Over the Plain Houses, Julia Franks’ debut novel, is a beautifully written tragedy about a dying love, the struggle between faith and doubt, and encroaching modernity. I believe it can be classified as “Southern Gothic.” Set in rural North Carolina 1939, the story includes many characteristics linked to that genre: decay, violence, the force and romance of nature, a thin line drawn between villains and victims, and even a hint of the supernatural. It is truly a haunting novel. This is the story of Irenie […]
I have just read Mark Twain for the first time.
I am ashamed to admit that until this past week, I had never read any Mark Twain. How does a person enter their 6th decade of life, born and raised in the United States, and not have read Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn? I have no explanations or excuses, but I thank Badkittyuno, who drew my name in the holiday book exchange, for guarding my shameful confession and sending both books to me. In some respects the two classic novels are like a lot of […]
Unfinished Symphony
This novel was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and praised by one of my favorite authors, Geraldine Brooks. It is a piece of dystopian fiction imagining an England where music is used to control a population that can no longer read and where memories have disappeared. All anyone needs to know is imparted through the carillon chimes each day. While the conceit is exceedingly clever, and the story often engaging, I found myself ultimately disappointed. This is a case where the reader can’t see […]
Apocalyptic!
Science fiction writer Connie Willis is the winner of numerous Hugo and Nebula awards, including one of each for The Doomsday Book. This novel is an ingenious combination of themes such as time travel, pandemics, and faith. Her characters, whether Oxford University researchers in 2054 or English villagers in the 14th century, are fully realized individuals, with responsibilities, fears, jealousies, and loves. They will all be put to the test when tragedy strikes, and we see that, despite a 700 year time divide, people are […]