Book Reviews

"The Sparsholt Affair" by Alan Hollinghurst

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Arts

'The Sparsholt Affair' Finds Truth Somewhere Between Satire And Sentiment

7:00am March 17, 2018

by Heller McAlpin

Novelist Alan Hollinghurst's latest chronicles changing attitudes towards homosexuality in Britain through the stories of a closeted gay man — and later, his son — in the decades after World War II.

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Arts

In 'Go Home,' Finding — Or Building — A Home In Words

7:00am March 15, 2018

by Ilana Masad

This new anthology of Asian diasporic writers, edited by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, is packed with stories, essays and poetry on the idea of home — where it is, what it is, and how you find or lose it.

Cover detail from Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life, by Laura Thompson

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2 Books Investigate The Mysteries Of Agatha Christie And The Golden State Killer

11:49am March 14, 2018

by Maureen Corrigan

Maureen Corrigan recommends two books that grapple with real-life mysteries: Laura Thompson's biography of the sphinxlike Agatha Christie, and I'll Be Gone In The Dark, by the late Michelle McNamara.

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Memory Is Mutable, Understanding Elusive In 'Memento Park'

7:00am March 14, 2018

by Heller McAlpin

Mark Sarvas' new novel is dedicated to his own father and grandfathers — it's the story of a C-list movie actor and the valuable heirloom that leads him to dig into his family's history.

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Arts

Evil, Antic And Modern, 'The Merry Spinster' Puts A Dark Spin On Fairy Tales

7:00am March 13, 2018

by Annalisa Quinn

Mallory Ortberg's hyperliterate new story collection turns familiar fairy tales inside out to comment on gender, relationships and the way people manipulate each other.

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'The Sparsholt Affair' Confirms Alan Hollinghurst's Status As A Literary Master

2:21pm March 12, 2018

by John Powers

Hollinghurst's new domestic epic leapfrogs across seven decades to examine how the laws of social propriety shape the destinies of a father and son. Critic John Powers says the novel is fascinating.

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"Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeymi.

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Arts

'Children Of Blood And Bone' Is A Feast For Hungry Readers

7:00am March 10, 2018

by Caitlyn Paxson

Tomi Adeyemi's debut novel is a fast-paced hero's quest through a rich, West-African-inspired fantasy world-- and a seamless mix of empowerment and rip-roaring storytelling.

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Profiling History's Troublemaking Women, French Cartoonist Gets 'Brazen'

7:00am March 08, 2018

by Etelka Lehoczky

Pénélope Bagieu's curly, pretty style is sometimes in conflict with her material; it works well when her "rebel ladies" meet happy ends, but she struggles to depict the hardships many suffered.

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

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Arts

Despite A Sad Setup, 'House Of Broken Angels' Hums With Joy

10:30am March 07, 2018

by Lily Meyer

Luis Alberto Urrea's latest, based loosely on his own brother's death, follows the members of a vibrant Mexican-American family as they deal with grief and impending death — but also celebrate life.

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Arts

Stirring, Engrossing 'Woman's Hour' Recounts The Battle For Suffrage

7:00am March 06, 2018

by Jean Zimmerman

Elaine Weiss's new book reminds us how near a thing women's suffrage was — it all rode on one yes vote in the Tennessee legislature, cast by a man who changed his mind after pressure from his mother.