compact Crits #2: 57-second review of Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders.
Authors to watch Award-winning novel Best of 2018 Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of new book
A Triumph of Imagination – Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders
I wrote this review of Lincoln in the Bardo carefully, and I spent some time making sense of it, becauseContinue Reading
Art Backstories Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of film/TV series List of similar books Review of historical fiction
It’s all in the timing – Film of Tulip Fever and exhibition of Vermeer’s paintings
With books, as with films, success depends a lot on the timing and the tie-ins. Whether it will resonate withContinue Reading
Authors to watch Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of novel Review of previously published novel
Wrathful Icelandic sheep – From the Mouth of the Whale, by Sjón
I went to Iceland in August 2017 in the company of a Geologist to see volcanoes and other spectacular geologicalContinue Reading
Ooh, what a horrible man – The Book of Human Skin, by Michelle Lovric
The title is a fair indication of what lurks inside the covers of this book. It has been compared toContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel Review of previously published novel
Prepare to have your head messed with, brilliantly – Icelandic writer, Sjón
Sjón: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds,Continue Reading
Books for Summer Discussion of writing style ebook Review of historical fiction Review of new book Romances and Love Stories Video
A sexy idea that moves you – The Gods of Tango, by Carolina de Robertis
There is a lot of tango-ing in this novel, The Gods of Tango, as well as an eyebrow-raising amount ofContinue Reading
The Viceroy of Ouidah, by Bruce Chatwin
While I was reading The High Mountains of Portugal, which I reviewed in my previous post, I was also re-reading The Viceroy of OuidahContinue Reading
Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of novel
The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka – Review: How does artistic consciousness connect with the world?
The Piano Maker could have been so much less, and in that way, been so much more. I thought that the author,Continue Reading
Cold Climate Novels for Summer Detective fiction Discussion of writing style List of similar books Mysteries and Thrillers Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
An Excellent Cold Climate Mystery: Wolf Winter, by Cecilia Ekbäck
Murder on an imaginary mountain I wondered, when I read this, how Cecilia Ekbäck came to know Blackåsen Mountain inContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of historical fiction Review of modern fiction Review of novel
The Big Business of Erotic Romances – Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
For the last in my series of festive season books, the theme is romance and erotica, and I have someContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of novel
A Harsh Beauty – Island of Wings, by Karin Altenberg
In part 2 of good reads for the festive season, my choice is Island of Wings, by Karin Altenberg, which hasContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction CanLit kunstlerromane Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Awkward love scenes but lovely music – Vienna Nocturne, by Vivien Shotwell
A nocturne, as in the title of this novel, is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of,Continue Reading
A Year in Books – From Rich Asians To Snow Maidens
Goodreads, bless their little algorithmic socks, let me know this week that I’ve read 14 books this year. Yep, allContinue Reading
Poor Vlad Ţepeş, sadly misrepresented – The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
Despite being 676 pages of dense text accompanied by glowing reviews from major newspapers and magazines, this biographical novel aboutContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Non-fiction Published books Review of historical fiction Subjective non-fiction
Have you read People of the Deer? You should, especially now
Grand old man of Canadian literature dies Just last week I gave my copy of Farley Mowat’s Eastern Passage to a friendContinue Reading
And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
(Penguin Group, 2013) Introduction Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel has made me cry and made me miss my family. I knew,Continue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 