Category Archives: Literary Fiction

The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami

Posted on October 9, 2015 by bseat

I don’t know about you, but as a reader I often fall into a rut.  I will find a certain author or genre that I like and will read them almost exclusively until I am bored or forced to read … Continue reading →

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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Posted on August 21, 2015 by bseat

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” And with these two sentences we dive deep into the life of a family, who until this moment do not realize how broken they are. The Lee’s are a Chinese American … Continue reading →

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Some Luck by Jane Smiley

Posted on August 14, 2015 by bseat

Life on a farm in Iowa from 1920 to 1953 wouldn’t seem like a great topic for the first of three novels, but Jane Smiley proves that memorable characters, a deep understanding and appreciation for the rhythms and values of … Continue reading →

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Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon

Posted on August 7, 2015 by bseat

Alex Meier has made a devil’s bargain. In exchange for making the McCarthy Committee’s investigations into his youthful fling with communism before World War II go away, the CIA wants him to return to Berlin and act as their spy. … Continue reading →

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Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Posted on June 5, 2015 by bseat

It is 1966 and a woman and her husband attend the opening  at MOMA of a photographic exhibit by Walker Evans. The exhibit is of portraits Evans took of ordinary New Yorkers on the subway using a hidden camera. Among … Continue reading →

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The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

Posted on April 17, 2015 by bseat

As a daughter of missionaries I am always intrigued by how missionaries are portrayed in fiction. In general they don’t fair very well. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is probably the most recent example of the missionary stereotype in … Continue reading →

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The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Posted on March 27, 2015 by bseat

David Mitchell is a fascinating writer. Everytime he publishes a book it creates a big splash, and that is not just hype or good marketing. His books live up to all their acclaim by defying genres, containing well developed, compelling … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller | 1 Comment

The Children Act by Ian McEwan

Posted on March 20, 2015 by bseat

Fiona Mayes is a British High Court Judge in London’s Family Division. There she hears cases dealing with families; mostly child custody but also some divorce.  She is committed to her work and “…belonged to the law as some women … Continue reading →

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Lila by Marilynne Robinson

Posted on March 13, 2015 by bseat

In Lilla, Lila Dahl, a character we met in Robinson’s previous books Gilead and Home, tells the story of how she was found and raised by Doll, became a part of group of itinerant farm workers who wandered together, broke … Continue reading →

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The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Posted on March 6, 2015 by bseat

“Disturbingly fabulous” is what one reader said about this book and I have to agree.  There is the lyrical prose that Flanagan uses while describing the horrors of how the Japanese used POWs to build the Thai-Burma railway, the deep … Continue reading →

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