“The Story of My Teeth” by Valeria Luiselli (Mexico) Review From a classic plot-driven novel to an unusual collective ‘novel-essay,’ the four shortlisted books for this year’s Summer Reading Group varied greatly in structure, style of writing, and point of view. Our summer readers also noticed a recurrent theme in all four of dreams and their many meanings. “The Story of My Teeth” is an … Continue reading The Story of My Teeth
“The Ventriloquist’s Tale” by Pauline Melville (Guyana) Review Readers described the book as interesting, fascinating and beautifully written. They found it easy to get into and felt that it broached serious topics in a light manner. They liked the parallels between the past and the present, between the modern and primitive worlds, and liked the historical context and insights into the Amerindian culture and life. … Continue reading The Ventriloquist’s Tale
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison (U.S.) Review Filled with mixed emotions, readers described the book as outstanding, depressing, horrific, and surrealistic. Most got into the story quite quickly, whereas others struggled with making sense of the language or with believing in the supernatural element. When the initial hurdles had been overcome, all readers enjoyed the book immensely. They empathised with Sethe and felt her actions justified … Continue reading Beloved
“The Fall of Saints” by Wanjiku wa Ngugi (Kenya) Review From a first novel to a first attempt at a new genre by a well-known writer, this year’s Summer Reading selection of crime fiction covered a wide range of writing styles. “The Fall of Saints” is a first novel set in New York and Kenya that deals with a number of serious topics. With its … Continue reading The Fall of Saints
“Ripper” by Isabel Allende (Chile) Review From a first novel to a first attempt at a new genre by a well-known writer, this year’s Summer Reading selection of crime fiction covered a wide range of writing styles. “Ripper” is Allende’s first attempt at crime fiction and most readers agreed that she should stick with magic realism. Although they felt that the writing was superior to … Continue reading Ripper
“Tiare” by Célestine Hitiura Vaite (Tahiti) Review Most readers really enjoyed this book finding it an easy read with a light touch and a soft style. At times, they found it funny and at other moments they found the themes the author touched on quite serious. They loved the whole cast of characters especially the grandmothers and all the cousins. Readers liked how the author … Continue reading Tiare
“Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector (Brazil) Review Challenging, frustrating, meditative and surrealistic were some of the adjectives that readers used to describe this modern classic. They found it difficult to get into and agreed that it needed more than one reading. They called it a thinking book and would not recommend it for escapism. The multi-layered narration was challenging for some readers, who … Continue reading Hour of the Star
“No Man’s Land” by Duong Thu Huong (Vietnam) Synopsis Set in a hamlet in the countryside of central Vietnam immediately following the end of the war in 1975, the novel’s plot is set in motion when a young woman, happily married to a successful farmer, comes home one day to find a throng of villagers assembled around her gate. She learns that her first husband, … Continue reading No Man’s Land
Nicola's Book Club 