Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff

Seconds. I find that even on a second or third reading of a Calvin Trillin piece, I experience it as fresh and interesting. One of his latest collections, Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin, contained many essays I’ve read before, and I found re-reading them to be entertaining and enjoyable. His wit and writing style keeps a reader engaged, and he has a prodigious skill at observation and in selecting the perfect word and phrase. Readers who love fine and witty writing are those most likely to enjoy this book.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)
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My New American Life

Plucky. Twenty-six year old Albanian immigrant Lula is the protagonist of Francine Prose’s novel, My New American Life. Prose captures many aspects of contemporary life circa 2005, and assembles a cast of characters to flesh out that time and show the contrast between suburban malaise and an immigrant’s struggle post-9/11. The plucky Lula is a survivor who stumbles through ways to make it in America. All the Albanian characters have a liveliness that contrasts with the sadness of the American characters. Readers who enjoy novels of social commentary are those most likely to enjoy this book.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Black Diamond

Truffles. Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges returns in Black Diamond, the third novel of this series by Martin Walker. Something is amiss with the truffles coming to market, and Bruno is at the center of a complicated investigation with the stakes heightened by local elections that could put Bruno out of a job. Walker does a great job with the police procedural plot, in presenting interesting characters that readers care about, and in describing a place with lively and descriptive prose. I could almost taste the truffles and feel that I was in France. Readers who like light novels with clear plots are those most likely to enjoy this book.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Rodin's Debutante

Artist. How is art formed? How is the artist formed? These are some of the questions that Ward Just explores in his finely written novel, Rodin’s Debutante. The core of the novel is a coming of age story about a man named Lee Goodell who grew up in a small town as the child of a prominent father, a judge who was the son of a judge. A side story involves Tommy Ogden a wealthy loner who prefers hunting and whoring over other pursuits. Ogden founds a school which Goodell attends. The novel explodes with the contrasts of beauty and the grittiness of life, and the real scars that Goodell experiences turn into his marbles, the sculptures he creates. Just creates vibrant characters and masterfully expresses powerful emotions with an economy of finely chosen words. Readers who enjoy thought provoking fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)
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Mrs. Fox

Muse. Music lovers who appreciate amusing variations on a theme and those readers who are patient with an absence of plot sequence or logic are those most likely to enjoy Helen Oyeyemi’s novel, Mrs. Fox. I found many parts of the novel to be witty and I enjoyed the multiple ways in which Oyeyemi explores the story. After I while, I lost patience, and found myself concluding that this odd novel is for acquired tastes, and mine savors something a little less gamey.

Rating: Two-star (Mildly Recommended)
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Nightwoods

Bleak. The prose in Charles Frazier’s novel, Nightwoods, is lyrical, the characters are richly developed, and the description he presents in a meandering plot presents a bleak life. In some ways, this novel explores the nature of love and evil, using a setting and characters that provide an ideal backdrop for the contrast between light and darkness and fire and water. Readers who are patient with a plot that can be a challenge to follow and who appreciate lyrical prose are those most likely to enjoy this novel.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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The Leopard

Inhumanity. Readers who can tolerate massive amounts of violence and inhumane acts described in detail can open Jo Nesbo’s novel, The Leopard, and settle right in. It’s helpful to have read the earlier novels in the Harry Hole series to understand why this protagonist has hit his nadir and is living a life of darkness in Hong Kong. Coerced home to Norway to solve yet another serial murder case, Hole who has subjected himself to great pain, faces even greater physical pain during this case. The plot is complicated, and it can be painful to an empathetic reader to watch the damaged Hole suffer. Harry Hole is a great character, and Nesbo’s writes well (probably better in the original Norwegian), and readers willing to spend time exploring the nature of evil will find this book engaging.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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