In Editor's Choice this week, we review Jonathan Franzen's new novel Crossroads, a family drama set in the 1970s, full of the author's always insightful characterization; and our related "beyond the book" article explores the draft lottery during the Vietnam conflict.
We also bring you a blog post with suggestions for your book club in the new year, and the opportunity to win a copy of Suzanne Feldman's World War I-era novel Sisters of the Great War.
For members, we have a link to the new issue of The BookBrowse Review.
Very best,
Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
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Crossroads
by Jonathan Franzen
Franzen has won wide acclaim for his excellent characterization, but he has raised the bar with Crossroads. As the story unfolds, the chapters alternate points of view so that each of the Hildebrandts is fully represented (with the exception of the youngest, Judson). Readers get to know each of them in-depth, learning their most intimate fears and desires, and through seamlessly inserted flashbacks we view formative events in their pasts as well. Shifting the focus from one character to another allows readers to see how the family members perceive each other, providing more comprehensive portraits. Pivotal events are relayed from multiple perspectives, giving readers a richer understanding of what really happened and how each character is impacted.
Each Hildebrandt is delightfully multi-layered, but Russ and Marion in particular are incredibly complex creations. It's fascinating, for example, to contrast the young and idealistic Russ with the truly loathsome person he becomes. While readers might find his actions in the book's present unconscionable, because we're familiar with his past, we're nonetheless able to have sympathy for him...
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Beyond the Book:
Vietnam War Draft Lottery
In November 1969, President Richard Nixon agreed (with the urging of his military advisors) to implement a system that would appear to affect all young men equally, and on December 1 the country held its first draft lottery since 1942. Each date in the calendar year was written on a slip of paper and placed in a blue capsule (366 total, to account for leap day), and then the capsules were drawn out of a glass container by hand, one at a time. The dates corresponded to a person's birthday, and the order in which they were drawn was the order in which people would be required to enter military service. The first date selected was September 14, so all men born between 1944 and 1950 on September 14 were assigned the lottery number 1 and were the first group to be called up; January 15 was the 17th number drawn, so those with that birthday were in the 17th group to be enlisted, etc. Within each day there was also a randomly generated number associated with a person's initials that further outlined who'd be called in which order. Additional lottery drawings were held annually through 1975, drafting from the population of men who turned 18 each year...
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Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Novel. 592 pages. Published October 5, 2021
Critics' Consensus: 5/5, BookBrowse Rating: 5/5
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For Members: The BookBrowse Review
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The just-published issue of The BookBrowse Review is packed with new reviews and articles; plus author interviews, recommendations for book clubs and previews of notable books publishing soon.
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BookBrowse Blog: Best Books for Book Clubs 2022
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In our latest blog post, we offer inspiration for your book club in the new year. All 12 books on our list are already available in hardcover and ebook, and either just released or soon to be released in paperback; and we have a reading guide for each selection to help steer your group's discussion. Take a look at the full list here.
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From the Jacket
August 1914. While Europe enters a brutal conflict unlike any waged before, the Duncan household in Baltimore, Maryland, is the setting for a different struggle. Ruth and Elise Duncan long to escape the roles that society, and their controlling father, demand they play. Together, the sisters volunteer for the war effort—Ruth as a nurse, Elise as a driver. Stationed at a makeshift hospital in Ypres, Belgium, Ruth soon confronts war's harshest lesson: not everyone can be saved.
Reviews
"A vivid WWI setting...Feldman's rendering of the Western front is unsentimental and unsparing, making this an effective war story." - Publishers Weekly
"This novel is about the resilience and strength of women in war, but also about love." - Booklist
"A ferociously gripping portrayal of love and war. A soaring, impressive achievement." - Elise Levine, author of This Wicked Tongue and Blue Field
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With so many new books published every month, it's difficult to find the standouts, the ones which are really worth your time. This is why hundreds of thousands of readers rely on BookBrowse to do the hard work of sifting though the multitude of titles to find the most promising new books, with a focus on books that entertain, engage and enlighten.
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