Tag Archives: The New York Times Book Review

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – March 19, 2023

Leave a comment

Image

The New York Times Book Review – March 19, 2023:

In Matthew Desmond’s ‘Poverty, by America,’ the Culprit Is Us

This illustration, in shades of red, white, blue and black, shows the silhouetted figures of a family around a table. The parents hover over a large tureen containing black liquid, while, on either side of them, smaller figures — their offspring — lean over smaller bowls filled with the same substance. In the background, red and white vertical stripes are visible, suggesting an American flag.
Credit…Ola Jasionowska

The new book by the sociologist and author of “Evicted” examines the persistence of want in the wealthy United States, finding that keeping some citizens poor serves the interests of many.

Read Your Way Through São Paulo

A woman is reading a book on a bench in a park with the cityscape of São Paulo in the background. A cat is sleeping next to her.
Credit…Raphaelle Macaron

Brazil’s ultra urban megacity overwhelms the landscape and the imagination. Paulo Scott recommends books that peel back its layers.

With Karl Lagerfeld, the Clothes Were Only Part of the Story

A photograph of Karl Lagerfeld surrounded by models, several of them in black sequined dresses. Lagerfeld is wearing sunglasses and has his hair pulled back in a white ponytail. He is in a black suit and tie, a white shirt with a high stiff collar, and is carrying an open fan in his right hand.

The fashion world’s hunger for larger-than-life figures glorified the designer. But a cozy new biography shows him to be more business whiz than artist.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – March 12, 2023

Leave a comment
Image

The New York Times Book Review – March 12, 2023:

Big Money, Big Houses and Big Problems in Brooklyn Heights

This is an illustration — done in white, yellow and shades of blue — of a gaggle of fancily dressed people in a well appointed living room. Their faces aren't visible but their jewelry and hair accessories are.

In Jenny Jackson’s debut novel, “Pineapple Street,” readers get a tour of a world they might learn not to envy by the end of the book.

22 Works of Fiction to Read This Spring

Watch for reality-bending explorations of time and space, a Western horror novel from Victor LaValle and new fiction from Han Kang. Plus: Tom Hanks (yes, that Tom Hanks) releases his debut novel.

The Marquis de Sade’s Filthy, Pricey 40-Foot Scroll of Depravity

A new book by Joel Warner traces the fate of the parchment on which the infamous author wrote “120 Days of Sodom,” a trail involving scholars, aristocrats and thieves — and lots of money.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – March 5, 2023

Leave a comment

Image

The New York Times Book Review – March 5, 2023:

Walter Mosley’s New York: Classes Divided, Races at War

His new novel, “Every Man a King,” is a hard-boiled tale of billionaires, white nationalists and a detective with a complicated past.

The Cousins Who Ruled 19th-Century Europe, Miserably

CREDITANNA RESMINI

“Empty Theatre,” a novel by Jac Jemc, reimagines the lives of two eccentric royals, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

For Thomas Mann, the World’s Chaos Is Inside the House

A newly translated story by the German master explores a father’s feelings for his children in a time of fierce social change.

A Louche Life Set to a Show-Tunes Score

In his name-dropping novel “Up With the Sun,” Thomas Mallon fictionalizes the minor career and tabloid murder of the Broadway actor Dick Kallman.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – February 19, 2023

Leave a comment

Image

The New York Times Book Review – February 19, 2023:

When the Government Goes Top Secret, Who Can Write Its History?

In “The Declassification Engine,” Matthew Connelly traces the evolution of America’s obsession with secrecy and the alarming implications for our understanding of the past.

Walter Mosley’s New York: Classes Divided, Races at War

His new novel, “Every Man a King,” is a hard-boiled tale of billionaires, white nationalists and a detective with a complicated past.

International Literature: Lush Landscapes, Hazy Memories

CREDITJOHN GALL

New books from Kevin Jared Hosein, Pilar Quintana, Nona Fernández and Patrick Modiano.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – February 5, 2023

Leave a comment

The New York Times Book Review – February 5, 2023:

Salman Rushdie’s Miracle City

His new novel is about a kingdom that is founded on pluralism but fails to live up to its ideals.

What Does It Mean to Be Liberal?

In his new book, “The Struggle for a Decent Politics,” the political philosopher Michael Walzer grapples with a definition.

Storming Normandy in 1346

“Essex Dogs,” the first novel in a projected trilogy by the historian Dan Jones, imagines a hard-bitten band of mercenaries hired to invade France on behalf of their English king.

Arts & Literature, Boats, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews, Stories

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 22, 2023

Leave a comment
Illustration by Anthony Gerace

The New York Times Book Review – January 22, 2023:

A New Novel Confronts the Scale and Gravity of Climate Change

As catastrophe approaches, Stephen Markley’s “The Deluge” considers its many facets.

A Documentarian Travels the World Asking: ‘Have You Eaten Yet?’

From the Arctic to the Amazon, Cheuk Kwan traces a diaspora through Chinese restaurants owned and operated by immigrant families.

Read Your Way Through Newfoundland

Michael Crummey, an award-winning author whose poetry and prose explore the region and its capital, St. John’s, shares book recommendations, local vocabulary and where to find a good pint.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 15, 2023

Leave a comment
Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath

The New York Times Book Review (January 15, 2023):

‘Terrorist’ — to Whom?

V.V. Ganeshananthan’s novel “Brotherless Night” reveals the moral nuances of violence, ever belied by black-and-white terminology.

The Highland Heroine Who Helped Rescue a Prince

Since her daring mission in 1746, Flora Macdonald has lived on in myth. A new biography by Flora Fraser attempts to sort fact from fiction.

Where Adventurous, Curious Women Rule

In three new historical novels, female protagonists defy odds and push limits.

Books, Literature, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 8, 2023

Leave a comment
Photograph by Howard Sochurek

The New York Times Book Review (January 8, 2023):

When Freedom Meant the Freedom to Oppress Others

Jefferson Cowie’s powerful and sobering new history, “Freedom’s Dominion,” traces the close association between the rhetoric of liberty in an Alabama county and the politics of white supremacy.

Two Days of Terror in Washington, D.C.

“American Caliph,” by Shahan Mufti, recounts the complex story of a largely forgotten episode from 1977, when an armed Muslim group held dozens of people hostage.

The Power of a Good Narrative, in Your Ear or Otherwise

From Bloomsbury to the Billboard Hot 100, these audiobooks will hook you based on story alone.

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Dec 25, 2022

Leave a comment

Image

The New York Times Book Review @nytimesbooks (December 25, 2022):

Courtly Love Can Be Deadly

In the historian Sarah Gristwood’s “The Tudors in Love,” for both monarchs and courtiers the stakes are higher than romance.

Newly Published, From Worker Justice to Sound Waves

A selection of recently published books.

AUDIOBOOKS

The Power of a Good Narrative, in Your Ear or Otherwise

CREDITLIBBY VANDERPLOEG

From Bloomsbury to the Billboard Hot 100, these audiobooks will hook you based on story alone.