LIBRARY STAFF REVIEWS (ALL CATEGORIES)

Roberto Bolano
Monsieur Pain (2010)
Chilean writer Roberto Bolano's story about mesmerist, Monsieur Pain, is so haunting and surreal, it almost could be classfied as "crime fiction". However, no crimes seem to be committed. The story takes place in early twentieth century Paris. We follow Pain's series of interludes with diverse characters, some sinister. Pain has one dark experience after the next, from being precipitously kicked out of a hospital where he is supposed to help cure a patient with the hiccups, to being given a bribe to discontinue seeing the patient, to being trapped in a dark warehouse. Pain wanders the streets in unpleasant areas of Paris at night. This is a fast moving story. The entire novel is beautifully written including Bolano's wrap up of what becomes of the characters. Bolano won a 2008 National Book Critics Award for "2666".
WPL Call No: F Bolano, R.
Reviewer: Suzanne Arist (March 2010)
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Mikhail Chekhov
Anton Chekhov: A Brother's Memoir (2010)
"Anton Chekhov: A Brother's Memoir" is an insightful biography by the famous author's younger brother, Mikhail. It was written in the early twentieth century and recently translated into English. Anton's brother wrote it in a personal, informative style that works and is almost as casual as email. What is particularly delightful about this book is how Mikhail focusses on specific incidents in Anton's life which inspired Anton's writing. This memoir will appeal not only to Chekhov fans, but readers interested in high society in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. The Chekhovs socialized with Tolstoy, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and other luminaries.
WPL Call No: 921 C417c
Reviewer: Suzanne Arist (February 2010)
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Ann Cleeves
Red bones : a thriller (2009)
In the third installment of this Shetland Islands series, Inspector Jimmy Perez has doubts about the death of an elderly woman on the island who was shot late at night outside of her croft. The death is deemed an accident caused by a local man shooting rabbits after drinking too much. Meanwhile, at an archeological dig, a young woman working on a medieval site is found dead in a trench, apparently by suicide. Perez doubts that, too. The investigation features the young policeman Sandy Wilson, also a Shetland native, who helps uncover family secrets that involve WWII connections with the Norwegian resistance, money coming from mysterious sources and commercial fishing. I love the description of the islands as well as the characters and their family connections. The mystery has a surprise ending, too.
WPL Call No: M Cleeves, A.
Reviewer: Liz Ferrari (January 2010)
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Penelope Lively
Family Album: a novel. (2009)
Allersmead is a sprawling Edwardian house on the outskirts of London that is home to Charles Harper, his wife Alison, their six children, and their Scandinavian au pair who continues to reside in the home even after the children are raised. Acclaimed novelist Lively moves us back and forth from the 1970’s to current time – subtly examining the intricacies and tensions involved in the Harper family life. Strong character development and an appealing setting engage us from the first page! Fans of Ian McEwan’s Atonement might enjoy this story.
WPL Call No: F Lively, P.
Reviewer: Kathleen Farrell (January 2010)
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Kate Atkinson
When Will There Be Good News? (2008)
In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason is the only survivor of a horrible crime. Now it's thirty years later and she is living a charmed life with her husband, new baby, and sweet dog. She's even lucked out by hiring young Reggie as a nanny, a caring, wise beyond her years, sixteen-year-old who adores Joanna. But things are about to change and lives are in jeopardy. Kate Atkinson has once again written a fast paced, complex, and thoroughly engaging mystery. I literally could not stop reading it and fell in love with the main characters. Can't wait for her next book!
WPL Call No: F Atkinson, K.
Reviewer: Leslie Litoff (January 2010)
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Alexander McCall Smith
La's Orchestra Saves the World (2009)
La (short for Lavender) is a woman adrift at the beginning of World War II in England. Her husband ran off to France with another woman, and his upper class parents felt obliged to settle her with a house in Suffolk and plenty of money, but she wants something worthwhile to do. Her war work is to tend a neighboring farmer's chickens and convert her large flower garden to growing vegetables. Well- educated, La knows enough about music to organize a community orchestra as a morale booster. Players come from the nearby Royal Air Force base, surrounding farms and villages. A refugee Polish airman, wounded so he can't fly, helps with the farm work and plays flute in the orchestra. La falls in love with him despite his reserve and worries when he's taken to London by special services, possibly suspected of being a spy. The story uses quiet characters and everyday life to contemplate war, xenophobia, courage, and endurance. I found it a good read, gentle and thoughtful.
WPL Call No: F McCall Smith, A.
Reviewer: Liz Ferrari (December 2009)
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Sara Paretsky
Hardball (2009)
Paretsky has written another page turner. As usual she incorporates social and political commentary. This mystery revolves around a missing person's case which takes the reader back to the Chicago riots in 1967. One of the book's themes is the history of racism in Chicago. Paretsky's detective protagonist, V. I. Warshawski, investigates people who knew the missing person. Her cousin inadvertently becomes involved with the case. Warshawski's work leads to the discovery of her family's secrets, some of which are dark, and the temporary disappearance of the cousin. This novel is as freshly written as the earlier Warshawski mysteries. It will appeal to readers with a Chicago interest.
WPL Call No: M Paretsky, S.
Reviewer: Suzanne Arist (December 2009)
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Gaile Parkin
Baking Cakes in Kigali (2009)
Angel is a Tanzanian woman who has recently moved with her family to Kigali, Rwanda.She bakes cakes for special occasions and each cake has a story. From her customers, we get a glimpse of life and customs in Kigali, hear about Rwanda's terrible past and the hopes for the future. If you enjoyed McCall Smith's Botswana stories, this is a similar read.
WPL Call No: F Parkin, G.
Reviewer: Joan Blecher (December 2009)
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Ruth Rendell
The monster in the box : an Inspector Wexford novel (2009)
This Wexford tale does a lot of reminiscing: about his early years as a policeman, the courtship of his wife, Dora, and the changes in society and police work. Wexford has suspected the creepy Eric Targo of several murders that weren't solved, but had no proof. Over the years of his haunting by the "monster" Targo, he has risen in the police ranks, enjoyed a happy marriage, raised children and grandchildren. His current case involves a Muslim Pakistani family whose teenage daughter has gone missing. Wexford juggles the desire to be sensitive to immigrant life with the worry that the girl is the victim of forced marriage or even honor killing. This novel isn't as sharply focused as some of Rendell's work, but for those who enjoy psychology and nostalgia, this is an engaging story.
WPL Call No: M Rendell, R.
Reviewer: Liz Ferrari (November 2009)
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Libba Bray
Going Bovine (2009)
Teenage slacker, Cameron, learns that his odd perceptions and behavior are a result of "mad cow" disease. His reality is shifting and he begins a quest to save the world and himself. He is accompanied on his Quixote-like quest by a school friend, Gonzo, and a lawn gnome inhabited by the spirit of a Norse god. Is the quest real or a manifestation of his illness? This book will make you think while you're laughing. It's a great high school read and it has one of the best covers of the year.
WPL Call No: High School Collection BR
Reviewer: Kathleen O'Meara (November 2009)
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