the guardian book review

Feature Jonathan Coe and Kit de Waal among 35 writers of ‘protest zine’ defending threatened Birmingham libraries

Feature Novelist Rebecca Watson: ‘What are siblings: twisted reflections of ourselves? Allies? Enemies?’

Book of the day on freedom by timothy snyder review – an essential manifesto for change.

Carol Rumens's poem of the week Poem of the week: Llyfr Geirfa fy Nhad / My Father’s Vocabulary Book by Gwyneth Lewis

Observer book of the week Intermezzo by Sally Rooney review – is there a better writer at work right now?

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Statistics books The Art of Uncertainty by David Spiegelhalter review – a search for sense in probability and chance

Fiction The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle review – his best yet

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What to read

Autumn books From a new Murakami to a memoir by Cher: the best books of the autumn

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100 best novels of all time From The Pilgrim's Progress to True History of the Kelly Gang

The 100 best books of the 21st century

Non-fiction reviews.

Autobiography and memoir Something Lost, Something Gained review – Hillary Clinton still plagued by what could have been

Autobiography and memoir A Beginner’s Guide to Dying by Simon Boas review – an extraordinary book

Autobiography and memoir My Roman Year by André Aciman review – Memento amore

Biography books Character Limit by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac review – Musk’s Twitter takeover

Autobiography and memoir A Woman Like Me by Diane Abbott review – voice of the left

Economics books Nature, Culture, and Inequality by Thomas Piketty review – mind the gap

Autobiography and memoir My Good Bright Wolf: A Memoir by Sarah Moss review – an interrogation of an eating disorder

Fiction & poetry reviews.

Fiction Intermezzo by Sally Rooney review – surprise moves in love, loss and chess

Fiction a kid from marlboro road by edward burns review – the most irish-american novel of the year.

Fiction All My Precious Madness by Mark Bowles review – poignant meditation on masculinity and alienation

Crime and thrillers roundup The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup

Fiction The Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao review – rebellion and romance in India

Fiction Precipice by Robert Harris review – the prime minister’s affair

Fiction Entitlement by Rumaan Alam review – the American dream gone wrong

Children's and ya books.

Children and teenagers The Haunted Wood: a History of Childhood Reading by Sam Leith review – young at heart

Picture books Picture books for children – reviews

Children's book roundup Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels

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Interview Sally Rooney: ‘Falling in love when I was very young transformed my life’

Interview ‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’: Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

Interview Virginie Despentes: ‘I wasn’t writing Baise-Moi from a very good place’

Interview Elizabeth Strout: ‘All ordinary people are extraordinary’

The books of my life Pat Barker: ‘When I first read Pride and Prejudice, I hated it’

Big idea The big idea: how the ‘protege effect’ can help you learn almost anything

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• Autobiography and memoir
• Sally Rooney
• Biography books
• Politics books

1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

This is one of the 343 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

"Lucky Jim" is a comic novel that follows the life of Jim Dixon, a young and disillusioned lecturer at a provincial British university. Struggling with his job and his pretentious boss, Dixon navigates through a series of humorous and often absurd situations, including a disastrous public lecture and a chaotic weekend at his boss's house. The novel satirizes the snobbishness and hypocrisy of the academic world, and explores themes of class, ambition, and the struggle to find personal authenticity in a conformist society.

Money by Martin Amis

"Money" is a darkly humorous novel that follows the life of John Self, a hedonistic, self-destructive director of commercials, as he navigates the excesses and depravities of 1980s New York and London. His life is filled with overindulgence in food, alcohol, drugs, and women, leading to a downward spiral of self-destruction. The novel is a satire on the excesses of capitalism and the obsession with wealth and materialism, and it also explores themes of identity, self-loathing, and the destructive power of addiction.

The Information by Martin Amis

This book delves into the complexities of friendship, rivalry, and the pursuit of success within the literary world. It centers around two friends, one who has achieved fame and fortune as a novelist and the other who struggles with his own writing career, feeling overshadowed and envious. The narrative explores the darker sides of ambition, betrayal, and the quest for recognition, weaving a tale that examines the personal and professional dynamics between the two men. As the story unfolds, it reveals the lengths to which the struggling writer will go to reclaim a sense of self-worth and success, setting the stage for a compelling exploration of the human psyche and the often tumultuous world of literary fame.

The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge

The novel is a darkly comic tale of two women, Brenda and Freda, who work in a wine-bottling factory in 1970s London. Their lives are filled with tedious work, petty squabbles, and dreams of romance. Brenda is a quiet, passive woman who is trying to escape from her abusive husband, while Freda is a large, boisterous woman who has an unrequited love for their boss. The story takes a twisted turn when a company outing to the countryside results in a murder, leaving the women to deal with the repercussions.

According To Queeney by Beryl Bainbridge

This novel offers a vivid portrayal of 18th-century England through the lens of an unconventional relationship between a celebrated literary figure and the Thrale family, particularly focusing on the youngest daughter, Queeney. The narrative, rich in historical detail, explores the complexities of human connections, the intricacies of family dynamics, and the poignant moments that define our understanding of love and friendship. Through Queeney's eyes, readers are invited into the intimate world of intellectual and social elites, witnessing the blend of affection, ambition, and the quest for intellectual companionship that characterizes the era. The book masterfully intertwines factual history with fiction, providing a nuanced exploration of the period's cultural and social mores.

Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes

The novel centers around a retired doctor's obsession with the life and works of Gustave Flaubert, a 19th-century French writer. The doctor's fascination leads him on a quest to find a stuffed parrot that once belonged to the writer. The novel is a blend of biography, literary criticism, and personal memoir, and it explores themes such as the nature of art and the difficulties of interpreting the past.

A History Of The World In 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes

This book presents an unconventional and imaginative exploration of world history, weaving together a series of narratives that span different epochs, from the biblical story of Noah's Ark to the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Through a blend of fact, fiction, and speculative thought, the chapters delve into various themes such as love, survival, and the nature of historical truth. Employing a variety of styles and perspectives, including that of a woodworm, the narrative challenges traditional historical narratives and invites readers to question the subjective nature of history and the stories we are told. This inventive approach to storytelling offers a unique and reflective look at humanity's past, present, and future.

Augustus Carp, Esq. By Himself by Henry Howarth Bashford

Being the autobiography of a really good man.

This satirical novel presents itself as the autobiography of Augustus Carp, Esq., a self-proclaimed example of moral virtue and humility, though in reality, he is anything but. The narrative humorously exposes Carp's hypocrisy and self-righteousness as he navigates through various episodes of his life, critiquing others while remaining blissfully unaware of his own glaring faults. Written under a pseudonym, the book cleverly critiques early 20th-century British society, poking fun at moral pretensions and the social mores of the time through the deluded perspective of its pompous protagonist.

Molloy by Samuel Beckett

"Molloy" is a complex and enigmatic novel that follows the journey of its eponymous character, an elderly, disabled vagabond, who is tasked with finding and killing a certain person. The narrative is split into two parts: the first is told from Molloy's perspective as he navigates his way through a strange and often hostile world, while the second follows a detective named Moran who is assigned to find Molloy. The novel is renowned for its challenging narrative structure, its bleak and absurdist humor, and its profound exploration of themes such as identity, existence, and the human condition.

Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

Or, an oxford love story.

"Zuleika Dobson" is a satirical novel set at Oxford University, where the beautiful Zuleika, a conjurer by profession, arrives and captivates the male population, including the Duke of Dorset. The Duke falls madly in love with her, but she remains indifferent to his feelings. In a tragic twist, the Duke decides to commit suicide to prove his love, starting a chain reaction among other male students. The novel is a critique of Edwardian Oxford and the foolishness of falling victim to unrequited love.

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

"The Adventures of Augie March" is a novel set in Chicago during the Great Depression. The story follows the life of Augie March, a poor but spirited boy growing up in a broken home, as he navigates his way through life. The narrative explores his various jobs, relationships, and adventures, as he constantly seeks his identity and place in the world. His journey is marked by a series of encounters with different people and experiences, each shaping him in unique ways.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

This charming novella explores the whimsical scenario in which the Queen of England becomes an avid reader, a hobby that begins quite by accident when she stumbles upon a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. Her newfound passion for books leads her on a journey of self-discovery, changing her outlook on life and her role as a monarch. As her reading list grows, so does her questioning of the status quo, much to the dismay of her courtiers. The narrative humorously and poignantly examines the transformative power of literature and its ability to inspire introspection, empathy, and an insatiable curiosity about the world.

Queen Lucia by E. F. Benson

This book is the first in a series that humorously explores the social dynamics and petty rivalries within the small English village of Riseholme. The narrative centers around Lucia Lucas, a pretentious and scheming woman who considers herself the cultural and social queen of her community. With her impeccable taste and flair for dramatics, Lucia skillfully maneuvers through village politics and social events, always aiming to assert her dominance and sophistication. However, her reign is challenged by the arrival of new residents and the shifting allegiances of her fellow villagers, leading to a series of comedic mishaps and Lucia's desperate attempts to maintain her status. The story is a delightful satire of the pretensions and idiosyncrasies of provincial English life in the early 20th century.

The Ascent Of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman

This book is a satirical take on mountaineering memoirs, chronicling the humorous adventures of a team of British explorers as they attempt to conquer the fictional peak of Rum Doodle in the Himalayas. Led by the inept but optimistic narrator, the expedition faces a series of absurd obstacles and challenges, from navigational blunders and bizarre illnesses to the antics of their porters and the peculiarities of their own team members. Through its parody of the overly serious and self-congratulatory nature of exploration narratives, the novel delivers a delightful blend of comedy and adventure, poking fun at the eccentricities and follies of mountaineering culture.

A Good Man In Africa by William Boyd

This novel is a darkly comedic tale set in the fictional West African country of Kinjanja, where we follow the misadventures of Morgan Leafy, a morally ambiguous British diplomat. Struggling with his own vices, bureaucratic absurdities, and the complexities of colonial politics, Leafy's life spirals out of control as he attempts to navigate a series of personal and professional crises. Through a blend of satire and tragedy, the narrative explores themes of corruption, power, and the human condition, presenting a vivid, if not always flattering, picture of life in post-colonial Africa.

The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury

The novel is a satirical portrayal of academic life in the 1970s, focusing on Howard Kirk, a radical sociology lecturer at a British university. As a self-proclaimed "history man," Kirk manipulates events and people around him to align with his progressive ideologies, all while navigating the complexities of campus politics, sexual liberation, and intellectual debates. Through Kirk's character and the vibrant cast surrounding him, the book critically examines the era's social, political, and academic climates, revealing the contradictions and challenges of living according to rigid ideological principles.

No Bed For Bacon by Caryl Brahms , S. J. Simon

Or shakespeare without tears.

This book is a comedic romp through Elizabethan England, where historical figures and fictional characters collide in a series of misadventures. At the heart of the story is the quest for a bed promised to Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen Elizabeth herself, which becomes entangled with William Shakespeare's struggle to write his plays amidst the chaos of missing manuscripts, mistaken identities, and the antics of an anachronistic swashbuckler. The narrative weaves together satire, farce, and witty dialogue, poking fun at the quirks of the time period while offering a playful take on the creation of some of the most enduring works of English literature.

Illywhacker by Peter Carey

The novel is a sprawling tale of deception, magic, and family history, narrated by a 139-year-old Australian con artist. He recounts his life's adventures, from snake handling to aircraft manufacturing, while weaving in the stories of his descendants. The narrative is a blend of historical fiction and tall tales, exploring themes of national identity, truth, and the art of storytelling itself. Through the protagonist's unreliable narration, the book challenges the reader to discern fact from fiction, all while painting a vivid picture of Australian society and its transformation over the 20th century.

A Season In Sinji by J. L. Carr

The novel unfolds in the backdrop of World War II, focusing on the life of an Englishman stationed at an airfield in Sinji, a fictional location in West Africa. Through its narrative, the book explores themes of camaraderie, isolation, and the surreal nature of war. The protagonist's experiences in this remote setting serve as a canvas for reflections on the absurdity of conflict and the enduring human spirit. As personal and collective histories intertwine, the story delves into the complexities of memory, the nuances of friendship, and the profound impact of war on individual lives, all while capturing the stark, often overlooked realities faced by those serving far from the front lines.

The Harpole Report by J. L. Carr

An account of the harpole report.

This novel humorously chronicles the life of a young, inexperienced schoolteacher who takes up a headmaster position in a small English village school. Faced with the daunting task of managing both the eccentric staff and the unique challenges of rural education, he decides to meticulously document his experiences and the daily happenings within the school in a report. This report, filled with wit and keen observations, not only captures the essence of post-war British society but also explores the complexities of human nature, the bureaucracy of educational systems, and the timeless struggles and joys of teaching. Through its satirical tone, the narrative delves into themes of innocence, ambition, and the quest for understanding in a changing world.

The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington

This novel is a surreal adventure that centers around Marian Leatherby, a 92-year-old woman who is given a hearing trumpet by her friend. The device reveals that her family is plotting to send her to a peculiar institution for the elderly. Once there, Marian becomes entangled in a bizarre narrative involving a post-apocalyptic ice age, a cult devoted to a goddess, and a plan to escape the oppressive confines of the institution. The narrative weaves together elements of fantasy, feminism, and black humor, presenting a critique of societal norms and the treatment of the elderly, all while exploring themes of transformation, liberation, and the interconnectedness of all life.

Mister Johnson by Joyce Cary

This novel is set in early 20th-century colonial Nigeria and follows the life of Mister Johnson, a young and exuberant African clerk who works for the British colonial administration. Despite the oppressive colonial system, Johnson remains irrepressibly optimistic, constantly trying to bridge the gap between his traditional African culture and the new European ways he admires but doesn't fully understand. His naivety and inability to grasp the consequences of his actions lead to a series of misadventures, ultimately culminating in tragedy. The story is a poignant exploration of cultural collision, identity, and the cost of innocence in a changing world.

The Horse's Mouth by Joyce Cary

The novel follows the life of Gulley Jimson, a boisterous, eccentric, and impoverished painter in London who is constantly in search of the perfect canvas to express his artistic vision. Despite his numerous struggles with society's norms, financial difficulties, and his own physical health, Jimson remains unflinchingly dedicated to his craft. His relentless pursuit of artistic truth and beauty, often at the expense of personal relationships and societal expectations, paints a vivid picture of the passionate, self-destructive artist archetype.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

The ingenious gentleman don quixote of la mancha.

This classic novel follows the adventures of a man who, driven mad by reading too many chivalric romances, decides to become a knight-errant and roam the world righting wrongs under the name Don Quixote. Accompanied by his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, he battles windmills he believes to be giants and champions the virtuous lady Dulcinea, who is in reality a simple peasant girl. The book is a richly layered critique of the popular literature of Cervantes' time and a profound exploration of reality and illusion, madness and sanity.

The Case Of The Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin

This book is a classic detective novel set in post-World War II Oxford, where a group of actors and playwrights gather to stage a new play. Amidst the theatrical setting, a complex murder mystery unfolds when a despised actress is found dead, seemingly a suicide. However, the astute and eccentric amateur detective, also a professor of English at Oxford, suspects foul play. Using his unique blend of literary knowledge and logical reasoning, he delves into the lives and secrets of the theatrical troupe, unraveling a web of jealousy, ambition, and deceit to expose the murderer. The narrative is celebrated for its witty dialogue, atmospheric setting, and the clever intertwining of literary references with a classic whodunit plot.

Just William by Richmal Crompton

In this humorous and delightful collection of stories, the mischievous and imaginative William Brown takes center stage. From his adventures with a stolen dog to his attempts at starting a zoo in his backyard, William's escapades are sure to bring laughter and joy to readers of all ages. With his boundless energy and knack for getting into trouble, William proves that life is never dull when he is around.

Diary Of A Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield

This book is a humorous account of the daily life of an upper-middle-class English woman living in the country during the 1930s. Told through diary entries, it captures the protagonist's struggles with domestic life, social obligations, and financial difficulties, all while attempting to maintain her dignity and a sense of humor. The diary entries are filled with witty observations and interactions with a cast of characters, including her husband, children, and various members of the local society, offering a delightful and insightful critique of the social norms and expectations of her time.

Slouching Towards Kalamazoo by Peter De Vries

This novel is a comedic and satirical journey set in the American Midwest, revolving around the life of a precocious and highly intelligent teenager. Through his unconventional relationship with his teacher, the story delves into themes of love, the absurdity of the human condition, and the quest for meaning within the mundane aspects of life. The narrative is rich with witty dialogue and insightful observations, making it a humorous yet poignant exploration of adolescence, education, and the complexities of growing up.

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

The posthumous papers of the pickwick club.

The book is a humorous and satirical depiction of English society in the 19th century, told through the travels and adventures of a group of gentlemen from London, led by a kind-hearted and naive man. Their escapades take them to various locales where they encounter a plethora of eccentric characters and find themselves in comical and sometimes absurd situations. The narrative is interspersed with tales and anecdotes told by the characters themselves, adding to the richness and diversity of the overall story.

Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

The life and adventures of martin chuzzlewit.

The novel centers around the experiences of its namesake character, an elderly and wealthy man who becomes disillusioned by the selfishness of his family members, all of whom are eager to inherit his fortune. The story explores themes of greed, betrayal, and redemption as young Martin Chuzzlewit, the grandson, embarks on a journey of personal growth and moral enlightenment. Set against the backdrop of both England and America, the narrative satirizes the hypocrisies of society and the complexities of human nature, weaving a tale of love, adventure, and social commentary through a cast of vividly drawn characters.

Jacques the Fatalist and His Master by Denis Diderot

Histoire de jacques le fataliste et de son maître.

The novel follows the adventures of Jacques and his master, exploring their philosophical discussions on life, fate, and free will. Jacques believes that everything that happens is predestined, while his master argues for the existence of free will. Their journey is filled with comical and absurd situations, unexpected twists, and intriguing stories within stories. The narrative structure is innovative and playful, often breaking the fourth wall and questioning the nature of storytelling itself.

A Fairy Tale Of New York by J. P. Donleavy

This novel follows the journey of an Irish-American man who, after studying in Ireland, returns to New York City to claim his deceased father's ashes. The narrative weaves through his experiences and encounters in a post-war America, blending humor with melancholy as he navigates the complexities of love, ambition, and identity. Set against the backdrop of a bustling and unforgiving New York, the protagonist's quest for meaning and belonging unfolds in a series of misadventures and reflections, capturing the essence of the immigrant experience and the search for personal fulfillment in a rapidly changing world.

The Commitments by Roddy Doyle

"The Commitments" is a humorous and uplifting tale set in the working-class Northside of Dublin, Ireland. The story follows a group of young, passionate individuals who form a soul band, despite their limited musical experience. The band, managed by two ambitious music enthusiasts, navigates the highs and lows of the music industry, dealing with personal conflicts, romantic entanglements, and the challenges of finding their sound. The book offers a raw and honest perspective on music, friendship, and the pursuit of dreams.

Ennui by Maria Edgeworth

Or, memoirs of the earl of glenthorn.

This novel explores the life of Lord Glenthorn, a wealthy but disenchanted Irish peer who suffers from profound boredom and a lack of purpose. After discovering that he is not the legitimate heir to his estate, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption. Through various trials and a quest for genuine human connection, the protagonist learns the value of hard work, the importance of his Irish heritage, and the power of love. Set against the backdrop of early 19th-century Ireland, the story delves into themes of identity, societal obligation, and the search for meaning in life.

Cheese by Willem Elsschot

A business novel.

The novel revolves around a Dutchman living in Antwerp, Belgium, who is persuaded by his brother to enter the cheese business. He invests in 10,000 full-cream cheeses and sets up an office, but struggles to sell any of his stock. As he grapples with the nuances of the cheese trade, his personal life and professional relationships also begin to crumble, leading to a series of comical and tragic events. The book is a satirical commentary on business, ambition, and the absurdity of life.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

The edge of reason.

The book is a humorous and honest portrayal of a single woman's life in London. The protagonist, a 30-something year old woman, struggles with her weight, smoking, and alcohol consumption, all while trying to navigate her love life and career. The story is told through her personal diary entries, which include her daily calorie counts, number of cigarettes smoked, and other personal anecdotes. It's a modern take on romantic relationships and self-improvement, with a healthy dose of comedy.

Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding

The history of the adventures of joseph andrews and of his friend mr. abraham adams.

This novel follows the journey of a young man named Joseph Andrews who travels across England to reunite with his true love, Fanny Goodwill. Along the way, he faces various obstacles and meets a variety of characters, including his mentor Parson Adams. The narrative satirizes various aspects of 18th-century society, including class distinctions, sexual morality, and the hypocrisy of the church. The story is both comedic and dramatic, combining elements of adventure, romance, and social commentary.

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

The history of tom jones, a foundling.

This classic novel tells the story of Tom Jones, a charming and good-hearted but impulsive young man, who is expelled from his adoptive family home due to his wild behavior and love for the beautiful Sophia Western. His journey through 18th-century England is filled with adventures, misadventures, and a colorful cast of characters, as he struggles with his identity and seeks redemption. The narrative explores themes of class, virtue, and morality, and is known for its humor, social satire, and vivid characterization.

Caprice by Ronald Firbank

This novel is a whimsical and satirical exploration of Edwardian high society, following the adventures of its protagonist, Caprice, as she navigates the intricacies and absurdities of her social world. With its sharp wit and flamboyant characters, the story delves into themes of love, social status, and the pursuit of pleasure, all while showcasing the author's distinctive style of dialogue and narrative. The book is celebrated for its innovative use of language and its ability to critique the mores of its time through humor and irony, making it a unique and enduring piece of early 20th-century literature.

Bouvard et Pécuchet by Gustave Flaubert

"Bouvard et Pécuchet" is a satirical novel that chronicles the lives of two Parisian copy clerks, Bouvard and Pécuchet, who decide to retire in the countryside after unexpectedly inheriting a fortune. Their attempts to become gentlemen farmers are thwarted by a series of comical failures. The pair then embarks on a quest for knowledge in various fields such as medicine, literature, politics, and religion, but their efforts lead to more confusion and absurdity. The novel is a critique of intellectual pretensions and a commentary on the futility of human endeavor.

Towards The End Of The Morning by Michael Frayn

The book is a satirical glimpse into the fading world of a British newspaper in the 1960s, focusing on the misadventures of the staff working on the obscure pages dedicated to crosswords and nature notes. As they navigate the mundane and often absurd aspects of their jobs, they confront the looming changes of the industry, personal ambitions, and the comical yet poignant realities of their everyday lives. The narrative is a humorous yet bittersweet reflection on the decline of traditional journalism and the eccentricities of office life amidst the shifting tides of modernity.

The Polyglots by William Gerhardie

A novel of many tongues.

"The Polyglots" is a satirical novel that delves into the chaotic lives of a dysfunctional, multi-national family living in the Far East after World War I. Through the eyes of the young, melancholic protagonist, the narrative humorously explores themes of cultural confusion, absurdity of human nature, and the clash between Western and Eastern ideologies. The story is rich with eccentric characters and bizarre, yet insightful, interactions that reveal the deep ironies and follies of the human condition, all set against the backdrop of a world struggling to find order after the devastation of war.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

When a young, sophisticated woman is suddenly orphaned and left penniless, she decides to live with her eccentric relatives on their rundown farm. Using her urban sensibilities and wit, she sets about bringing order to the chaos and improving the lives of her relatives. Through her efforts, she manages to transform the gloomy, grim farm into a place of happiness and productivity. This novel is a hilarious parody of romantic, pastoral novels and is filled with eccentric characters and absurd situations.

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

In this satirical novel, a man travels through Russia buying up the titles to deceased serfs (or "souls") from their naive landowners, under the guise of a get-rich-quick scheme. However, his real plan is to use these "dead souls" to create a phantom estate and secure a massive loan. The story explores the corruption and greed prevalent in 19th-century Russian society and provides a unique perspective on the human condition.

Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov

The book is a satirical critique of the nobility in 19th century Russia, focusing on the titular character, a lazy and apathetic nobleman who prefers to daydream and live in his own fantasies rather than engage with the real world. His indolence is contrasted with the energetic and ambitious character of his friend who tries to get him involved in societal affairs and business. The protagonist's lethargy and inability to adapt to changing times symbolize the decay and stagnation of the Russian nobility.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

"The Wind in the Willows" is a charming tale about the adventures of four anthropomorphic animal friends - Mole, Rat, Badger, and the rebellious and extravagant Toad. The story is set in the idyllic English countryside and explores themes of friendship, exploration, and respect for nature. The narrative is marked by Toad's reckless behavior, his obsession with motor cars, and his eventual redemption. The other characters, with their contrasting personalities, bring balance and depth to the story.

Brewster's Millions by Richard Greaves

The story of a young man who inherited a million dollars and had to spend it in a year.

In this classic comedic novel, the protagonist is tasked with an unusual and seemingly enviable challenge: to spend a vast fortune of one million dollars within a year in order to inherit an even greater sum of twenty million dollars. The catch is that he must do so without acquiring any tangible assets or revealing the conditions of the will to anyone else. This seemingly delightful opportunity quickly becomes a source of frustration and comedy as the protagonist navigates the pitfalls of extravagance, the complexities of human nature, and the true value of money, all while trying to maintain his sanity and integrity amidst the lavish and often absurd spending spree.

Squire Haggard's Journal by Michael Green

The unobserved life of a gentleman.

This book presents itself as the uproariously funny and bawdy diary of a dissolute Georgian rake, chronicling his daily misadventures and the various predicaments he finds himself in. Set in the 18th century, it offers a satirical glimpse into the life of the titular character, a man of many vices, as he navigates through a series of escapades involving wine, women, and debt. The narrative is rich with humor, parodying the style of contemporary diaries and memoirs of the era, and it provides a vivid, if exaggerated, portrayal of the excesses and follies of aristocratic life in Georgian England. Through its witty prose and entertaining plot, the journal not only amuses but also offers commentary on the social mores and the gap between the wealthy and the poor of the time.

Our Man In Havana by Graham Greene

An entertainment.

The book is a satirical espionage novel set in pre-revolutionary Cuba, where a hapless vacuum cleaner salesman is recruited by British intelligence to serve as their operative in Havana. Despite his lack of experience and qualifications, he fabricates intelligence reports to appease his superiors, inadvertently triggering a cascade of increasingly absurd and dangerous events. As the line between fiction and reality blurs, the protagonist finds himself entangled in a web of deception and political intrigue that satirizes the absurdities of the Cold War era and the follies of intelligence agencies.

Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene

This novel follows the adventures of Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, who leads a quiet life tending to his dahlias until he reunites with his eccentric Aunt Augusta at his mother's funeral. Aunt Augusta, a woman with a colorful past and an insatiable thirst for adventure, draws Henry into a series of unexpected journeys that take them from England to Paris, Istanbul, and South America. Along the way, Henry is introduced to a world of smuggling, intrigue, and characters who challenge his previously staid existence. Through these experiences, Henry discovers a zest for life he never knew he possessed, as he learns that adventure and excitement can be found at any age.

The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith , Weedon Grossmith

"The Diary of a Nobody" is a humorous account of the daily life of Charles Pooter, a middle-class clerk living in London. The novel, written in diary format, details Pooter's experiences, social anxieties, and domestic issues with a comic touch. His encounters with tradesmen, his social gaffes, and his relationship with his son, who has a very different lifestyle, form the crux of the story. Despite the mundane nature of his life, Pooter's self-importance and serious demeanor contribute to the humor and charm of the book.

The Little World Of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi

This book is a charming collection of stories set in a small village in post-World War II Italy, where the local priest, Don Camillo, and the communist mayor, Peppone, are constantly at odds. Despite their political and ideological differences, they share a deep, if grudging, respect for each other, often collaborating for the good of their community. The tales are infused with humor, warmth, and a touch of the supernatural, as Don Camillo has conversations with the crucifix in his church, seeking guidance and solace. Through these engaging narratives, the book explores themes of friendship, faith, and the importance of finding common ground amidst conflict.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

This novel follows a 15-year-old boy with autism as he tries to solve the mystery of who killed his neighbor's dog. Along the way, he uncovers other secrets about his family and must navigate the world using his unique perspective and abilities. The book offers an insightful look into the mind of a character with autism, highlighting his struggles and triumphs in a compelling and empathetic way.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The book is a satirical critique of military bureaucracy and the illogical nature of war, set during World War II. The story follows a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier stationed in Italy, who is trying to maintain his sanity while fulfilling his service requirements so that he can go home. The novel explores the absurdity of war and military life through the experiences of the protagonist, who discovers that a bureaucratic rule, the "Catch-22", makes it impossible for him to escape his dangerous situation. The more he tries to avoid his military assignments, the deeper he gets sucked into the irrational world of military rule.

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgkins

The classic tale of a man and his house.

This comedic novel follows the adventures of a New York advertising executive and his family as they embark on the journey of building their dream home in the countryside. Frustrated with their cramped city living conditions, they purchase a dilapidated house in Connecticut, only to find themselves entangled in a series of escalating disasters. From skyrocketing costs and construction blunders to the challenges of rural living, the family's quest for the perfect home turns into a chaotic and humorous ordeal, reflecting the timeless pursuit of the American Dream and the reality that sometimes, dreams are more complicated than they seem.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

This novel revolves around the life of a record store owner in his mid-thirties who is obsessed with pop culture, particularly music. He has just been dumped by his long-term girlfriend and begins to question his life choices. As he revisits his top five breakups, he decides to get in touch with the exes to find out what went wrong in each relationship. Throughout this process, he learns a lot about himself, his fears, and his shortcomings while trying to make sense of his life.

I Served The King Of England by Bohumil Hrabal

"I Served The King Of England" is a captivating novel that follows the life of a young Czech waiter named Ditie, who dreams of becoming a millionaire and serving the highest-ranking clientele. Set against the backdrop of World War II and the Communist regime, the story takes readers on a journey through Ditie's experiences in various hotels and restaurants, his encounters with eccentric characters, and his pursuit of love and success. With humor, wit, and a touch of satire, the book explores themes of ambition, identity, and the impact of historical events on an individual's life.

The Lecturer's Tale by James Hynes

This novel is a darkly comedic exploration of academia, focusing on the life of a struggling adjunct lecturer at a Midwestern university. After a bizarre accident results in the loss and miraculous reattachment of his finger, the protagonist discovers he has gained a supernatural ability to influence others' thoughts and actions. As he navigates the treacherous waters of academic politics, personal ambition, and ethical dilemmas, the story delves into themes of power, identity, and the commodification of higher education. The narrative combines elements of satire and horror to critique the absurdities of academic life and the precarious nature of intellectual pursuit in the modern world.

Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood

This novel follows the story of a young Englishman living in Berlin during the early 1930s, who meets and befriends the charming yet mysterious Mr. Norris. As their friendship develops, the protagonist becomes entangled in Mr. Norris's world of political intrigue, espionage, and shady business dealings. The novel is a vivid portrayal of the decadence, political tension, and looming danger of Berlin on the brink of Nazi rule.

The Mighty Walzer by Howard Jacobson

This novel is a coming-of-age story set in 1950s Manchester, revolving around the life of Oliver Walzer, a shy Jewish boy with a prodigious talent for table tennis. Growing up in a close-knit community, Oliver navigates the complexities of adolescence, family dynamics, and cultural identity, all while trying to perfect his game. His journey is filled with humor, heartache, and the pursuit of personal and athletic excellence. As he moves from the safety of his family's home to the broader world, Oliver's experiences reflect the universal challenges of growing up and finding one's place in the world.

Pictures From An Institution by Randall Jarrell

This novel offers a satirical glimpse into the lives of faculty and students at a progressive women's college in the United States during the 1950s. Through a series of vivid character sketches and witty observations, the narrative delves into the idiosyncrasies of academic life, exploring themes of art, culture, and the peculiarities of intellectual society. The story is told from the perspective of a visiting poet, who serves as both participant and observer, providing insightful and often humorous commentary on the ambitions, pretensions, and eccentricities of the college community. Through its sharp critique and affectionate portrayal of this academic microcosm, the book presents a timeless reflection on human nature and the world of academia.

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

To say nothing of the dog.

Three Men in a Boat is a comedic account of a two-week boating holiday on the Thames River from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford and back to Kingston. The story follows three friends and a dog who decide to take a trip to cure their hypochondriac symptoms. The journey is filled with humorous incidents, historical digressions, and comical misunderstandings. Despite their initial intentions, the trio's holiday turns into a series of misadventures, providing a light-hearted commentary on the English upper-middle class at the end of the 19th century.

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

This complex and challenging novel is renowned for its experimental style and intricate, dreamlike narrative. It explores the story of a publican in Dublin, his wife, and their three children, but the plot is not linear and often veers into surreal and abstract territory. The book is dense with linguistic games, puns, and allusions to a myriad of cultural, historical, and mythological sources. The narrative is circular, ending in the middle of a sentence that is completed at the start of the book, embodying the cyclical nature of life and history.

The Castle by Franz Kafka

This novel presents the story of a man who arrives in a village and struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities who govern it from a castle. The protagonist, a surveyor, faces the constant frustration of his efforts to make contact with the elusive authorities and integrate into village society. The book explores themes of alienation, bureaucracy, the seemingly endless frustrations of man's attempts to stand against the system, and the futile pursuit of an unobtainable goal.

Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor

This book is a humorous and poignant reflection on small-town American life, centered around a fictional community in Minnesota known for its quirky inhabitants and their endearing, if not always graceful, navigation of everyday life. Through a series of interconnected stories and personal anecdotes, the narrative delves into the town's history, culture, and social dynamics, painting a rich tapestry of local lore and tradition. The author's wry observations and affectionate satire provide a charming and nostalgic look at the values, struggles, and triumphs of an often overlooked segment of the American heartland.

Death And The Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

The book is a darkly comic novel set in post-Soviet Ukraine, following the life of a struggling writer who lands a job penning obituaries for notable figures while they are still alive. His life takes a bizarre turn when these individuals start dying mysteriously, drawing him into a world of political intrigue and crime. Accompanied by his pet penguin, the protagonist navigates the chaos of his environment, revealing the absurdities and corruption of the society around him. As he delves deeper, his unusual occupation becomes increasingly dangerous, blurring the lines between the living and the dead.

The Debt To Pleasure by John Lanchester

This novel is a darkly comic and meticulously crafted narrative that follows the journey of Tarquin Winot, a snobbish, erudite, and deeply unreliable narrator who ostensibly aims to write a culinary memoir. As he travels from Portsmouth to his cottage in France, Tarquin intersperses his reflections on food with anecdotes from his life, gradually revealing his disturbing and sinister nature. The book is a rich blend of gastronomy, art, and intricate storytelling, where the protagonist's obsession with control and perfection in the culinary arts serves as a metaphor for his manipulative and malevolent tendencies. Through elegant prose and a masterful structure, the narrative unfolds to expose the dark undercurrents of obsession, jealousy, and revenge, all while maintaining a veneer of civility and sophistication.

The History Of Gil Blas Of Santillana by Alain-René Lesage

Or, the adventures of a young man.

This classic picaresque novel follows the adventures and misadventures of the young Spaniard, Gil Blas, as he navigates through the ups and downs of life, from poverty to wealth, from servant to nobleman, across the varied landscape of 17th-century Spain. Through a series of engaging episodes, the protagonist encounters a wide array of characters, from rogues and thieves to honest men and true friends, experiencing firsthand the vices and virtues of humanity. The narrative, rich in satire and social commentary, humorously critiques the corruption and folly of society, while also exploring themes of fate, ambition, and morality. Through Gil Blas' journey, the reader is offered a vivid and entertaining portrait of Spanish life and culture during the period.

Changing Places by David Lodge

A tale of two campuses.

The novel is a satirical tale that explores the cultural and academic exchange between two English literature professors from contrasting academic institutions, one from a prestigious university in the United States and the other from a more modest institution in England. As they swap positions for a six-month period, they find themselves confronting unfamiliar academic environments, personal challenges, and unexpected romantic entanglements. Through a series of humorous and insightful episodes, the book delves into the idiosyncrasies of university life, the transatlantic differences in higher education, and the disorienting effects of stepping into someone else's shoes.

Nice Work by David Lodge

This novel explores the unlikely intersection of two very different worlds through the story of Vic Wilcox, a pragmatic and conservative factory manager, and Robyn Penrose, a radical feminist and university lecturer in English literature. Set against the backdrop of the industrial Midlands during the 1980s, the narrative delves into themes of class conflict, the clash of ideologies, and the transformative power of unexpected relationships. As part of a "shadow scheme" that aims to bridge the gap between industry and academia, Robyn is assigned to shadow Vic at work, leading to a series of enlightening, challenging, and often humorous encounters that challenge their preconceptions and alter their lives in unforeseen ways.

The Towers Of Trebizond by Rose Macauley

A satirical journey.

"The Towers of Trebizond" is a humorous and thought-provoking novel that follows the journey of a young woman and her eccentric aunt as they embark on a trip to Turkey. Through their adventures and encounters with various characters, the book explores themes of religion, love, and the clash between tradition and modernity. With its witty narration and insightful observations, the novel offers a captivating exploration of faith and identity.

England, Their England by A. G. Macdonell

"England, Their England" is a satirical novel that follows the misadventures of Donald Cameron, a Scottish writer who moves to England to pursue his literary career. Through humorous anecdotes and witty observations, the book explores the cultural differences and eccentricities of the English society in the early 20th century. As Donald encounters various peculiar characters and navigates the complexities of English customs, the novel offers a humorous and insightful commentary on national identity, class divisions, and the idiosyncrasies of English life.

Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, this comedic novel unfolds on the fictional Scottish island of Great Todday, where the locals are suffering from a severe whisky shortage due to wartime rationing. The narrative takes a delightful turn when a shipwreck off the island's coast presents the islanders with a windfall of 50,000 cases of whisky. The story humorously chronicles the efforts of the islanders to salvage and hide their precious cargo from the authorities, weaving a tale of community, cunning, and the lengths to which people will go to preserve their way of life and enjoy the simple pleasures in times of hardship.

Memoirs Of A Gnostic Dwarf by David Madsen

This novel offers a vivid and provocative portrayal of the Vatican during the Renaissance, seen through the eyes of a dwarf who serves Pope Leo X. The narrative delves into the corruption, intrigue, and scandal that pervade the Holy See, presenting a stark contrast between the spiritual ideals of the Church and the worldly, often debauched behavior of its leaders. The dwarf, possessing a sharp intellect and a unique perspective, navigates this morally complex environment, exploring themes of faith, power, and the nature of truth. His journey is not only a physical one through the lavish and sometimes grotesque landscapes of the Vatican but also a spiritual and philosophical quest for understanding and redemption.

Cakes And Ale Or, The Skeleton In The Cupboard by W. Somerset Maugham

The skeleton in the cupboard.

This novel is a satirical exploration of literary society, focusing on the life and posthumous reputation of a celebrated author. Through the eyes of the narrator, a writer named Ashenden, the story delves into themes of hypocrisy, fame, and the contrast between public image and private reality. The narrative weaves together the past and present, revealing the complexities of human relationships and the often-discrepant nature of personal versus public personas. At its core, the book critiques the literary establishment's pretensions and the way it shapes legacies, all while pondering the true nature of art and integrity.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

"Tales of the City" is a collection of interconnected stories set in 1970s San Francisco, focusing on the lives and experiences of a diverse group of residents living in the same apartment complex. The narrative explores various themes such as love, friendship, sexuality, and identity, providing a vivid snapshot of life in this iconic city during a transformative period of social change. The book is known for its candid portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and issues, a groundbreaking approach at the time of its publication.

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

The novel follows a young man living in Manhattan as he tries to navigate his way through the fast-paced and drug-fueled world of the New York City nightlife during the 1980s. He is struggling with his job at a prestigious magazine, his estranged wife who has left him for another man, and his growing addiction to cocaine. As he spirals further into self-destruction, he must confront his problems and make choices about the person he wants to be.

Puckoon by Spike Milligan

This comedic novel is set in 1924, revolving around the fictional Irish village of Puckoon. The story unfolds in a chaotic and humorous manner when the Boundary Commission, tasked with dividing Ireland, carelessly draws the new border straight through the village, splitting it between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The absurdity of the situation is amplified by the eccentric characters, including the protagonist Dan Milligan, who find themselves grappling with the ludicrous consequences of this division. The narrative is filled with witty dialogue, slapstick humor, and satirical takes on politics and nationalism, showcasing the author's unique comedic style and critique of bureaucracy and the absurdities of geopolitical divisions.

The Restraint Of Beasts by Magnus Mills

A comedic novel of construction and destruction.

This darkly comic novel follows the misadventures of an unnamed English foreman tasked with supervising two Scottish fence builders, Tam and Richie, in rural England. The trio's mundane job of erecting high-tension fences takes a series of bizarre and increasingly grim turns, leading them on a journey across the British countryside and eventually to mainland Europe. The narrative is marked by the author's minimalist style, blending deadpan humor with an undercurrent of menace, as the mundane reality of manual labor collides with surreal and unsettling events. The story explores themes of freedom, the absurdity of modern life, and the thin veneer of civilization that masks humanity's darker impulses.

Charade by John Mortimer

This book is a captivating thriller that weaves together the lives of two very different individuals: a successful lawyer leading a seemingly perfect life and a young actress caught in the web of her own deceptions. As their paths cross, a complex narrative unfolds, revealing secrets, lies, and a dangerous game of pretense. Set against a backdrop of legal intrigue and personal drama, the story delves into themes of identity, trust, and the masks people wear to navigate the world around them. With its sharp wit and engaging plot, the novel keeps readers guessing until the very end, making it a compelling read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a touch of humor and psychological depth.

Titmuss Regained by John Mortimer

This novel is a satirical continuation of the life of Leslie Titmuss, a character who has risen from humble beginnings to a position of power as a Conservative Member of Parliament. Set in the idyllic English countryside, the story delves into Titmuss's personal and professional challenges as he navigates the complexities of political life, social change, and romantic entanglements. The narrative humorously critiques the social and political landscape of Britain, exploring themes of power, class, and the clash between traditional values and modern realities. Through the protagonist's endeavors to maintain his status and influence, the book offers a witty examination of ambition, morality, and the intricacies of human relationships in the context of 20th-century British society.

Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

"Under the Net" is a novel featuring a struggling writer living in London who is forced to reevaluate his life after being evicted from his flat. He embarks on a series of misadventures, meeting a variety of eccentric characters and getting involved in a dog-napping scheme. Throughout his journey, he contemplates philosophical ideas about truth, art, and personal freedom, ultimately leading to his self-discovery and transformation.

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

The novel is about a Russian émigré, Timofey Pnin, who is a professor at an American college. Pnin struggles with the complexities of life, language, and American culture, while dealing with the traumas of his past in Russia. The book is a series of loosely connected episodes, filled with humor, pathos, and Pnin's endearing confusion. His struggles and triumphs in academia and his search for a home and identity form the crux of the story.

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

The novel is a unique blend of fiction, commentary, and poetry, presented as a 999-line poem written by a fictional poet, followed by an extensive commentary and foreword by his neighbor and academic colleague. The novel blurs the line between reality and fiction, as the commentator's notes reveal an alternative narrative, one of exile, intrigue, and murder. The book is a playful exploration of authorship, deception, and the nature of art.

Fireflies by Shiva Naipaul

A novel of the caribbean.

This novel explores the complexities of post-colonial Trinidad through the lens of the protagonist's tumultuous family life and his arranged marriage. Set against a backdrop of societal change and personal disillusionment, the narrative delves into themes of identity, tradition, and the search for meaning in a rapidly transforming world. The protagonist's journey is marked by his struggle to reconcile his ambitions and desires with the expectations placed upon him by his family and community, ultimately presenting a poignant critique of the societal norms and cultural heritage that both bind and divide the characters. Through vivid storytelling and rich character development, the book offers a nuanced examination of the human condition within a specific cultural context.

The Sacred Book Of The Werewolf by Victor Pelevin

This novel introduces readers to a captivating world where ancient myth meets modern life through the eyes of a two-thousand-year-old werefox named A Hu-Li. Disguised as a teenage girl, she navigates contemporary Russia, using her supernatural abilities and seductive powers to survive in a society dominated by men. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she falls in love with a werewolf, a figure representing the novel's exploration of themes such as identity, transformation, and the search for spiritual enlightenment. Set against the backdrop of post-Soviet Russia, the narrative delves into philosophical discussions, blending Eastern philosophies with the complexities of modern existence, all while maintaining a sharp sense of humor and a deep sense of mysticism.

A Void by Georges Perec

This novel is a unique and complex piece of literature, written entirely without the use of the letter 'e'. The story follows a group of individuals trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of a friend, while also dealing with their own personal struggles and existential crises. The narrative is filled with wordplay, puzzles, and allusions, and the absence of the letter 'e' serves as a metaphor for loss and absence in the characters' lives.

Three by Georges Perec

This book is a unique exploration of human experience and memory, weaving together three distinct narratives that delve into the intricacies of loss, identity, and the passage of time. Through a meticulous and innovative use of language, the author crafts a multifaceted examination of life's fleeting moments and the ways in which they are remembered and forgotten. The narratives, though seemingly disparate, converge in their shared themes of absence and the search for meaning within the mundane, challenging readers to reflect on the nature of existence and the connections that bind the past to the present.

Life, a User's Manual by Georges Perec

The novel explores the lives of the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment block through a complex, multi-layered narrative. It delves into the interconnected stories of the building's residents, revealing their secrets, desires, and disappointments. The narrative is structured like a puzzle, with the author employing a variety of literary styles and devices, making it a complex and intriguing exploration of human life.

My Search For Warren Harding by Robert Plunkett

This novel is a satirical and humorous journey into the life of an eccentric narrator obsessed with the 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding. The protagonist embarks on a bizarre quest to uncover intimate and scandalous details of Harding's life, leading him into a series of absurd and often hilarious situations. Through a blend of fact and fiction, the narrative delves into the complexities of historical interpretation and the peculiarities of American political culture, all while exploring themes of obsession, identity, and the elusive nature of truth. The book's unique approach to storytelling and its sharp wit make it a distinctive exploration of American history and the lengths to which one might go to uncover it.

A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell

"A Dance to the Music of Time" is a twelve-volume cycle that follows the life of the protagonist, a man from the upper-middle class in England, from his school days to his old age. The series provides a detailed and satirical depiction of British society and its changes over several decades, from the 1920s to the 1970s. The narrative is filled with a rich cast of characters from different social classes and backgrounds, whose lives intersect in various ways over time.

A Time To Be Born by Dawn Powell

Set against the backdrop of New York City on the brink of World War II, this satirical novel delves into the ambitions and relationships of a circle of artistic and literary figures. At its center is a manipulative and ambitious woman who uses her marriage to a wealthy publisher to ascend the social ladder, alongside a cast of characters each navigating their own desires, betrayals, and quests for success. Through sharp wit and keen observation, the narrative explores themes of power, fame, and the complex dynamics of love and friendship in a rapidly changing society.

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

Set in post-World War II England, the novel centers around a spinster named Mildred Lathbury, who lives a quiet life, devoted to her church and helping others. Her life is disrupted when a young couple moves into her building and she becomes embroiled in their marital troubles. The novel explores themes of societal expectations for women, the role of religion in everyday life, and the complexities of human relationships.

Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym

Less Than Angels follows the lives of a group of anthropologists living in London and their romantic entanglements. The story primarily centers around Tom Mallow, a mature student, who is in a relationship with Catherine Oliphant, a writer on anthropology. However, things become complicated when Tom becomes interested in a young student, Deirdre Swan. The novel explores themes of academia, love, and the complexities of human relationships.

Zazie in the Metro by Raymond Queneau

A young, precocious girl named Zazie comes to Paris to stay with her flamboyant uncle, a professional female impersonator. She is obsessed with riding the Metro, but a strike thwarts her plans. As she explores the city on her own, she encounters a variety of eccentric characters, gets into mischief, and ultimately causes chaos in the city. The novel is a humorous and satirical look at Parisian life, filled with word play and surreal elements.

Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler

This novel is a sprawling epic that traces the multi-generational saga of the Gursky family, rumored to have been inspired by the real-life Bronfman dynasty, Canadian liquor magnates. At its core, it follows the enigmatic figure of Solomon Gursky, whose life is shrouded in myth and mystery, from his forebears' escape from Jewish persecution in Europe to his own adventures in the Arctic, and the eventual establishment of a powerful business empire in North America. Through the eyes of Moses Berger, a writer obsessed with uncovering the truth about Solomon, the narrative delves into themes of identity, legacy, and the complexities of the human condition, all set against the backdrop of Canada's development and cultural history.

Alms For Oblivion by Simon Raven

This book is a satirical and darkly humorous narrative that delves into the lives of various characters from the British upper class and intelligentsia during the 1950s and 1960s. Through a series of interconnected stories, the narrative explores themes of power, corruption, sexual exploits, and the moral decline of society. The characters, ranging from politicians and businessmen to artists and academics, navigate a world rife with scandal, intrigue, and betrayal, revealing the complexities and hypocrisies of the social elite. The series is known for its sharp wit, intricate plotlines, and a cynical view of human nature and societal norms.

Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth

The novel is a first-person narrative, a monologue by a young Jewish man, Alexander Portnoy, who is speaking to his psychoanalyst. He shares his struggles with his identity as a Jewish man in America, his sexual fantasies and frustrations, his complex relationship with his overbearing mother, and his experiences of guilt and shame. The book uses humor and frank language to explore themes of identity, sexuality, and the Jewish experience in America.

The Westminster Alice by Saki

This satirical work offers a clever political parody of Lewis Carroll's famous "Alice in Wonderland," set against the backdrop of the British political landscape of the early 20th century. Through the adventures of its protagonist, Alice, the narrative humorously critiques the policies and personalities of the time, including notable figures and events in Westminster, the heart of the UK's political realm. The author employs wit and allegory to explore themes of power, governance, and societal norms, presenting a whimsical yet incisive commentary on the absurdities of political life and the characters who inhabit it, making it a timeless reflection on the nature of politics and leadership.

The Unbearable Bassington by Saki

This novel is a satirical exploration of Edwardian society, focusing on the life of Comus Bassington, a charming but irredeemably selfish and idle young man. Set against a backdrop of London's high society, the narrative delves into Comus's frivolous and extravagant lifestyle, which leads to his eventual estrangement from his mother, who is both indulgent and exasperated by her son's antics. As Comus navigates through various social escapades, romantic entanglements, and financial ruin, the story unfolds to reveal the stark realities of class, social expectations, and the consequences of personal recklessness. The novel's sharp wit and poignant critique of societal norms culminate in a conclusion that is both tragic and reflective of the characters' inescapable fates within the rigid structures of their world.

The Guardian , 998 Books

Selected by the Guardian’s Review team and a panel of expert judges, this list includes only novels – no memoirs, no short stories, no long poems – from any decade and in any language. Originally published in thematic supplements – love, crime, comedy, family and self, state of the nation, science fiction and fantasy, war and travel – they appear here for the first time in a single list.

This list was originally published in 2009 and was added to this site 6 months ago.

This list has a weight of 20% . To learn more about what this means please visit the Rankings page .

• List: criteria is not just "best/favorite"
• Voters: specific voter details are lacking
• List: contains over 500 books(Quantity over Quality)
• Voters: are mostly from a single country/location

If you think this is incorrect please contact us .

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Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, the guardian.

Nicholas Sparks's new novel, THE GUARDIAN, clearly challenges the time honored maxim "man's best friend". While Sparks is known for writing sappy love stories that pull on the reader's heartstrings, THE GUARDIAN is undoubtedly his finest work.

The novel's main character, a widow named Julie Barenson, receives a puppy that her husband arranged before his untimely death. Although Singer, a Great Dane, challenges Julie's patience on more than one occasion, her beloved four-legged friend is at the right place when she needs him the most.

Although THE GUARDIAN at first appears to be another tearjerker from Sparks, whose seventh novel will surely be atop the bestseller lists within no time, it is completely different from his debut novel, THE NOTEBOOK, or NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, which comes out in paperback in June.

Don't worry Sparks fans. THE GUARDIAN takes place in another small southern town, Swansboro, N.C. And, of course, it contains a deep-rooted love story, the kind that has catapulted Sparks into literary stardom. But what's different about THE GUARDIAN from his other six novels is that this novel is extremely chilling at times. It is pulse pounding, breathtaking, suspenseful and intriguing.

Without giving too much of the plot away, the book starts out when Julie receives a surprise gift on Christmas Eve in 1998 -- an adorable puppy. The animal is exactly what she needs to help her deal with the recent loss of her husband, Jim. Fast forward to 2002. Singer and Julie have become best friends, but Julie yearns to start a new relationship --- but with whom? Well, there's Mike Harris, who works as a mechanic and was her husband's best friend and best man in her wedding. Then there's Richard Franklin, a strikingly handsome transplant to the area. Julie dates Richard for a while but decides there's just nothing there and starts to see Mike.

Unfortunately, the rejection is too much for Richard to handle and he just can't cut his losses and be friends with her. This is where the pace of the book really gains momentum. Instead of being a gentleman about the whole thing, Richard turns into a menacing creep and calling Julie over and over and hanging up the phone when she answers. He then pops up when she's out walking Singer and when she's shopping for groceries.

Richard shows up at a nightclub where Julie and Mike happen to be and Mike loses his cool and brawls with Richard. Wow! Violence in a Nicholas Sparks book? This has got to be a first. Besides being a well-crafted love story, THE GUARDIAN is also a compelling police drama complete with guns, of course.

Although Sparks's work isn't as gritty or dogged as the work of a James Patterson or Michael Connelly, he does fine in developing tightly written fiction relating to police work. He furthers his story line with Pete Gandy and Jennifer Romanello, two of the town's cops on complete opposite ends of criminal justice. Gandy is a townie who thinks he is a super cop and has Richard all figured out; he tells Jennifer the case is closed. Meanwhile, Jennifer, a Bronx native whose father was a member of the NYPD, doesn't think too highly of Gandy and clearly believes Richard is up to no good.

Despite being a surprising thriller from Sparks, the copyediting could have been a little tighter. Near the end of the novel, Sparks mentions a 1994 Pontiac Trans Am, but then refers to the car as being a 1984 Trans Am. Which is it? Even though it can be considered a minor error, inaccurate details like this can sometimes ruin a perfectly written novel. In the Author's Note, Sparks says the manuscript was a challenge for him and went through eight revisions. After eight revisions, there is no excuse for the aforementioned miscue.

Reviewed by David Exum on November 16, 2011

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

• Publication Date: November 30, -0001
• Genres: Fiction
• Hardcover: 494 pages
• Publisher: Perfection Learning
• ISBN-10: 0756957559
• ISBN-13: 9780756957551

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Review: Grisham’s ‘The Guardians’ is suspenseful thriller

• Copy Link copied

“The Guardians: a Novel,” published by Doubleday, by John Grisham

In John Grisham’s latest novel, “The Guardians,” a former priest named Cullen Post works for an organization called Guardian Ministries that scours court transcripts and personal letters from convicts to determine if someone is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he or she didn’t commit. If the organization believes without a doubt that the potential client is innocent, it will do everything it can within the boundaries of the law to free an innocent person, investigating and pushing for a new trial.

Quincy Miller has been in prison for 22 years — and still claims his innocence. A young lawyer was murdered, and suspicion quickly turned to Miller pulling the trigger. He says a fellow inmate fabricated a story about Miller confessing, and his ex-wife claimed that he owned several guns, which also wasn’t true. Another witness lied about seeing him flee the scene. Miller swears he never owned a gun, wasn’t anywhere in the area that night and that a key piece of evidence that later disappeared was planted.

It’s a bit much to believe that so many folks would be involved in a miscarriage of justice, but Post believes Miller and begins to dig into what happened that fateful night.

Grisham again delivers a suspenseful thriller mixed with powerful themes such as false incarceration, the death penalty and how the legal system shows prejudice. The Guardian team of characters is first-rate, and Miller’s attitude and mannerisms will have readers questioning what truth means in the world of the legal system.

https://www.jgrisham.com/

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The 50 best books of the year 2022

From anti-romcoms and horror to razor-sharp essays and state-of-the-nation novels, it's been a brilliant year for books. Here are BBC Culture's top picks.

Liberation Day by George Saunders

Known as a modern master of the form, this is George Saunders' first short story collection since 2013's Tenth of December, which was a National Book Award finalist. Liberation Day's nine stories consider human connection, power, enslavement and oppression with Saunders' trademark deadpan humour and compassion. "These stories are not only perfectly pitched; they come with enough comedy to have you grinning and enough empathy to suddenly stop you in your tracks," writes The Guardian , while according to the Sydney Morning Herald , "Saunders is masterful, he illuminates with a fierce flame". (RL)

The Kingdom of Sand by Andrew Holleran

Set in a drought-hit backwater of rural Florida, The Kingdom of Sand tells the story of a nameless narrator's existence of semi-solitude, as the memories of his other, previous life come and go. The Guardian said : "Holleran renders an elegiac and very funny contemplation of not just ageing but an age... A wistful, witty meditation on a gay man's twilight years and the twilight of America." The  novel is "all the more affecting and engaging", Colm Toíbín writes in the New York Times , because, in 1978, Holleran wrote the "quintessential novel of gay abandon", Dancer from the Dance. "Now at almost 80 years of age, he has produced a novel remarkable for its integrity, for its readiness to embrace difficult truths and for its complex way of paying homage to the passing of time." (LB)

Bournville by Jonathan Coe

An avid Europhile and chronicler of modern Britain, Jonathan Coe's latest spans 75 years of British history through the lives of one family living on the outskirts of Birmingham near a famous chocolate factory. The novel's events and characters cross paths with those from Coe's trilogy that began with 2001's The Rotters' Club and ended with the acclaimed Middle England (2018), and, like the latter, Bournville is "a state of the nation novel," writes the Observer , one that explores the personal and the political, and the relationship between Britain and Europe with "prose of enduring beauty". The FT writes that Coe has, "with considerable humour, satire – and at times, acute anger – established himself as the voice of England's political conscience". (RL)

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver's modern reimagining of David Copperfield is a "powerful reworking" of Charles Dickens's most celebrated and personal novel, writes The Guardian , calling it "the book she was born to write". Set in Kingsolver's home region of Appalachia, it transposes Dickens's critique of the injustices of Victorian Britain to contemporary America, where Copperhead lives in near-destitution amid the US opioid crisis. "This serious subject matter belies the sheer fun that Kingsolver has with her endlessly inventive adaptation," writes the TLS , praising the novel's "sharp social observation and moments of great descriptive beauty." (RL)

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

In 1970s Belfast, a young Catholic teacher, Cushla, meets an older, married Protestant man in the pub owned by her family, an encounter that changes both of their lives for ever. As an affair between the two progresses, the daily news of the Troubles unfolds, and tensions in the town escalate. Previously the author of short stories, in Trespasses, says the Washington Post , "Kennedy has more room to flesh out her characters and dramatise their predicaments. She does so masterfully, convincing her reader of all that unfolds". Meanwhile, The Spectator says : "This cleverly crafted love story about ordinary lives ravaged by violence tears at your heart without succumbing to sentimentality." (LB)

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

When a whale washes up on the beach in Dorset near Cristabel Seagrave's home at Chilcombe estate, the 12-year-old claims it as her own. Benignly neglected by her step-parents, who are distracted by endless parties, she and her siblings find their own way to grow up and educate themselves. Then, as war approaches and their lives take different tracks, the siblings are drawn into the conflict. "Generous, filling, deeply satisfying, funny-sad, every page crammed with life and experience," is how the Sunday Times describes it. Quinn is "one of those writers who has her finger on humanity's pulse. An absolute treat of a book, to be read and reread". The Independent says: "This is a chunky novel to get lost in, full of pacy plotting and luscious language." (LB)

The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

" The most propulsively entertaining of Li's novels ," according to the New York Times, The Book of Goose is the fifth from the Chinese-born, US-based writer. It is what The Observer calls a " deeply strange " tale of two adolescent girls in rural, post-war France who concoct a literary hoax and briefly become a publishing sensation. The Observer praises "the thrilling complexity of The Book of Goose's relationship with the literary impulse", while The New York Times calls it "an existential fable that illuminates the tangle of motives behind our writing of stories". (RL)

I'm Sorry You Feel that Way by Rebecca Wait

"Desperately sad – and extremely funny," is how iNews describes Rebecca Wait's fourth novel, I'm Sorry You Feel that Way. "Its exquisitely detailed examination of interpersonal relationships allows it to become furtively compassionate, generous even to the worst offenders and one of the richest explorations of family dysfunction I've read." The novel explores the intricacies of family relationships, as sisters Alice and Hanna face a challenging upbringing with a dominant mother, absent father and disapproving older brother. As adults, they must deal not only with disappointments in love and work, but also ever-more complicated family conflict and tensions. It is "razor-sharp", says The Observer . (LB)

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

According to The Atlantic , Cormac McCarthy's The Passenger, published in 2022, along with its follow-up, Stella Maris, are "the richest and strongest work of McCarthy's career," and represent a genuine publishing event. The 89-year-old writer of No Country for Old Men (2005) and The Road (2006) is considered one of America's greatest living novelists, and these typically apocalyptic, bleak books could well be his last. The Passenger, writes The Irish Times , is "among McCarthy's most quietly reflective novels, recalling the moments of serenity amid scenes of devastation that made The Road so haunting." (RL)

Darling by India Knight

A 21st-Century retelling of Nancy Mitford's classic The Pursuit of Love , India Knight's novel Darling transposes the original to the bohemian household of Alconleigh farm in Norfolk. Our narrator is Franny, and teenage Linda Radlett lives with her rock-star father Matthew, ethereal mother Sadie, and her many siblings. It is an ambitious idea but, according to The Guardian , "Knight rises to that challenge with aplomb… Darling is a very human book, full of feelings and heartbreak and humour and joy". Meanwhile, iNews says  that the characters are depicted with an "enveloping warmth", and the novel is "an absolute hoot". It concludes: "This is a gorgeously bittersweet portrait of growing up, where happiness is only ever fleeting." (LB)

There are More Things by Yara Rodrigues Fowler

In 2019, following her debut novel Stubborn Archivist, Yara Rodrigues Fowler was named by the Financial Times as "one of the planet's 30 most exciting young people," and the author's follow-up has been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for political fiction and the Goldsmiths Prize. There are More Things tells the story of Catarina – who grows up in a well-known political family in Olinda, Brazil – and Londoner Melissa. When the two women meet, as political turmoil in Brazil and the UK unfurls, their friendship intensifies. The novel is "an enriching read", says The Irish Times . "From the chaotic London riots and Brexit to the dark era of Brazil's military dictatorship, this novel paints a stirring portrait of the legacy of violence." (LB)

Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux

"The quality that distinguishes Ernaux's writing on sex from others in her milieu is the total absence of shame," writes The Guardian of this memoir of a torrid, 18-month love affair between Ernaux and a married Russian diplomat that began in Leningrad in 1988 and continued in Paris. Getting Lost (which is published in translation this year) is the second book of Ernaux's to be inspired by the affair – the first, a slight, memoir-like novel, was Simple Passion (1991). Recently awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, Ernaux – now in her 80s – is a huge literary celebrity in France. Her writing on sex is spare and direct, explicit and subversive. Getting Lost is, writes The New York Times , "a feverish book… about being impaled by desire, and about the things human beings want, as opposed to the things for which they settle." (RL)

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Written during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, King's latest is a world-hopping fantasy whose hero is Charlie Reade, a talented 17-year-old who has lost his mother in a car accident and is caring for his grieving, alcoholic father. When Charlie befriends the reclusive Mr Bowditch and his ancient German Shepherd dog, Radar, he discovers underneath Bodwitch's shed a portal to the kingdom of Empis, where the people – who have a disfiguring illness called "the grey" – are facing a terrifying evil. Described as "a multiverse-traversing, genre-hopping intertextual mash-up" by the New York Times , Fairy Tale is, according to The Guardian , "vintage, timeless King, a transporting, terrifying treat". (RL)

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

At 20 years old, Leila Mottley became the youngest ever nominee when Nightcrawling was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and the novel was an instant New York Times bestseller. The story is based on a true crime in 2015, involving sexual exploitation, corruption and brutality in the Oakland police department. The novel's central character is 17-year-old Kiara Johnson, a protagonist who is "one of the toughest and kindest young heroines of our time," says the Guardian . "Restlessly truth-seeking, Nightcrawling marks the dazzling arrival of a young writer with a voice and vision you won't easily get out of your head." Nightcrawling is, says iNews , "an extraordinarily moving debut". (LB)

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

Told in a series of vignettes, After Sappho reimagines the lives of a group of notable feminists, artists and writers of the past. Among them are Colette, Josephine Baker, Virginia Woolf and Sarah Bernhardt, each of them facing obstacles and battling for liberation and justice. According to the Irish Times , After Sappho " delivers on its own promise with great stylistic power and verve ". The Guardian says:"[With] sentences crisply flat yet billowing easily into gorgeous lyricism... [After Sappho] is a book that's wholly seduced by seduction and that seduces in turn." (LB)

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

From the author of the 2017 bestseller, Little Fires Everywhere, this dystopian novel is set in a post-crisis US of surveillance and book-banning, where children are forcibly separated from their parents, and people – particularly Asian-Americans – are condemned for "un-American" activities. Twelve-year-old Bird lives with his father, a talented linguistics professor forced to stack books in a library, while Bird's mother – a prominent Chinese-American poet – has disappeared three years' previously. Bird's quest to find her leads him to an underground network of librarian resistance-fighters, and towards the fate of the taken children. "Ng's own masterful telling of this tale of governmental cruelty and the shadow armies of ordinary citizens who both facilitate and resist is its own best testimony to the unpredictable possibilities of storytelling," writes NPR , while Vogue called Our Missing Hearts "an unwaveringly dark fairy tale for a world that has stopped making sense". (RL)

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Winner of the Booker Prize, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida tells the magical story of a war photographer who has woken up dead, apparently in a celestial visa office. In the afterlife, surrounded by ghouls, he has seven moons to contact the man and woman he loves most. The novel "fizzes with energy, imagery and ideas against a broad, surreal vision of the Sri Lankan civil wars" say the Booker judges . The Guardian says the novel "recalls the mordant wit and surrealism of Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls or Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita... Karunatilaka has done artistic justice to a terrible period in his country's history." (LB)

The Colony by Audrey Magee

"The Colony contains multitudes – on families, on men and women, on rural communities – with much of it just visible on the surface, like the flicker of a smile or a shark in the water," writes John Self in  The Times . The novel portrays one summer on a small island off the coast of Ireland. Two separate visitors – an artist and a linguist, both seeking to capture the truth and essence of the place – force the islanders to question their own values and desires. "Austere and stark," writes the Financial Times , "The Colony is a novel about big, important things." (LB)

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

From the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) and the Booker-shortlisted Exit West (2017), Hamid borrows a clever conceit from Kafka's Metamorphosis to imaginatively consider race and racism through the character of Anders, a white man living in a small US town, who wakes up one morning to find his skin has turned dark. As Anders begins to face conflict in his life and relationships; and as more and more people follow suit, violence and unrest erupts on the streets. "For a novel that explores the functions and presumptions of racism, The Last White Man is a peculiarly hopeful story," writes The Washington Post . The Last White Man is "a short novel of very long sentences" that is, writes The Guardian , "[a] strange, beautiful allegorical tale… compellingly readable and strangely musical, as if being recounted as a kind of folktale to future generations." (RL)

Trust by Hernan Diaz

"A genre-bending, time-skipping story about New York City's elite in the roaring '20s and Great Depression," is how Vanity Fair describes Trust by Hernan Diaz, who was a Pulitzer finalist for his 2017 novel In the Distance. A legendary New York couple has risen to the top of a world of apparently endless wealth – but at what cost? Diaz's novel puts competing narratives into dialogue with each other, resulting in a puzzle that explores how power can manipulate the truth. Longlisted for the Booker Prize, Trust is a "surprising, engrossing and beautifully executed novel," says the Irish Times , that "confirms Diaz as a virtuoso of storytelling". (LB)

Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie

The seventh novel from the acclaimed Pakistani-British writer of A God in Every Stone (2014) and 2017's bestselling Home Fire, Best of Friends explores the intricacies of friendship through the lives of two very different women, lifelong friends Zahra and Maryam. The novel opens with them as teenagers in 1980s Karachi; later, they are successful forty-somethings living in London with deeply conflicting political views. When troubling events from their past resurface, their friendship is put to the test. "It's the deep-rooted and complicated bond between the two women that keeps us turning the pages," writes The Spectator . The Observer called it : "an epic story that explores the ties of childhood friendship, the possibility of escape, the way the political world intrudes into the personal, all through the lens of two sharply drawn protagonists." (RL)

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

The story of six siblings and an injustice that shatters their close bond, Booth is the Booker-shortlisted novel by Karen Joy Fowler, author of the bestselling We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. The Booth brothers and sisters grow up in 1830s rural Baltimore as civil war draws closer, each with their own dreams and battles to fight. One of them, Johnny, makes a decision that will change the course of history – the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. "In its stretch and imaginative depth, Booth has an utterly seductive authority," says The Guardian . The novel, says The Literary Review , "captures with enthralling vividness a country caught in the grip of fanatical populism, ripped apart by irreconcilable political differences and boiling with fury and rage... An unalloyed triumph". (LB)

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread (later Costa) prize for her first novel, 1995's Behind the Scenes at the Museum. She has since published several novels – two of which also won Costa prizes – including the acclaimed Life After Life (2013), which was adapted into a BBC TV series this year. Set amid the dancers, drinkers and gangsters of "Roaring" 1920s London, Shrines of Gaiety is chock-full of sex, intrigue and vice coalescing around the figure of Nellie Coker, a notorious entrepreneur who presides over a series of Soho nightclubs. Shrines of Gaeity is, according to The New York Times , "a cocktail of fizz and melancholy, generously poured," while Atkinson is "a keenly sympathetic observer of human foibles, one who can sketch a character in one quicksilver sentence".  The novel is "a marvel of plate-spinning narrative knowhow,'' writes The Observer . (RL)

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

Best-selling New York Times essayist Sloane Crosley has combined themes of love, luck and hipsterism to create a New York City anti-rom-com that is also a satire on internet millennial life. Publishers Weekly describes Cult Classic as "a witty and fantastical story of dating and experimental psychology in New York City… Thoroughly hilarious [and] sharply perceptive… Crosley has found the perfect fictional subject for her gimlet eye". The Los Angeles Times , meanwhile, says: "Crosley's writing is as funny as ever, with a great line or clever observation on nearly every page… Her fascinating conceits – entertaining and compelling in their own right – are the engines of the narrative, but her insights into contemporary life are the fuel." (LB)

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

Douglas Stuart, the author of the Booker Prize-winning Shuggie Bain (2020), has won rapturous praise once again for his second novel, a heartbreaking queer love story between Protestant Mungo and Catholic James, who come together across the divided landscape of a Glasgow council estate in the post-Thatcher era. "Young Mungo is a suspense story wrapped around a novel of acute psychological observation. It's hard to imagine a more disquieting and powerful work of fiction will be published anytime soon about the perils of being different," says Maureen Corrigan, book critic of NPR's Fresh Air . "If the first novel announced Stuart as a novelist of great promise, this confirms him as a prodigious talent," writes Alex Preston in The Observer . (RL)

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

In Jennifer Egan's 2011 novel A Visit from the Goon Squad, Bix Bouton featured as a minor character. Now he is back as a tech visionary at the opening of The Candy House, as CEO of internet giant Mandala who is in search of his next "utopian vision". Bouton's invention, Own Your Unconscious, is the catalyst for the novel's exploration of the end of privacy in the digital age and how tech turns the world upside down. Meanwhile, the underlying temptation metaphor of Hansel and Gretel's "candy house" permeates the book. It is an "exhilarating, deeply pleasurable" novel, says Prospect , while The New York Times calls it "a spectacular palace built out of rabbit holes". (LB)

Either/Or by Elif Batuman

A sequel to her 2017 Pulitzer-Prize nominated debut, The Idiot, Batuman's semi-autobiographical second novel continues the adventures of Selin Karadag, a Russian literature student in her sophomore year at Harvard University in 1996. Using Kierkegaard's classic philosophical work as a starting point, Soren ponders the meaning of life through the Danish philosopher's theory of the choice between morality and hedonism, using her literature syllabus as her guide. "Either/Or is a sequel that amplifies the meaning of its predecessor while expanding its philosophical ambit," writes Charles Arrowsmith in The Washington Post , while Sophie Haigney in The New Republic  praises Batuman's "brilliant, funny observations." (RL)

Constructing a Nervous System by Margo Jefferson

In her follow-up to 2015's Negroland, Margo Jefferson blends criticism and memoir, recalling personal experiences and family members she has lost, as well as jazz luminaries, artists and writers she admires. The veteran critic draws on a rich life full of cultural experience, as well as new thinking about the part race has played in her life, and addresses the core theme of black female identity. "Her approach is an almost poetic presentation of fragments of her experiences as they ricocheted off artists whose work and lives she has found meaningful," says The Washington Post . "It's an extraordinary reading experience - the first book I recall wanting to reread immediately after reaching the end." Or, as The Observer puts it : "It is impossible not to be stirred by her odes to fellow black American strivers of excellence." (LB)

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom

Described by Hephzibah Anderson in The Guardian as "a courageous howl of a memoir" In Love… is the story of novelist and psychotherapist Bloom's journey to aid her husband to end his life, after a 2019 diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. The narrative jumps back and forth, documenting the frustrations and administrative red tape Bloom encounters and the ethical considerations involved with assisted suicide, while drawing a vivid picture of her husband, the architect Brian Ameche, with wit, compassion and dark humour. The memoir acts as a powerful testament to the couple's "stickily close" and tender relationship, as Bloom, writes Salley Vickers, also in The Guardian : "has written about him [Brian] with all the brave-spirited, undaunted love to which the book bears stupendous witness." (RL)

Love Marriage by Monica Ali

The tragicomic novel Love Marriage tells the story of Yasmin, junior doctor and dutiful daughter, who, as her wedding day draws closer, begins to dismantle her own assumptions about the people around her. Both her and her fiance's family face an unravelling of secrets, lies and infidelities, and Yasmin must ask herself what a "love marriage" really means. Monica Ali's 2003 novel Brick Lane was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and this is her most acclaimed book since then. It is a "rich, sensitive and gloriously entertaining novel – her fifth, and possibly her best," says the TLS , and "juggles so many questions and plot lines that we keep expecting one of them to break free and become detached… yet everything remains utterly coherent and convincing." The Spectator praises the novel too: "It dares to be deliberately funny," it says, and is "absolutely terrific… genuinely touching." (LB)

Tiepolo Blue by James Cahill

Don Lamb is a repressed 40-something Cambridge art historian working on a monograph about the the paintings of the eponymous 18th-Century Venetian master. It's 1994, the contemporary art world is rapidly changing, and after an embarrassing faux pas, Lamb is removed from Cambridge to manage a South London gallery, where he encounters Ben, a young artist who introduces him to the capital's hedonistic nightlife and a reckoning with his sexuality. Tiepolo Blue combines "formal elegance with gripping storytelling," writes the FT . "[Its] delicious unease and pervasive threat give this assured first novel great singularity and a kind of gothic edge," writes Michael Donkor in The Guardian . (RL)

Fire Island: Love, Loss and Liberation in an American Paradise by Jack Parlett

In his meditative look back at the famous queer party island in New York, Jack Parlett adds his own autobiographical asides. The result is a place-based memoir about hedonism, reinvention and liberation that has been widely acclaimed. The New York Times says : "[Parlett's] concise, meticulously researched, century-spanning chronicle of queer life on Fire Island captures, with a plain-spoken yet lyric touch, the locale's power to stun and shame, to give pleasure and symbolise evanescence." Populated by the mid-century literati – WH Auden, James Baldwin, Patricia Highsmith all make appearances – the book explores the culture and hierarchies of Fire Island's communities. "Utopias tend to be flawed in revealing ways," says the TLS , and this "sets the tone for an island history that's deeply felt and keenly judged." (LB)

Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

A follow-up to her 2018 novel Motherhood, Sheila Heti's Pure Colour is billed as "a book about the shape of life, from beginning to end," and combines the real with the abstract and surreal in its story of Mira. An aspiring art critic, she meets and falls in love with Annie, who opens up Mira's chest to a portal with her enormous power. Later, when her father dies, Mira transforms into a leaf for a long section. Pure Colour is "simultaneously wise and silly, moving and inscrutable" writes Lily Meyer in NPR . "The apocalypse written as trance, a sleepwalker's song about the end of all things… Pure Colour is an original, a book that says something new for our difficult times",  writes Anne Enright in The Guardian . (RL)

Sea of Tranquillity by Emily St John Mandel

The prescient 2014 novel Station Eleven – a dystopian story of a devastating pandemic – was a hit for Emily St John Mandel, winning the Arthur C Clarke award, and also spawning a TV series. Her new book, the time-travelling story Sea of Tranquillity, begins in 1912, with a listless young British immigrant starting a new life in Canada who, when wandering in the woods, experiences an incomprehensible paranormal event. The narrative moves forward to the present day, and then to two futuristic time zones, weaving together disparate threads. The novel has "intellectual heft", says The Scotsman , and "St John Mandel is an intelligent, acute and sympathetic writer". Sea of Tranquillity is, says the Guardian , "hugely ambitious in scope, yet also intimate and written with a graceful and beguiling fluency." (LB)

Memphis by Tara M Stringfellow

"A rhapsodic hymn to black women," writes Kia Corthron in the New York Times , of poet, storyteller and former lawyer Stringfellow's first novel, which spans 70 years and three generations: Hazel, daughters Miriam and August and granddaughter Joan. Memphis is, Stringfellow says, "an ode to my city and the black women living here in it... full of mystery and magic and humour and grit." The Irish Times praises Stringfellow : "Her women are vivid, formidable and funny, exposing the legacy of racial violence not just within the microcosm of family or the titular city, but nationally," while The Washington Post writes : "With her richly impressionistic style, Stringfellow captures the changes transforming Memphis in the latter half of the 20th Century.” (RL)

Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

In his second poetry collection, written in the aftermath of his mother's death, Ocean Vuong contemplates personal loss, the meaning of family, and tenderness in the face of violence. The episodic poem Dear Rose addresses his dead mother about her journey as an immigrant from Vietnam to the US. "Because Vuong plays with time by the millisecond – slowing down or speeding up old memories or conversations – he uncovers new enlightening details that have a life of their own," says The Guardian . Artfuse describes Time is a Mother as a "dazzling investigation of love and loss, inspiring both nostalgia and release", and says the poet's language, "recognises the trauma of death, but also revels in the glory of life". (LB)

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Much of Nagamatsu's debut novel was completed before 2020, and its themes will strike readers with their prescience. Set in the near-future, a team of scientists in Siberia discover a mummified pre-historic female corpse they name "Annie", which holds a disease that sets off a catastrophic pandemic named "the Arctic Plague". Nagamatsu focuses on the human side of the crisis, leaping forward 6,000 years to reveal a society that has commercialised death, and the long-reaching legacy of past decisions. Expansive and genre-defying, it is told through discrete stories that slowly coalesce. "Like a Polaroid photograph, How High We Go in the Dark takes time to show its true colours. When they finally appear, the effect is all the more dazzling," writes the Guardian . It is, writes the New York Times , "a book of sorrow for the destruction we're bringing on ourselves. Yet the novel reminds us there's still hope in human connections, despite our sadness." (RL)

Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood

Now in the seventh decade of her remarkable literary career, Margaret Atwood has written her third collection of essays that, says the i newspaper , "brims with enthusiasm and verve". Broadly looking at events of the past two decades, the range of subjects is wide – from censorship and Obama, to #MeToo and zombies. And there are insights into her own craft and the function of fiction. As the i puts it: "Atwood always makes the idea of big questions a little more digestible. You find yourself asking: what can fiction do? What can we do, generally?" The essays are full of a "droll, deadpan humour and an instinct for self-deprecation" says the Guardian . "Atwood remains frank, honest and good company." (LB)

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

This is Warsan Shire's long-awaited, first full-length poetry collection, after two pamphlets, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (2011) and Her Blue Body (2015). It arrives nearly six years after the Somali-British poet shot to world-wide fame collaborating with Beyoncé on the latter's ground-breaking visual albums, Lemonade (2016) and Black is King (2020). The poems in Bless the Daughter… draw from Shire's own experiences, bringing to vivid life black women's lives, motherhood and migration. "Shire's strikingly beautiful imagery leverages the specificity of her own womanhood, love life, tussles with mental health, grief, family history, and stories from the Somali diaspora, to make them reverberate universally," writes Dfiza Benson in The Telegraph . (RL)

In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante

In the Margins is a collection of four essays in which the best-selling, pseudonymous author of the Neapolitan Quartet articulates how and why she writes – and her inspiration, struggles and evolution as both a writer and reader. Ranging from philosophical to practical, the essays give the reader an insight into the enigmatic author's mind, and include an exploration of what a writer is – less an embodied entity, she says, than a stream of "pure sensibility that feeds on the alphabet". As the New York Times puts it: "For those who wish to burrow gopher-like into the author's mind, Ferrante has prepared a tunnel." (LB)

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

The Booker Prize-winning novelist returns with part two of his Dark Star fantasy trilogy, after 2019's Black Leopard, Red Wolf, which the author initially described as the "African Game of Thrones" (he later insisted this was a joke). A female-centric counternarrative to the first novel, Moon Witch, Spider King follows Sogolon, the 177-year-old antihero, and Moon Witch of the title, on an epic and characteristically violent journey. "Like an ancient African Lisbeth Salander," writes the FT , "she dedicates her lonesomeness to meting out lethal rough justice to men who harm women." Praising the novel in The New York Times, Eowyn Ivey writes , "the Moon Witch lit my path and showed me how a woman might navigate this dangerous, remarkable world". (RL)

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

Identity, elites, race and capitalism are the areas explored in this multi-layered novel, the first by Xochitl Gonzalez. This "impressive debut", says the Observer , is "deeply satisfying and nuanced… a tender exploration of love in its many forms". Set in New York City in the months around a devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico, Olga Dies Dreaming follows the story of wedding planner Olga and her congressman brother Prieto. Family strife, political corruption and the notion of the American dream all feature in this "irresistibly warm yet entirely uncompromising" novel, says The Skinny . (LB)

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

NoViolet Bulawayo became the first black African woman – and first Zimbabwean – to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize, for her 2013 debut, We Need New Names. Nine years later, Glory is an Orwell-inspired fable set in the animal kingdom of Jidada, which satirises the 2017 coup that toppled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (Bulawayo has explained that Glory began its life as a non-fiction account of this history). As a fierce but comedic allegory, Glory can be seen as a companion piece to Wole Soyinka's 2021 satire of Nigerian society, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth . "By aiming the long, piercing gaze of this metaphor at the aftereffects of European imperialism in Africa, Bulawayo is really out-Orwelling Orwell," writes the New York Times . "Glory," writes the Guardian , "with a flicker of hope at its end, is allegory, satire and fairytale rolled into one mighty punch". (RL)

French Braid by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler's 24th novel is "an extraordinarily rich portrait of a family in flux," according to the Evening Standard . "Tyler's set pieces seem undramatic, but her rhythms are masterly." The novel tells the story of the Garrett family across six decades, and like most of Tyler's works, is an ensemble piece that spans the generations, set in Baltimore. The story starts with a lakeside family holiday, where rifts emerge that are largely unvoiced, and that unravel in the lives of each family member as the years progress. It is "thoroughly enjoyable,"  says the Guardian , "and at this point any Tyler book is a gift". French Braid is "funny, poignant, generous… it suggests there's always new light to be shed, whatever the situation, with just another turn of the prism." (LB)

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Yanagihara's highly-anticipated third novel follows her bestselling, Booker Prize-shortlisted 2015 breakthrough, A Little Life. To Paradise, which was released in January to both rapturous acclaim and cries of dissent, is, like its predecessor, lengthy (at 720 pages) and dwells on deep suffering rather than joy, which has drawn criticism in some parts. Multi-form, and spanning three centuries, it is a compelling and wildly ambitious work, offering no less than an alternate retelling of the US, through 1890s New York, Hawaii and a dystopian, late-21st Century. "Resolution is not available here, but some of the most poignant feelings that literature can elicit certainly are," writes Vogue , while the Boston Globe calls it "a rich, emotional, and thought-provoking read." (RL)

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Frida Liu is a working single mother in a near future who makes the mistake of leaving her child alone at home for a couple of hours one afternoon. Authorities are summoned by the neighbours, and her daughter Harriet is taken from her. Frida is given the choice to either lose her child permanently, or to spend a year at a state-run re-education camp for mothers where inmates must care for eerily lifelike robot children, equipped with surveillance cameras. Calling this novel "dystopian" doesn't feel quite right, says Wired . "Near-dystopian, maybe? Ever-so-slightly speculative? This closeness to reality is what turns the book's emotional gut punch into a full knockout wallop." The School for Good Mothers is, says the New York Times , "a chilling debut". (LB)

The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson

The Hanrahan family gather for a weekend as the patriarch Ray – artist and notorious egoist – prepares for a new exhibition of his art. Ray's three grown-up children and steadfast wife, Lucia, all have their own choices to make. This fifth novel by Mendelson has been longlisted for the Women's Prize, and has been highly praised. The Guardian points to the author's "succinct specificity of detail," and "a precision of observation that made me laugh frequently and smile when I wasn't laughing". According to the Spectator , Mendelson excels at "vivid, drily hilarious tales about messy families". The Exhibitionist is "a glorious ride. Mendelson observes the minutiae of human behaviour like a comic anthropologist." (LB) 

Free Love by Tessa Hadley

Described by The Guardian in 2015 as "one of this country's great contemporary novelists," British writer and academic Hadley has been quietly producing works of subtly powerful prose for two decades. Like her recent novels, The Past (2015) and Late in the Day (2019), Free Love – Hadley's eighth – explores intimate relationships, sexuality, memory and grief, through an apparently ordinary-looking suburban family. But, Hadley writes, "under the placid surface of suburbia, something was unhinged." Set amid the culture clash of the late 1960s, the novel interrogates the counterculture's idealistic vision of sexual freedom, in, writes the i newspaper , "a complex tale of personal awakening and a snapshot of a moment in time when the survivors of war were suddenly painted as relics by a new generation determined not to live under their dour and hesitant shadow." NPR writes , "Free Love is a fresh, moving evocation of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius." (RL)

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

A debut novel, Black Cake tells the backstory of an African-American family of Caribbean origin, and two siblings who are reunited after eight years of estrangement at their mother's funeral where they discover their unusual inheritance. The plot is driven by an omniscient narrator, dialogue and flashbacks. It is, says the New York Times , full of "family secrets, big lies, great loves, bright colours and strong smells". The themes of race , identity and family love are all incorporated, says the Independent , "but the fun is in the reading… Black Cake is a satisfying literary meal, heralding the arrival of a new novelist to watch." (LB)

Auē  by Becky Manawatu

Told through several viewpoints, Auē  tells the story of Māori siblings who have lost their parents, with each sibling telling their tale, and later their mother, Aroha, also telling hers from the afterlife. The novel has already won two awards in New Zealand, and is now gaining wider praise. "The plot reveals are masterful," says The Guardian . "Auē has done well because it is expertly crafted, but also because it has something indefinable: enthralling, puzzling, gripping and familiar, yet otherworldly." (LB)

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THE GUARDIANS

by John Grisham ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2019

Fans—and Grisham has endless numbers of them—will be pleased.

The prolific Grisham ( The Reckoning , 2018, etc.) turns in another skillfully told procedural.

Pay attention to the clerical collar that Cullen Post occasionally dons in Grisham’s latest legal thriller. Post comes by the garb honestly, being both priest and investigative lawyer, his Guardian Ministries devoted to freeing inmates who have been wrongly imprisoned. Says an adversary at the start of the book, learning that his conviction is about to be overturned, “Is this a joke, Post?” Post replies: “Oh sure. Nothing but laughs over here on death row.” Aided by an Atlantan whom he sprang from the slam earlier, Post turns his energies to trying to do the same for Quincy Miller, a black man imprisoned for the murder of a white Florida lawyer who “had been shot twice in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun, and there wasn’t much left of his face.” It’s to such icky details that Post’s meticulous mind turns: Why a shotgun and not a pistol, as most break-ins involve? Who would have done such a thing—surely not the guy's wife, and surely not for a measly $2 million in life insurance? As Grisham strews the path with red herrings, Post, though warned off by a smart forensic scientist, begins to sniff out clues that point to a culprit closer to the courtroom bench than the sandy back roads of rural Florida. Grisham populates his yarn with occasionally goofy details—a prosecuting attorney wants Post disbarred “for borrowing a pubic hair” from the evidence in a case—but his message is constant throughout: The “innocent people rotting away in prison” whom Post champions are there because they are black and brown, put there by mostly white jurors, and the real perp “knew that a black guy in a white town would be much easier to convict.” The tale is long and sometimes plods, especially in its courtroom scenes, but it has a satisfying payoff—and look out for that collar at the end.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-385-54418-4

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019

SUSPENSE | THRILLER | SUSPENSE | CRIME & LEGAL THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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BOOK REVIEW

by John Grisham

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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by Max Brooks

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BOOK TO SCREEN

A CONSPIRACY OF BONES

by Kathy Reichs ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection , 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. And why on earth was Vodyanov carrying Tempe’s own contact information? The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Fraud. Breaking and entering. Arson. Kidnapping. How does attempted murder sound?”

Pub Date: March 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3888-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | SUSPENSE | THRILLER | DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | SUSPENSE | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER

More by Kathy Reichs

by Kathy Reichs

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You can't 'Trust' this novel. And that's a very good thing

Maureen Corrigan

Trust by Hernan Diaz is one of those novels that's always pulling a fast one on a reader. Take the opening section: You settle in, become absorbed in the story and, then, 100 pages or so later — Boom! — the novel lurches into another narrative that upends the truth of everything that came before.

When a work of fiction reminds me that it is a work of fiction simply to show me how gullible I am, well, thanks, I knew that already. But sometimes these metadramatic maneuvers serve a novel's larger themes. Susan Choi's 2019 novel, Trust Exercise , about the misleading powers of art and memory, is one recent instance; now, Diaz's Trust is another. That word "trust" in both their titles is a tip-off that that's exactly what we readers shouldn't do upon entering these slippery fictional worlds.

Trust is all about money, particularly, the flimflam force of money in the stock market, and its potential, as a character says, "to bend and align reality" to its own purposes. The opening section is imagined as a novel-within-a novel, entitled Bonds , a 1937 best-seller about the rise of a Wall Street tycoon named Benjamin Rask. Think of figures like J.P. Morgan and Charles Schwab, men whose DNA was made of strands of ticker tape. We learn that Rask is that rarest of creatures, a wealthy man without appetites. Our narrator tells us Rask is fascinated by only one thing:

If asked, Benjamin would probably have found it hard to explain what drew him to the world of finance. It was the complexity of it, yes, but also the fact that he viewed capital as an antiseptically living thing. ... There was no need for him to touch a single banknote or engage with the things and people his transactions affected. All he had to do was think, speak, and, perhaps, write. And the living creature would be set in motion ...

Author Interviews

Hernan diaz's anticipated novel 'trust' probes the illusion of money — and the truth.

For the sake of posterity, Rask does eventually marry — an equally self-contained woman named Helen. Throughout the Roaring '20s, Rask accrues wealth and Helen finds her place as a patron of the arts. Then, comes the Crash of 1929.

Because Rask profits from other speculators' losses, rumors circulate that he rigged the Crash and he and Helen are ostracized. The final chapters of this saga detail Helen's ordeal as a patient at a psychiatric institute in Switzerland; her mania and her eczema, described as a "merciless red flat monster gnawing on her skin," are reminiscent of the real life torments of Zelda Fitzgerald.

The Crash of 1929: Highs And Lows

For F. Scott And Zelda Fitzgerald, A Dark Chapter In Asheville, N.C.

The opening section of Trust , as I've said, is so sharply realized, it's disorienting to begin the novel's next section, composed of notes on a story that sounds like the one we've just read. But, then, Diaz lures us readers into once again suspending our disbelief when we reach the captivating third section of his novel, which mostly takes place during the Great Depression. There, a young woman from Brooklyn named Ida Partenza becomes the secretary — and ghostwriter — for a financial mogul named Andrew Bevel.

Bevel's life is the source for that best-selling novel, Bonds , and he's so infuriated by that novel, he's had all copies removed from the New York public library system. Bevel hires Ida to help him write a memoir that will set the record straight. Sure. The fourth and final section of Trust is wired with booby traps, blowing the whole artifice up before our wide-open eyes.

Trust is an ingeniously constructed historical novel with a postmodern point. Throughout, Diaz makes a connection between the realms of fiction and finance. As Ida's father, an Italian anarchist, says:

Money is a fantastic commodity. You can't eat or wear money, but it represents all the food and clothes in the world. This is why it's a fiction. ... Stocks, shares, bonds. Do you think any of these things those bandits across the river buy and sell represent any real, concrete value? No. ... That's what all these criminals trade in: fictions.

Literary fiction, too, is a fantastic commodity in which our best writers become criminals of the imagination, stealing our attention and our very desires. Diaz, whose last novel, In the Distance , reworked the myths of masculine individualism in the American West, makes an artistic fortune in Trust . And we readers make out like bandits, too.

• Literature & Fiction
• Genre Fiction

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The Guardian Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 2004

• Print length 494 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Warner Books
• Publication date March 1, 2004
• Dimensions 4.25 x 1.13 x 6.88 inches
• ISBN-10 0446613436
• ISBN-13 978-0446613439
• See all details

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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Warner Books; Reprint edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 494 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446613436
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446613439
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 1.13 x 6.88 inches
• #1,742 in Animal Fiction (Books)
• #52,709 in Suspense Thrillers
• #120,469 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

About the author

Nicholas sparks.

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 130 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 92 million copies in the United States alone.

Eleven of Nicholas Sparks's novels—The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle—have been adapted into major motion pictures. The Notebook has also been adapted into a Broadway musical, featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 70% 18% 7% 2% 2% 70%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 70% 18% 7% 2% 2% 18%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 70% 18% 7% 2% 2% 7%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 70% 18% 7% 2% 2% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 70% 18% 7% 2% 2% 2%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and well-written. They describe the story as suspenseful and captivates them from the beginning. Readers love the characters, describing them as likable, charming, and well developed. They also describe the book as heartwarming and tear-jerking. However, some find the pacing slow in the beginning and drags at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book entertaining and well-written. They say it's the perfect book to relax on vacation with. Readers also appreciate the well-paced story.

"...He develops several layers of emotional complexity, without being incoherent , and retaining the reader's interest...." Read more

"I gave this book a five because of both the writing and storytelling . The characters just kept growing as the story did - hand in hand...." Read more

"I loved this book. Best book so far !!" Read more

"The Guardian is a fantastic read with the story of finding love and having the love of a dog in your life!" Read more

Customers find the story suspenseful, sweet, and interesting. They say it captivates them from the beginning and keeps them on the edge wanting more. Readers also mention the book offers hours of light, entertaining reading.

"...What makes THE GUARDIAN different is the element of suspense and peril in which the major and minor characters (including a dog) are placed in life..." Read more

"This story had many twist and unexpected turns . If you love a good love story, this is it. It has many different layers of love." Read more

"...It was published in the early 2000's, but it is a great read being a thriller and romance . I recommend the seller of this book." Read more

"...Sparks did a great job with the story of Julie's boy friend problem after her husband died, and I was really into that, but the death of Singer by..." Read more

Customers find the characters likable, well-developed, and charming. They also appreciate the interesting relationship with Singer.

"... Interesting relationship with Singer , the dog I would love to have, and several of the characters. Once again, Nicholas Sparks does not disappoint." Read more

"...The heroine is likable , the townsfolk are likable and the villain is suave and perfect. A little too perfect to be true...." Read more

"...The villain was well developed . The saddest part of the book for me was about the poor, loyal dog. I can't say more without giving away the story...." Read more

"... Richard is charming , charismatic, handsome and seemingly perfect...." Read more

Customers find the book heartwarming and tear-jerking. They say it develops several layers of emotional complexity without being incoherent. Readers say the story draws them in and brings tears to their eyes. They also mention it makes them happy and is good for stress.

"...He develops several layers of emotional complexity , without being incoherent, and retaining the reader's interest...." Read more

"... Very emotional ." Read more

"... Heartwarming . .... . . ." Read more

"With a sentimental start, Nicholas Sparks crafts a heartfelt , suspenseful story. Julie Barenson is a young widowed woman...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it very hard to put down, while others say it's difficult to get into and tedious.

"...make a much better read had I waited to read it at the beach - it's easy , light and fast paced...." Read more

"...However once I was hooked, it was difficult to put down !!!" Read more

"...The book is then hard to put down because you want to find out what happens next...." Read more

"...The story is full and rich in detail while not being cumbersome . This is a real page turner." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book slow in the beginning. They say it's boring at times.

"It was slow going for me at first , a lot of reading the internal thoughts of the characters...." Read more

"...This book seemed to drag in the beginning , not the middle as some do. It was predictable as well...." Read more

"...It is a very easy to read book, but it did start off very slow . Midway through the book I could not put it down...." Read more

"It started out a bit slow and I wasn't sure I would enjoy it; however, it quickly became so interesting and by the latter part of the book it..." Read more

Customers find the book boring, not exciting, and not a page-turner. They say the characters are trivial, banal, and predictable. Readers also mention the story is slow to capture their interest and has little significance as a whole.

"...characters in this book, or Julie's talking to her dog are trivial, banal , commonplace and PREDICTABLE...." Read more

"...Also, the characters seemed under-developed and boring and they made impulsive decisions too often..." Read more

"I chose 4 star because the story was slow to capture my interest . I was quite a few chapters in before it really reeled me in...." Read more

"...I found this book difficult to enjoy . The love story was lost in the threatening atmosphere...." Read more

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Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test | Book Review

Book Review of Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test The Children’s Book Review

Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test

Written by Christina Soontornvat

Illustrated by Kevin Hong

Ages: 8-12 | 160 Pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (2023) | ISBN: 978-1-338-75915-0

What to Expect: Magic, School, Friendship, Sustainability, and Mindfulness.

Steeped in a fantasy rendition of Asian culture and mythology, The Guardian Test is a fast-paced, fresh, and riveting twist on fantasy school stories.

Plum has a real gift—for plants, and animals, and growing the garden on her grandparents’ island. However, when her grandfather secretly applies for her to go to Lotus Island to hone her gift and become a Guardian—a magical protector of the natural world—Plum thinks he’s crazy. She’s just an ordinary farmer—how can she be a magical hero?

To her dismay, life at the school seems to prove her right, as she struggles through the lessons, lagging far behind her classmates who are learning to transform into fantastic creatures. Even so, the school begins to teach Plum things she never thought about before: her mother’s wish that she become a guardian, the struggle between the guardians and humans greedy for more land and development, and something much, much more worrying—the power of the Guardians is weakening. But how can Plum do anything about any of it if she can’t master her powers? 

A wonderful anti-hero, Plum, whose reluctance to be special and thoughtful reflections on the world around her serve as a counterpoint to the many self-centered heroines of classic fantasy. Soontornvat’s world is rich and expansive, filled with everyday details that bring both characters and settings to vivid life. The prose is simple enough for readers just transitioning from beginner chapter books, but nevertheless delivers a story complex enough to keep the interest of more advanced readers. Kevin Hong’s beautiful black-and-white, anime-style illustrations are scattered throughout the book, helping readers visualize key scenes.

Finally, with its championship of mindfulness and meditation, the story invites readers to connect meaningfully with their own worlds and bodies. The Guardian Test is a fantastic start to what promises to be a gripping series.

Buy the Book

About the author.

Christina Soontornvat is the author of several books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor books The Last Mapmaker, A Wish in the Dark, and All Thirteen, and the bestselling graphic novel The Tryout. Christina holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Science Education. She spent a decade working in the science museum field, where she designed programs and exhibits to get kids excited about science and STEM. Christina lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, two young children, and one old cat.

You can learn more about her work at soontornvat.com .

Dr. Jen Harrison reviewed  Legends of Lotus Island – The Guardian Test . Discover more books like  Legends of Lotus Island – The Guardian Test  by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Magic , School , Friendship , Sustainability , and Mindfulness .

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• X (Twitter)

Dr. Jen Harrison provides writing and research services as the CEO of Read.Write.Perfect. She completed her Ph.D. in Children’s and Victorian Literature at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in the UK. After a brief spell in administration, Jen then trained as a secondary school English teacher and worked for several years teaching Secondary School English, working independently as a private tutor of English, and working in nursery and primary schools. She has been an editor for the peer-reviewed journal of children’s literature, Jeunesse, and has published academic work on children’s non-fiction, YA speculative fiction, and the posthuman.

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