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Richard Price’s Lazarus Man, Lili Anolik’s Didion & Babitz, and Katherine Rundell’s Vanishing Treasures all feature among the best reviewed books of the week.
Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews.
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1. Lazarus Man by Richard Price
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
7 Rave • 4 Positive
“His books, including the new Lazarus Man, are also masterworks of character, atmosphere, symbolism and whatever else those scribes over in the supposedly higher-tone literature section might throw at you … Price…remains one of the most rewarding, compulsively readable fiction writers around.”
–Chris Vognar (The San Francisco Chronicle)
2. Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
(Mariner)
6 Rave • 3 Positive
“Confirms her as one of our most talented writers … Just as quirky, acutely observed and beautifully written as its predecessor … Chambers is a superb historian, but the earlier flashbacks that establish William’s existence of poverty and depression among eccentric aunts are a slow build that can be overloaded with period detail, for all the quiet irony and accurately portrayed despair … The accuracy of Chambers’s observational skills can be almost uncanny, especially her descriptions of human emotions … Infinitely moving.”
–Joanna Briscoe (The Guardian)
3. The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy
(Algonquin)
3 Rave • 2 Positive • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan
“Engrossing … Lila is an immensely engaging narrator, impressively confident but endearingly vulnerable … Roy deftly outlines the stakes in an upcoming election that could bring a conservative party to power and crush the liberal spirit of tolerance in Kolkata. It’s a small world after all. Eight thousand miles doesn’t feel so far away when we’re traveling with a writer this inviting.”
–Ron Charles (The Washington Post)
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1. The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius by Patchen Barss
(Basic Books)
5 Rave • 1 Positive
“A moving and intimate portrait of a figure who has expanded our understanding of the universe … Evocative … Barss elegantly conveys the thrill of discovery … This biography depicts Sir Roger in multiple dimensions; only a writer as psychologically astute as Barss could show us an impossible man in full.”
–Jennifer Szalai (The New York Times)
2. Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell
(Doubleday)
5 Rave
Read an excerpt from Vanishing Treasures here
“Lively and informative … Every chapter contains sparkling nuggets that range from eye-opening to jaw-dropping to thought-provoking … The book is enriched by Rundell’s personal reflections and opinions, along with her experiences with animals and exhortations to protect them. As we read, it is hard not to share her awe and enthusiasm for her subjects.”
–Malcolm Forbes (The Star Tribune)
3. Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik
(Scribner)
1 Rave • 7 Positive • 4 Mixed • 1 Pan
Read an excerpt from Didion & Babitz here
“Anolik makes a convincing case for Babitz’s literary genius and sets up an interesting contrast between the two women— one loose, libidinous and joyfully debauched; the other shy, cerebral and tightly controlled … But don’t expect the calm, organized, even-handed approach of a literary critic or biographer. In the breathless, gossipy style of the tabloids, and with frequent, winking asides to the ‘Reader,’ Anolik dishes dirt on all the major and minor players in their haute bohemian circle, especially Didion and Dunne.”
–Ann Levin (Associated Press)