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Review of Melissa Harrison’s At Hawthorn Time
by Tyler Beckett Melissa Harrison’s At Hawthorn Time is only the author’s second novel but is an outstanding work for its deep engagement with the residents and natural world that make up her fictional village Lodeshill. Harrison draws on a small cast of narrators to witness how a changing world affects even remote British towns,… Read more
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Review of Carly Simons’ Boys in Trees
by Emily Howell When I heard Carly Simon was writing her memoir I was skeptical, but curious—I’m not usually a fan of memoirs written by pop culture icons, so when I opened Boys in the Trees my expectations were low but I decided to give it a chance nonetheless. The book, which is split into… Read more
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Review of 13 Ways of Looking
by Maggie Libby Davis “In the end, though, every word we write is autobiographical, perhaps most especially when we attempt to avoid the autobiographical.” –Colum McCann Colum McCann suggests that his newest short story collection Thirteen Ways of Looking, published in November 2015, has autobiographical components. This leads me to suspect that the voices in… Read more
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Review of George Saunders’ Tenth of December
by Tyler Beckett George Saunders’ Tenth of December is as close to a sure pick as you can get. There isn’t even really a question here; no one is going to pick up the book, read the glowing reviews and the flattering comparisons to Mark Twain, and ask their friend, “What do you think, has… Read more
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Review of Parneshia Jones’ Vessel
by Amanda Huynh In her debut poetry collection, Parneshia Jones leads her readers through a young black girl’s coming-of-age journey, and describes the transformation of her ties between family members, lovers, and society. Jones organizes the book into a five-sectioned quintet, where each section sings a distinct melody, but one that harmonizes as a collective… Read more
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Review of Michael Whites’ Travels in Vermeer
by Emily Howell Longlisted for the National Book Award in Nonfiction, Michael White’s memoir Travels in Vermeer documents White’s journey to reconnect with the inner self through the paintings of Johannes Vermeer. In the middle of a divorce and custody battle that’s restricting his ability to see his daughter, Sophie, White takes a vacation to… Read more