In this issue, our First Impressions readers praise The Fortunate Ones, Ed Tarkington's sophomore book, which introduces readers to class differences in 1980s Nashville as a working class teenager is admitted to private school and learns how the other half lives.
In Editor's Choice, we cover Francesca Ekwuyasi's debut novel Butter Honey Pig Bread, about a Nigerian woman and her twin daughters who contend with trauma, division and guilt, but who also triumph through reunion, love and a mutual appreciation for food. Our "beyond the book" article looks at a favorite item from Nigerian cuisine featured in the book, Agege bread.
You'll also find a new Wordplay, plus answers to the Big Holiday Wordplay; and, for members, the latest books available to request for our online Book Club and First Impressions program.
Very best,
Davina
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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. |
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The Fortunate Ones
by Ed Tarkington
"From Saturday morning's first cup of java to Sunday evening's last glass of wine, this compact, riveting story was mesmerizing. The engaging pace, believable characters and heart-warming, sometimes melancholy narrative is the first "weekend read" I have enjoyed in a long time. It is rare to find one novel pondering dichotomies relative to so many subjects: family, friendship, politics and self-discovery; love, longing and lust; faith, fear and forgiveness, particularly self-forgiveness. Tarkington illuminated one of my long-held personal truths: 'Sometimes, one has no choice but to follow reckless urges.' This is my first Tarkington novel, but it will not be my last." - Carmel B. (The Villages, FL)
"Until I read The Fortunate Ones I doubted that any more could be written about a working class boy coming in contact with one 'to the manor born.' I was wrong. From the start of the novel through its finish I was captivated by the first-person narration of Charlie Boykin and by his encounters over time with Archie Creigh. It didn't matter that I could tell where the book was headed; this novel depends on character much more than plot. By the time I was done, Charlie and Archie came to occupy the same spot in my imagination reserved for Gatsby and Nick. They live there still." - Elizabeth S. (East Hartford, CT)
"Ed Tarkington's tale of the haves and the have-nots of Nashville is a deep dive into the sobering reality of wanting and trying to be what one is not. Teenager Charlie Boykin walks that tightrope in an elite private school where his admission is thanks to the generosity of wealthy donors. Charlie's assigned "big brother," football star Arch Creigh, opens doors into a new world, but even as Charlie learns the ropes of this privileged lifestyle, the secrets and flaws of his new friends emerge. Disillusioned and torn between going along and distancing himself from the pull of what he knows is wrong, Charlie struggles with the moral choices he faces. Tarkington writes a cautionary and thoughtful tale for anyone who has wondered what it would be like to live the high life. The Fortunate Ones has huge book club potential." - Laura C. (Woodworth, LA)
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Algonquin Books. Novel. 320 pages. Published Jan 5, 2020
Number of Reader Reviews: 29, Readers' Consensus: 4.2/5.0
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For Members: Available to Request Now |
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Members! This month's First Impressions books are now available. Request at bookbrowse.com/arc before end of Saturday, January 16. 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 (this month, all books are to review for our First Impressions program).
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.
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Butter Honey Pig Bread
by Francesca Ekwuyasi
The novel introduces Kambirinachi, who is an Ogbanje, a spirit destined to die young and be reborn repeatedly. Kambirinachi resists the pull of her fate to remain in the world through adulthood, a decision that is painful and compromising for her but allows her to eventually marry the man she loves and birth two daughters, Taiye and Kehinde. Due to a traumatic event in their youth in which Kehinde is assaulted by a houseguest, a rift grows between the sisters and haunts them as they live separate existences between Nigeria, England, France and Canada. Taiye, plagued by guilt for not having protected her sister, struggles to find happiness with various lovers as she pursues an interest in cooking, while Kehinde suffers an unexpected loss but finds solace in drawing.
The sisters' food adventures stretch far in both tradition and location. While Taiye is the aspiring chef of the family, Kehinde works for a while as a server at a restaurant in Montreal, where she falls in love with a line cook, Wolfie, who makes his own kombucha and kimchi at home. Taiye has her first sexual experience with Elodie, a woman running a Catalan cuisine program in Montpellier, and later begins seeing Salomé, a professor in Halifax who cooks stir-fried rice and marinated mushrooms for her early in their relationship. The present storyline takes place in Lagos, when Taiye has arrived back at her childhood home after some time away and Kehinde comes to visit with her husband Farouq. As Taiye flails towards a resolution with Kehinde, she copes with her feelings of helplessness by preparing food for her family. Her efforts range from jollof rice and Agege bread to a salted chocolate caramel cake served at a meal to celebrate Kehinde's homecoming ... continued
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Beyond the Book:
Agege Bread
As a staple food, Agege bread is valued for its relatively long shelf life. It is often served with eggs and prepared as a breakfast food but may also simply be eaten with butter and in a variety of other ways. When Taiye finally manages to bake a satisfactory Agege bread, she uses it to make a chicken sandwich for her mother. The bread is known for its signature four-cornered shape, which results from being baked in a covered pan. As the cover prevents the bread from rising above the top of the pan, the loaf remains in the form of a square. Ingredients in Agege bread can differ but generally include flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil or butter, and a dough conditioner or "bread improver" to strengthen the bread and give it the stretchier texture that Taiye desires.
Taiye eventually achieves the right texture for her Agege bread "without the need for potassium bromate, or any other dodgy preservatives" by combining bread flour with boiling water to create scalded flour for a natural dough conditioner. The scalded flour technique is used in Scandinavian and Asian baking as a way of heating up the starch in the flour to give it a more gelatinous quality before adding it to the bread mixture. Some home cooking sites that share tips for making Agege bread, like Nigerian Food TV, also recommend using the tangzhong method, a technique with Japanese origins that was popularized by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen and involves pre-cooking a small amount of flour with liquid. Yewande Komolafe's New York Times Agege bread recipe calls for warm water or milk but does not require any dough enhancement additions or methods ... continued
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Arsenal Pulp Press. Novel. 368 pages. Published Nov 3, 2020
BookBrowse Rating: 4/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.8/5.0
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Most Recent "Cultural Curiosities" Articles |
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The above "beyond the book" article for Francesca Ekwuyasi's Butter Honey Pig Bread is one of many in our Cultural Curiosities category available for your enjoyment on the BookBrowse website. Here are a few other recent articles.
- Mythical Healers
- Spiritualism in Victorian London
- The Apple in Religion and Myth
- The American Roadside Motel
- Exploiting the Unknown: Entertainment in the Georgian Era
- The Sidekick Character in Detective Fiction
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Book Clubs: When Will We Meet Again? |
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According to our recent research report, "Book Clubs in Lockdown," most groups are looking forward to coming together again in person, but some plan to maintain a virtual element to their meetings going forward. Learn more in the blog post.
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Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win the book of your choice from a selection of titles, or a 6-month membership to BookBrowse!
"T T T Light F"
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Answers to the Big Holiday Wordplay
Question:
M C R by D D M
Answer:
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Question:
A T G I B by B S
Answer:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Question:
O O A by I D
Answer:
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (pseudonym of Karen von Blixen-Finecke, aka Karen Blixen)
Question:
W S S by J R
Answer:
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Question:
A V O T R O W by M W
Answer:
A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
Question:
T E W W G by Z N H
Answer:
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Question:
T M O T F by G E
Answer:
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)
Question:
G W T W by M M
Answer:
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Question:
N A S by E G
Answer:
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Question:
T B E by T M
Answer:
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
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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. |
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Published every Thursday, BookBrowse Highlights is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish Publishing This Week every Sunday; and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.
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