Quill and Quire

BOOK REVIEWS

Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?

By

The Air India disaster and its frustrating 21-year aftermath has been the subject of at least half a dozen non-fiction books of investigative journalism in this country, and they are still coming. But Anita Rau ... Read More »

August 12, 2013

The Twice Born

By

Pauline Gedge’s latest novel of ancient Egypt tells the story of Huy, a young scribe destined for greatness. When Huy is sent from his impoverished town to study with the sons of nobles at the ... Read More »

August 12, 2013

Tell It to the Trees

By

Anita Rau Badami’s fourth novel steps lightly along the familiar path laid down by her previous books, telling the story of an Indian family dealing with trauma, intrigue, and complex relationships. The Dharma family lives ... Read More »

August 12, 2013

Going Home Again

By Dennis Bock

Dennis Bock’s first two novels were about the fallout from war: the Second World War in 2001’s The Ash Garden, and the Spanish Civil War and Second Sino-Japanese War in 2006’s The Communist’s Daughter. The ... Read More »

August 12, 2013 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Muse

By Mary Novik

In the tradition of Tracy Chevalier, A.S. Byatt, Sarah Dunant, and – more recently – Cathy Marie Buchanan, Mary Novik’s captivating second novel imagines the circumstances surrounding the creation of venerated works of art: in ... Read More »

August 8, 2013 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

When We Were Good

By Suzanne Sutherland

Binge-eating, suicidal thoughts, sexual frustration, alienated parents, best-friend-turned-mean-girl – in short, a good wallow in what one character calls a “drama pit” – are the components author Suzanne Sutherland brings to her YA debut, a ... Read More »

August 1, 2013 | Filed under: Book news

Kid Soldier

By Jennifer Maruno

It can be difficult to interest young readers in history, especially if they can’t see how it is relevant to their daily lives. Author and educator Jennifer Maruno tries to address this challenge through Richard ... Read More »

August 1, 2013

The Oathbreaker’s Shadow

By Amy McCulloch

Amy McCulloch’s debut novel is a well-plotted fantasy about the dire consequences of breaking promises and misplacing trust. Sixteen-year-old Raim belongs to a nomadic tribe in Darhan, a place where breaking an oath means being ... Read More »

August 1, 2013