John
What a discovery!
Written in 1904, this is the story of Peter "Per" Sidenius, the rebellious son of a strict Danish clergyman, and his enthusiastic quest to find happiness. Filled with unforgettable characters, such as the entire Saloman family, and especially the heroic eldest daughter, Jacobe, this is a novel you won't want to end.
However, the ending is perfect!
Pontopiddan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917.
The Dew Breaker is a spellbinding work of fiction that moves seamlessly between Haiti in the 1960s and New York today. The story revolves around a quiet man with a hidden past, a husband, a father of an artist, a hard-working barber and kindly landlord, who was once a "dew breaker," a torturer.
This is a hauntingly beautiful book about love, remorse, and redemption; told in spare, elegant prose, like a fine line drawing.
Unexpectedly Alun Weaver, television personality and man-of-letters, and his beguiling wife Rhiannon decide to leave England and return home to Wales. Once there they reunite with their old friends, a hard-drinking group of Welsh married couples, reawakening old friendships and romances.
Winner of the Booker Prize in 1986, The Old Devils is Kingsley Amis at his sardonic best, only this time he mixes in a lot of tenderness and compassion with witty dialogue and humor. Also enjoyable are his colorful and poignant descriptions of Wales.
~John
PS Check out Kingsley's earlier novels: the hilarious and wonderful Lucky Jim; and the very clever ghost story The Green Man.
One of my three favorite novels published in 2012, this is the story of scientist Bec (Rebecca) Shepherd and her aging, rock-n-roller brother Ritchie. Both carry secrets concerning their father, a British solider who was killed when they were kids. The story follows Bec as she travels back and forth from London to Africa searching for a malaria cure. Along the way she meets Alex another scientist, Dickensian and delightful.
James Meeks writes short, beautifully composed chapters in elegant prose. He also creates realistic interactions with his characters. His plot is intricate and satisfying with clever twists, surprises, and betrayals. There are also a lot of laughs, especially involving the wonderful Alex and his pursuit of Bec.
~John
Short-listed for The Man Booker Prize, this engrossing novel concerns two working-class families, the Sellers and Glovers, neighbors in Sheffield, England in the 1970's. The author follows both families and their interaction over three decades, focusing in particular on Tim Glover and how two seemingly inconsequential acts of cruelty impact each family.
Expansive and deeply moving, "The Northern Clemency" is storytelling at its best, filled with Dickensian minor characters and subplots, the action moving seamlessly back and forth between Sheffield and London and eventually Sydney, Australia.
~John
The year is 1848. It is a time of America's raucous coming of age. War with Mexico has just ended; gold has been discovered in California; revolutions sweep across Europe. Charles Darwin, Walt Whitman, Alexis De Tocqueville, and Matthew Brady are out and about.
Amid this excitement and commotion aristocratic Benjamin Knowles leaves the Old World to "find" himself in New York. There he befriends three restless Americans: Timothy Scaggs, a journalist and daguerreotypist; Duff Lucking, a fireman, and damaged veteran of the Mexican War; and Duff's freethinking and ravishing sister Polly, an aspiring actress. Together they set out on a transcontinental trip west, followed by a cold-blooded killer seeking revenge.
This is historical fiction at it's best, and also an affecting story of four people chasing their American dreams.
~John
Here are ten gem-like, spellbinding stories told in elegant, spare prose. Once you start reading you won' be able to put this collection down. The pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle: intimate, passionate stories of men and women together and apart. And the title story, the last, is a masterpiece!
James Salter was a runner-up for the 2006 Pen-Faulkner Award.
~John
Set mostly in Paris and Manhattan in the 1980's, Mary Gaitskill's novel is about a former fashion model, Alison (the narrator) and her friend, the eccentric Veronica. With gritty ("a pulled-back noisy face") and musical ("traffic knotted jewelry") prose Gaitskill creates a modern-day fairy tale: a story of friendship, family, illness, and love.
If you haven't read Mary Gaitskill before, this is a good place to start. One of the NYTBR's eleven best books of the year in 2005. Also, a National Book Award and National Book Critics' Circle Award Finalist. Dazzling and unforgettable!
~John
This is a haunting, poignant story about memory and loss. It concerns a middle-aged Irishman, Max Morden, who returns to a seaside town where he spent his summers as a child, and recalls the relationship he had with the Grace family, in particular the mysterious twins Chloe and Myles.
Winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2005 The Sea is storytelling at it's best: unusual, well-developed characters; unexpected plot twists; lyrical, elegant prose. In some ways it is reminiscent of Michael Cunningham's "The Hours," especially how both novels address the past. A gem.