Reviews by Cathryn Conroy

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The Female Persuasion
The Female Persuasion: A Novel
by Meg Wolitzer
Profound and Moving, This Is a Sheer Joy to Read (4/20/2023)
Somehow this book, which is all about the characters—and I mean ALL about the characters—somehow has a plot. And that is the genius of author Meg Wolitzer!

This is the story of Greer, a shy, confused college freshman and her journey to adulthood. It's also about Cory, her …more
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Enchanting, Passionate and Profound: Read and Enjoy (4/20/2023)
Magic. Pure magic. This book—with prose that reads more like poetry—is a sheer delight. I have no idea how to classify it. It's a haunting fable. And a passionate love story. And an enchanting mystery. I wanted to hurriedly read to find out what would happen next, but I had …more
Little Fires Everywhere
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
This Is a 10-Star Book: Read It! (4/20/2023)
This is a 10-star book. But it comes with a serious warning: Do not read it unless you really have time to read. Because this book will suck you in and not let go. It is one of those rare accomplishments in literature: an ingeniously plotted page-turner that is written with …more
The Monk of Mokha
The Monk of Mokha
by Dave Eggers
A Breathless, Unexpected and Mesmerizing Journey About Coffee (4/20/2023)
It's a good thing this book is nonfiction. If it were a novel, no one would believe it! The author would be excoriated for creating an absurd and preposterous plot line and told to tone it down. A lot. But this isn't fiction. It really happened.

Let's back up. This is the …more
The Great Alone
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
ChickLit Meets Adventure With a Hearty Dose of Melodrama (4/20/2023)
This can best be described as ChickLit meets Adventure with a hearty dose of Melodrama. It is a good story—the kind that keeps you turning pages to find out what happens. And if you enjoy books with riveting plots, this one is for you. But that's about all it has. The …more
Fresh Complaint
Fresh Complaint: Stories
by Jeffrey Eugenides
Extraordinary Collection: By Turns Hilarious and Heartbreaking (4/20/2023)
This collection of 10 extraordinary short stories by the ingenious Jeffrey Eugenides is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. From the decades-long friendship between two women to the 40-something failed poet who is so desperate for money he does something horribly wrong to …more
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach
by Jennifer Egan
Love, Redemption and Hope in a Powerful, Suspenseful Storyline (4/20/2023)
Deftly written with a compelling plot that is populated with fully-realized and colorful characters, "Manhattan Beach" is one of those rare books that succeeds on every level. The imaginative and suspenseful storyline will grab you on the first page.

Eddie Kerrigan of New …more
Tribe
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
by Sebastian Junger
A Truly Remarkable Book (4/20/2023)
"Isn't it fun to be with your tribe?" author Joyce Carol Oates asked the assembled 1,000 who had gathered to hear her speak at the 2016 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Indeed. As an avid reader, I had never before thought of those sitting around me in this …more
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
Priceless. Perfect. Phenomenal. (4/20/2023)
Priceless. Perfect. Phenomenal.

Eleanor Oliphant is one of the most refreshing characters to ever inhabit the pages of a book. She is literal and direct in everything she says, using perfect English at all times. She is confident and quite self-sufficient, thank you very …more
Asymmetry
Asymmetry
by Lisa Halliday
Pretentious, High-Brow Literary Fiction (4/20/2023)
This book, which is essentially a study of the imbalance of power in relationships, was brilliant…but boring. Philosophical…but perplexing. Intriguing…but incongruous.

Written by Lisa Halliday, it is actually three novellas, the first two of which have nothing in common and …more
1968
1968
by Mark Kurlansky
 (4/20/2023)
I was in eighth grade when 1968 dawned, too immature and self-centered to fully appreciate the truly momentous, spirit-shattering and world-changing events—the effect of which is still felt 50 years later. And that is why I read this outstanding book by Mark Kurlansky. This …more
The Immortalists
The Immortalists: A Novel
by Chloe Benjamin
Superbly Written With Keen Insight About the Meaning of Life and Death (4/20/2023)
What if you knew far in advance the exact date you would die? That is the premise of this exceptional book by Chloe Benjamin. In 1969 in the New York City, four siblings—Varya (age 13), Daniel (11), Klara (9) and Simon (7)—meet with a gypsy fortuneteller, and she tells them …more
The Heart's Invisible Furies
The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel
by John Boyne
Witty, Wise and Wonderful! One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read (4/20/2023)
I dare you to read the first sentence—Yes! Just the first sentence!—and not be hooked on this book. It is witty (as in, you will laugh out loud and want to read passages to others because they are so funny), wise and wonderful. This book will grab your heart and not let go.

…more
Where the Past Begins
Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir
by Amy Tan
Difficult, But Interesting, Book (I'd Rather Read Her Novels) (4/20/2023)
If you're a big Amy Tan fan, this book is a must-read. But if you're not a Tan fan, skip it. Read her novels instead.

In chapter after chapter, she pulls back the wizard's curtain not only on her own life, but also on the (sometimes bizarre) ways she conceives of story ideas …more
Less
Less
by Andrew Sean Greer
A Good Book…But Something Critical Is Missing (4/20/2023)
This is a well-written, intelligent book with a clever little plot and a colorful main character. Of course, it is. It won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. But something is missing.

Written by Andrew Sean Greer, the book tells the story of 49-year-old (about to turn 50!) …more
Florida
Florida
by Lauren Groff
An Extraordinary, Emotionally Intense Collection of Stories (4/20/2023)
Lauren Groff is an artist. But instead of a paintbrush she uses words, and she does it with such amazing talent that those disparate syllables and sentences come together to create daring, brilliant images of Florida (and other places) in this collection of imaginative and …more
The House of Broken Angels
The House of Broken Angels
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Wow! This Book Expanded My World View (4/20/2023)
One of the greatest joys of reading is being transported to places I could otherwise never go. While I could easily travel to San Diego or La Paz, the primary locations of this book by Luis Alberto Urrea, there is no way other than reading that I could become (albeit …more
The Summer Wives
The Summer Wives
by Beatriz Williams
Beautifully Written and Brilliantly Plotted (4/20/2023)
While this may not win an influential literary prize, this book by Beatriz Williams is incredibly entertaining and will likely keep you up reading well past your bedtime. Beautifully written and brilliantly plotted, this is one of those books that will stay with you long …more
See What Can Be Done
See What Can Be Done: Essays, Criticism, and Commentary
by Lorrie Moore
Erudite Literary Criticism: Mostly a Delight, Sometimes a Slog (4/20/2023)
From Shakespeare to Stephen Sondheim and Amos Oz to Joyce Carol Oates, this scholarly collection of more than 50 essays, mostly erudite literary criticism, is at times a delight to read and at other times a real slog.

Author Lorrie Moore has assembled essays in …more
A Column of Fire
A Column of Fire: A Kingsbridge Novel
by Ken Follett
A Spellbinding, Gripping Thriller (Bonus: You'll Learn History Painlessly!) (4/20/2023)
This is a work of fiction that is masquerading as nonfiction. Beware! You will learn quite a bit of history while being utterly absorbed in a spellbinding tale. It is the literary equivalent of tricking us into eating our vegetables.

Author Ken Follett has crafted an …more

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