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Reviews by Anthony Conty

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Clear: A Novel
by Carys Davies
Read No Spoilers! (12/15/2024)
In "Clear" by Carys Davies, we are drawn into the unique story of an impoverished preacher assigned to 'clear' the last inhabitant of a remote Scottish island. As a language teacher, I found the interaction between the two men during the Scottish Clearances fascinating.

I'vemore
Orbital
by Samantha Harvey
Why Space Travel? Here's Why... (12/6/2024)
'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey, with its 207 pages, is a thought-provoking journey that does not pretend to be something it is not. It takes us into the minds of astronauts and cosmonauts as they float around the Earth, sharing their profound thoughts about what they see.more
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
by Ilyon Woo
How Did I Not Know about This? (11/23/2024)
"Master-Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom" by Ilyon Woo takes a topic many have written about but makes it fresh and new. William and Ellen Craft met through slavery yet wanted to reunite in freedom as a married couple. The light-skinned Ellenmore
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them
by Timothy Egan
Are We Doomed to Report History? (10/28/2024)
"A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them" helps one with only a working knowledge of the KKK figure out how they were so popular in the 1920s. You will find most political rhetoric familiar, but knowing that themore
Only the Beautiful
by Susan Meissner
The Holocaust Has So Many Stories (10/15/2024)
My favorite critic, Roger Ebert, always made astute points but had seen so many movies that he had less tolerance for cliches. "Only the Beautiful" by Susan Meissner covers the often-discussed mistreatment of pregnant single women in the 1930s, a time when societal normsmore
The Faculty Lounge: A Novel
by Jennifer Mathieu
The Novel Teachers Didn't Know They Needed (10/2/2024)
Hollywood often misrepresents the teaching profession. However, Jennifer Matthieu, a current high school teacher, writes "The Faculty Lounge" with a deep understanding of the profession. The characters and situations she portrays are not just relatable, they are a mirror ofmore
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
by James McBride
Pennsylvania History Made Universal (9/25/2024)
Pennsylvania history shapes the ethnic neighborhoods of today, and books like 'The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store' by James McBride serve as a poignant reminder of their origins. In a state as vast as Pennsylvania, countless stories exist for the telling. This particularmore
In Memoriam: A Novel
by Alice Winn
War Never Gets Easier (9/13/2024)
Gaunt and Ellwood, resilient in the face of adversity, sit at their English boarding school, pining for each other and contemplating the World War. They enlist separately, their hearts heavy with their forbidden, unspoken feelings. Homosexuality exists in various forms,more
North Woods: A Novel
by Daniel Mason
Like Nothing You Have Ever Read (9/1/2024)
Meandering through generations and cultures, "North Woods" shows more ambition than any novel this year. I saw this to attract some of you to the book and keep others away. It has a plodding start, and many stories start to jell. Many families and descendants occupy themore
The Women: A Novel
by Kristin Hannah
The History We Need to Hear (8/20/2024)
Women can be heroes.

It is a simple line to repeat, but it is appropriate in “The Women” by Kristin Hannah. Frankie wants to serve as a nurse in Vietnam to help the way her male relatives had. Like “Platoon,” we see the war through the eyes of the most inexperienced eyesmore
Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice
by Cristina Rivera Garza
If You Have Experienced Grief, You Will Relate (8/7/2024)
A common refrain from otherwise jovial married men in Mexico was, “Mi esposa está casada. Yo, no.” Men said that their wives were married, but they weren’t. I had no idea that these attitudes led to an epidemic of unreported spousal abuse, but it is rampant there. “Liliana’more
Time Shelter: A Novel
by Georgi Gospodinov
The Dangers of Living in the Past (7/26/2024)
"Time Shelter" by Georgi Gospodinov may not be your favorite novel of the year. Still, it won the award for best premises. A man tries to treat Alzheimer's and dementia by recreating a different one on each building floor. Not surprisingly, people without diagnoses begin tomore
Kairos
by Jenny Erpenbeck
Worth the Read (7/15/2024)
"Kairos," the lesser-known god of fortunate events, lends his name to a post-unification Berlin tale. This story, about the unexpected affair between a married 50-year-old and a 19-year-old, is not your typical romance. Their relationship, with all the elements of a star-more
Night Watch: A Novel
by Jayne Anne Phillips
A Roller Coaster (7/4/2024)
“Night Watch” by Jayne Anne Phillips, with its unique stream-of-consciousness writing and a multitude of characters, is a novel that may not resonate with everyone. It transports you to the post-Civil War era, where 12-year-old ConaLee is thrust into adulthood with her mutemore
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
by Nathan Thrall
Israel for Novices (6/21/2024)
“A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy” by Nathan Thrall tells a story that will pull at your parent strings. Imagine hearing that your child was in a bad bus accident, but your Palestinian status keeps you from being anywhere near him. The authormore
Tripas: Poems (Georgia Review Books Ser.)
by Brandon Som
Poetry is Hard (6/9/2024)
Upon completing 'Tripas: Poems' by Brandon Som, the recent recipient of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, I was captivated by the unique blend of Spanglish and multiculturalism that permeates the book. Drawing inspiration from the rich narratives of his Chinese andmore
Disobedient: A Novel
by Elizabeth Fremantle
Feminism for the Un-Initiated (5/31/2024)
“Disobedient” by Elizabeth Fremantle, author of the phenom “The Queen’s Gambit,” masterfully bridges the gap between the 17th century and today’s society, a feat that top-notch historical fiction often accomplishes. As a reader, I was captivated by the narrative, evenmore
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
So Engaging, So Kind to its Characters (5/20/2024)
I had never heard of Hansen’s Disease and had only heard of leprosy in passing; therefore, I had no idea that “leprosy” and “leper” were unacceptable slurs in modern English. When they packed people afflicted into clinics, it reminded you of how people with lesions frommore
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
by David Grann
Tirelessly Researched (5/8/2024)
David Grann's “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder” tells an entirely different story than his previous masterpiece, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in the same captivating way. Understanding the complex life of a sailor, a journey that requires a great deal ofmore
Prophet Song
by Paul Lynch
Not to Everyone's Taste (4/25/2024)
“Prophet Song” by Paul Lynch would seem like a novel stunt if many award-winning Irish books did not seem similar. There are not many paragraph breaks and quotation marks here. You get the point of dystopian suffering even when unsure what is happening. Although this ismore

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