Our First Impressions readers had great things to say about this week's selection, The Northern Reach by W.S. Winslow. It's an emotionally affecting novel told in stories, tracking the intersecting lives of four families living in Maine through joy and disappointment, anger and amends, even death and the afterlife.
Our Editor's Choice review covers Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, who returns to the genre of speculative fiction for this near-future tale that considers what artificial intelligence might tell us about ourselves.
Plus, we have new books available for members to request, a new Wordplay and news on author John Shors' literary tours.
Very best,
Davina
|
|
Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title. |
|
The Northern Reach
by W.S. Winslow
"I am not usually a fan of long family sagas, but this debut author has given us a novel of vignettes about four families in upper Maine over most of the last century who are far from dull or mundane. She has chosen her words well to tell their stories of grief, heartbreak, lost love and secrets in a completely compelling way...I will be watching for Ms. Winslow's next novel and hope it appears soon." - cece j
"If you love people and reading about what makes them tick, this book will have you glued to the pages. Winslow gives you the 'fly on the wall' view into the foibles, failings, quirks and strengths of those living in a little town on the coast of Maine. Covering the 20th century and the intermingling among four families is no small feat. At a little over 200 pages, the perfect length in my opinion, Winslow's writing is spartan and spare, not a single word extraneous...It's one of the top 5 books I've read in 2020!" - Cynthia W. (Austin, TX)
"Beautifully written prose introducing the reader to several generations of families, inhabitants of a small town in Maine. The family trees at the beginning of each chapter were very helpful in keeping track of the characters and the time frames of the stories. The grim reality of life's hardships around the Northern Reach was illustrated perfectly. The characters were believable, multifaceted and haunting in their attempts to survive the small-town everyday life, leaving this reader wanting to know more about key family members. This is a genealogical masterpiece." - Amy (Boulder City, NV)
|
|
Flatiron Books. Novel. 240 pages. Published March 2, 2021
Number of Reader Reviews: 14, Readers' Consensus: 4.4/5.0
|
|
|
|
For Members: Available to Request Now |
|
Members! This month's First Impressions books are now available. Request at bookbrowse.com/arc before end of Saturday, March 13. If you're not currently a member and wish to become one, join today, or renew your membership; then request a book by end of Saturday and you will receive it.
Books are mailed to members free of charge with the understanding that they'll do their best to either write a short review or join an online discussion, depending on whether the book is assigned for First Impressions or the Book Club.
Due to publishing restrictions, books are only available to US-residents. Members who take part fairly regularly generally receive about 3-4 books each year.
|
|
John Shors Literary Travels |
|
As a subscriber to BookBrowse, I know you enjoy traveling to new locations through books; and prior to the pandemic, you probably enjoyed traveling in person, which is why I am excited to tell you about John Shors Literary Tours.
You may well recognize John's name from his novels, many of which have been featured on BookBrowse and are bestsellers in the US and overseas (he's been translated into nearly thirty languages). Starting with Beneath a Marble Sky, which transports readers to 17th century Hindustan and the building of the Taj Mahal, to last year's My Midnight Sun (set in modern day Nepal), John brings is book's locations to vivid life by drawing upon many years of travel and research.
Now, John has combined his love of writing and travel to personally lead small groups (average size is just 10 people with two guides) on tours to the parts of the world he knows intimately. Among the tours coming up are a Jane Austen Tour to England this September, followed by India in October. Then in April 2022 he'll be leading separate tours to Bhutan and Japan.
One thing to know about John is that he's one of life's all-round nice guys. I've been in contact with him for over a decade and if he puts half the enthusiasm into his tours that he does into communicating with readers about his books (he’s spoken with over 3,000 book clubs!) I have no doubt that he delivers on his claim to “bring adventurous travelers face-to-face with the world’s wonders.” He's led tours to 11 countries to date and, as he says on his site: "No day is ever the same. And no path is ever followed twice."
You can find out more about John and his tours at johnshors.com/literarytours. If you contact him, please tell him you heard about his tours on BookBrowse, as he's been kind enough to say he'll give us a commission. (Although, between you and me, I would have been quite happy to share this anyway because I believe him to be one of those positive forces in life who puts into the world far more than he takes from it.)
|
|
Klara and the Sun
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro drops the reader into a fictional universe that could be our own, save for scientific developments that have changed the course of events in drastic ways. For those familiar with Ishiguro's previous works, being placed in this type of altered and somewhat mysterious parallel reality will be familiar.
The story is told from the perspective of Klara, an Artificial Friend (AF). Klara is uncommonly bright for an AF, and catches the eye of her future companion, a girl named Josie, while displayed in a store window. Unlike many other AFs, Klara possesses an uncanny knack for observation and understanding. Though Josie immediately chooses Klara, her mother must be persuaded to take Klara home with them. The plot appears to take place in the not-so-distant future, and Josie's mother's reluctance mirrors a broader reticence toward AFs amongst older generations in society ... continued
|
|
Beyond the Book:
Gene Editing
One of the central mysteries in Klara and the Sun surrounds the question of how some children are "lifted" and others are not. Seemingly benefiting from a class-based or other means-based differentiation, those who are lifted have access to higher-quality education and additional advantages. Precisely how some children are lifted is never entirely clear, though it is implied early on that medical or scientific intervention is involved, and some type of gene editing seems to be a likely explanation.
There are several forms of genome editing (gene editing) technology in the modern world that allow scientists to manipulate the DNA of various organisms. Perhaps the most scandalous use of such technology (and the one that bears the most relevance to the events of the novel) is referred to as the "CRISPR-baby" case. CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome editing technology that has been a reality in the scientific community for several years. In 2018, scientist He Jiankui claimed to have successfully used the CRISPR system to edit the genomes of two human embryos and implant them in a woman who brought them to term... continued
|
|
Knopf. Speculative. 320 pages. Published March 2, 2021
Critics' Consensus: 4.8/5, BookBrowse Rating: 4/5
|
|
|
|
Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win the book of your choice or a 6-month membership to BookBrowse.
"W T's Life T's H"
|
|
The answer to the last Wordplay: P G Before A F
"Pride goes before a fall"
Like many other popular expressions this one has its roots in the Book of Proverbs (in Hebrew, Mishlei), which is one of the books in the section of the Jewish canon known as the Ketuvim (Writings) and of the Wisdom section of the Christian Old Testament ... continued
|
|
At BookBrowse, we believe that the very best books don't just entertain and engage, they also enlighten, wrapping us in their world, giving us a window into the lives of others or a mirror to reflect on ourselves. These are the books we seek out and feature on BookBrowse, both fiction and nonfiction. |
|
Published every Thursday, BookBrowse Highlights is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also offer Publishing This Week every Sunday, and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.
|
|
1-408-867-6500
Toll Free: 1-800-745-5306 (US & Canada)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
