An old church deacon nicknamed “Sportcoat’’ is having a rough time in his golden years. He doesn’t remember shooting a young local drug dealer in the face. He keeps having fierce arguments with his wife Hettie, who died two years ago. He can’t find his church’s Christmas box filled with parishioners’ donations. Now his best…
Ann Patchett’s compelling new family saga, The Dutch House, is one of my favorite books of the year. Danny Conroy narrates this contemporary fairytale, set over five decades. He tells his beloved older sister Maeve’s story, with the requisite absent mother, the clueless father, and a wicked stepmother. Strong-willed Maeve is the heart and soul…
Tea Obreht burst on the literary stage in 2011 with her magnificent novel, The Tiger’s Wife. She was hailed by The New Yorker as one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty and included in the National Book Foundation’s list of 5 Under 35. Fans, including me, eagerly waited for her next book.…
Chicago native Claire Lombardo’s debut novel is an entertaining family saga exploring the delights and perils of parenthood and sisterhood. Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson found true love back in college and now are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Even though their marriage had its ups and downs, their love for each other never wavered.…
J. Ryan Stradal follows his excellent debut novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, with an equally delightful family saga filled with Minnesota characters, beer and pie. Stradal grew up in Minnesota so understands how the locals think, talk and act. He is gifted at writing about hard-working, seemingly ordinary people, revealing how they are extraordinary.…
