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March/April
2002 Book Sense 76 Picks
Here are the 76 most
noteworthy new and recent books, as compiled from hundreds of recommendations
by independent booksellers across America. One bookseller's quote has been
chosen to represent each of these top vote-getters.
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The
Apprentice Lover
by Parini, Jay
(HarperCollins, $24.95, 0066210712)
"This is the literary and romantic coming of age of a '70s Columbia dropout who has recently lost his brother in Vietnam, and who tries to find a mentor in a legendary, though despotic poet. It's full of wonderfully wrought language, beautiful imagery and guest appearances by luminaries such as Vidal and Auden. " - Elaine Sopchak, The Book Rack & Children's Pages, Essex Junction, VT
 The
Buffalo Soldier
by Bohjalian, Chris
(Crown, $25.00, 0609608339) "I was amazed and impressed by Bohjalian's latest
effort. I think it's his best so far! This story about a young black foster child
living with a white couple draws the reader in and involves us in the lives of
each of the main characters. " - Marilyn Sieb, Books & Company, Oconomowoc,
WI
Child's Book of True Crime: A Novel
by Hooper, Chloe
(Scribner, $23.00, 0743225120)
"Laid not so gently upon the bones of the penal colonists of Port Arthur, as well as upon the bones of the endangered creatures of the island (kookaburras, wombats) who converse amongst themselves about the goings on, this first novel will establish well this young Australian author. " - Jim Tenney, Olsson's Books, Washington, D.C.
Claire Marvel
by Schwartz, John Burnham
(Doubleday, $25.00, 038550344X)
"A lush, poetic novel that takes the reader from scholarly Cambridge to romantic France. The fateful love affair between Julian and Claire is a wonderful glimpse at true love. " - Sarah Parker, Scott's, Mt. Vernon, WA
Deep in the Shade of Paradise
by Dufresne, John
(Norton, $26.95, 0393020207)
"The wedding of Grisham Loudermilk and Ariane Thevenot in Shiver-de-Freeze, Louisiana is the magnet that collects one of the strangest casts of characters in recent fiction. Even the author gets into the act, taking over various chapters to ruminate about literature, life, and love. A not-to-be missed ticket to fun. " - Barbara Hoagland, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT
 Enemy
Women
by Jiles, Paulette
(William Morrow, $24.95, 0066214440) "The trials and tribulations of a young
woman held prisoner during the Civil War are a real eye-opener about life for
women left at the home front. Her story is a fitting companion to Cold Mountain
for the journey she must undertake to survive. " - Tara O'Donnell, Paperbacks
Plus, Bronx, NY
 Eyre
Affair, The
by Fforde, Jasper
(Viking, $23.95, 0670030643) "Thursday Next is a literary SpecOps detective
and a war vet who lost her brother in the Charge of the Light Brigade. The Crimean
War drags on because the Goliath Co. makes a lot of money from it. And Acheron
Hades is a very bad man intent on doing harm to some of Britain's best-loved literary
characters, in a world where art and literature are taken very, very seriously.
Jane Eyre will never read quite the same. " - Christopher Hubbuch,
Ruminator Books, St. Paul, MN
 Fair
Warning
by Butler, Robert Owen
(Atlantic, $24.00, 0870038336) "Butler's main character is an auctioneer
unlike any you've read about. Your fate will be sealed as soon as you read the
first sentence of this novel. Fair warning! " - Mary Gay Shipley, That
Bookstore in Blytheville, Blytheville, AR
 Fingersmith
by Waters, Sarah
(Riverhead, $25.95, 1573222038) "I confess to being a Sarah Waters' fan.
If Fingersmith was half as good as Tipping the Velvet (which was also fast-moving,
intricately plotted, and set in gas-lit England), I'd have been satisfied. Great
news: It's twice as good!" " - Wendy Leavens, Wild Iris Books, Gainesville,
FL
 The
Good Men
by Craig, Charmaine
(Riverhead, $24.95, 157322197X) "A powerful historical novel, written with
passion and poetry about the effects of the heretical 14th-century Cathar movement
on the lives of the villagers of southwestern France. Craig brings both individuals
and the period alive with her elegant, detailed writing. " - Irma Wolfson,
Latitude 33 Bookshop, Laguna Beach, CA
The
House of Blue Mangoes
by Davidar, David
(HarperCollins, $26.95, 0066212545)
"What a beautiful novel. It's beautifully crafted, with an engaging story set in late 1800's India. " - Danielle Freeman, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, CO
 Impressionist,
The
by Kunzru, Hari
(Dutton, $24.95, 052594642X) "The writing is so crisp and funny and the observations
so penetrating; a gorgeous novel. And as always with a first rate book -most recently
White Teeth and The Corrections - I want to go back and start over again. "
- Carla Cohen, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC
 In
the Castle of the Flynns
by Raleigh, Michael
(Sourcebooks Landmark, $22.00, 1570717974)
"I thought I was reading a memoir, not a novel, so immediate and involving was this story. A very funny and satisfying read. " - Renee Barker, Just the Bookstore, Glen Ellyn, IL
Insect Dreams: The Half-Life of Gregor Samsa
by Estrin, Marc
(Blue Hen, $26.95, 0399148361)
"As brilliant as Pynchon and as funny as the best of Robbins and Vonnegut, this is a generous gift to the idea-starved fiction reader. Heart, head, hilarity and history all rolled passionately into one. Don't miss this! " - John Evans, DIESEL: A Bookstore, Oakland, CA
 Just
Shy of Harmony
by Gulley, Philip
(HarperSanFrancisco, $15.95, 0060006323) "This is absolutely delightful.
The characters are your neighbors and the church is exactly like the one I grew
up in. Move over Jan Karon. " - Susan Danner, Danner's Books, Muncie,
IN
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend
by Moore, Christopher
(William Morrow, $25.95, 0380978407)
"If Moore only knew how much pain he brings from plucking our funny bones so frequently. Imagine finally being able to fill in the blanks, Moore-style, about the teenage years of Christ, as told by his best friend, Biff. It is a rebellion of words and ideas that few could ever get away with. Devilish fun, told with wit and candor. " - David Henkes, University Book Store, Bellevue, WA
 Lucky
Us
by Silber, Joan
(Algonquin, $22.95, 1565123204) "A contemporary love story, complete with
mismatched lovers, a bit of coincidence and a large dose of fate. The two New
Yorkers and their assorted friends and family are at once unique and familiar."
- Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL
Miracle at St. Anna
by McBride, James
(Riverhead, $24.95, 1573222127)
"McBride has done it again, this time in fiction form, in a novel of black soldiers in WWII. A page-turner, told without pretension and beautifully crafted." - Donna DeLacy, Portrait of a Bookstore, Studio City, CA
 A
Multitude of Sins
by Ford, Richard
(Knopf, $25.00, 0375412123) "The ten stories herein capture ordinary people
in ordinary places dealing with the unhappiness, embarrassment, and heartache
of an affair. The reader laughs, gasps and becomes a cautious observer in the
created drama of relationships. Richard Ford is simply a master of the short story.
" - Barbara Theroux, Fact and Fiction, Missoula, MT
 Red
Water
by Freeman, Judith
(Pantheon, $24.00, 0375420924)
"Wonderful historical fiction, told from the perspective of three of John D. Lee's seventeen wives; it's eye-opening to those of us who have no understanding of or sympathy for the Mormon polygamist. " - Jean Brace, Brace Books & More, Ponca City, OK
 The
Rotter's Club
by Coe, Jonathan
(Knopf, $24.95, 0375413839) "A very, very funny book about growing up in
England in a very difficult time. Girls, politics, unions, the Troubles and more
girls. The narrative is coming from several different angles, melding perfectly
into something that stays with you long after the last page is turned. Grab it!
" - Anne Whelan, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA
 Sacrament
of Lies
by Dewberry, Elizabeth
(Blue Hen, $23.95, 039914854X) "A retelling of Hamlet told from the point
of view of a modern woman who is the daughter of a politician. This book can be
enjoyed as a literary mystery or a psychological drama. I just loved it. "
- Deb Wehmeier, Garden District Book Shop, New Orleans, LA
 Searching
for Intruders: A Novel in Stories
by Byler, Stephen Raleigh
(William Morrow, $23.95, 0066212944) "In beautiful prose, Byler gives us
a strong, dark and haunting story of a young man trying to discover himself in
the wake of pain and tragedy. The best novel I have read in awhile. "
- Tim Huggins, Newtonville Books, Newtonville, MA
 Snow
Island
by Towler, Katherine
(MacAdam/Cage, $25.00, 193156101X) "This first novel has a wonderful Shell
Seekers quality to it. It's full of tragedy, war, regrets, and redemption,
reminding one how much fun it is to get lost in a good novel. " - Fred
Powell, Main Street Books, Frostburg, MD
The
Stars Can Wait
by Basu, Jay
(Holt, $21.00, 0805068872) "A tender coming of age Holocaust story takes
place in German-occupied Poland. Living in terror but still living and working
and believing in life are powerful themes in this first novel. " - Joci
Tilsen, The Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN
 Sweetest
Dream
by Lessing,
Doris
(HarperCollins, $26.95, 0066213347) "Through the members of an extended
family in London, Lessing follows the dream of changing the world, from its
idealistic youth in the 1960s through its sobering encounter with post-colonial
AIDS-ridden Africa. No mere nostalgia trip, this powerful, complex novel has
the feel of telling it like it was, and is. " - Laurie Greer, Olsson's
Books & Records, Bethesda, MD
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