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This week in Editor's Choice, we feature Sarah Perry's Enlightenment, an impressively ambitious novel that weaves together the experiences of two friends in different generations of a church community.
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Enlightenment
by Sarah Perry
Following two friends three decades apart in age who hail from the Bethesda Church Baptist community in Aldleigh, Essex, Sarah Perry's Enlightenment opens with the older: bookish, middle-aged writer Thomas Hart. Known for his local Essex Chronicle columns on ghosts and literature, Thomas agrees to attempt a piece on the 1997 arrival of Great Comet Hale-Bopp at naked-eye visibility in the night sky. Soon afterwards, he belatedly agrees to meet with James Bower at Essex Museum Services, who has written to Thomas about recently discovered documents from the dilapidated Lowlands House, surmising them to be related to the Lowlands ghost he has featured in his column. Thomas's growing enthusiasm for astronomy only increases as he gradually figures out that the Lowlands ghost is likely Maria Văduva — a heartbroken astronomer who moved to the house in the late 1800s — while himself falling in love with James, despite Bethesda's condemnation of same-sex love.
The younger of Enlightenment's pair is Grace Macaulay, a seventeen-year-old girl with oily black hair who wears homemade petticoats and dresses. Grace finds herself falling for Nathan and his world of delights and pleasures (ripped jeans, cigarettes, and contemporary music) alien to the modesty enforced upon her by Bethesda. Both characters' love stories prove to have lasting consequences as Enlightenment revisits them in 2007 and 2017. ... continued
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Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available to request. Offer closes end of Saturday, July 13.
Books are provided free of charge to BookBrowse members resident in the U.S. with the understanding that they'll do their best to either write a short review or take part in an online discussion forum (depending on whether the book is assigned for First Impressions or the Book Club). Members who choose to take part generally receive a book about every three months.
When you request for the first time, you are guaranteed to receive a free book.
Not yet a member? Free books are one of the many benefits of a BookBrowse membership, for just $3.75 per month! Join by this Saturday to be able to request books from this month's offer. Don't wait!
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What author owns a bookstore near you? We may think of writers as people who live behind their words, out of reach of society, but many are deeply involved in their local reading scenes, and bookstores are one of the best spaces for them to connect with their audiences.
Authors who own and operate these spaces have an opportunity to provide services to readers that reflect their own sensibilities and priorities, and some of the most exciting, community-focused and unique independent bookstores are author-owned. ... continued
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Want to write a review for a book on BookBrowse?
While members have the option to receive free books from our First Impressions program in exchange for an honest review, all visitors can leave a reader review from any book page — if it's approved, we'll publish it!
You can also check out our Best Recent Reader Reviews to see what other people are saying about books they've read. Below are a few excerpts from recent high-quality reviews.
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If you are currently receiving any kind of government benefit, such as Social Security or Medicare, then the novel Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray is an absolute must-read. This captivating work of historical fiction provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of Frances Perkins, who made history as the first female cabinet member under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. Dray's meticulously researched and vividly written narrative takes readers on a journey through Perkins' remarkable career, chronicling her rise from a passionate social reformer to a trailblazing figure who helped shape some of the most significant New Deal programs that laid the foundations for the modern American social safety net. (Carolea) | |
This tome (The 1619 Project) will undoubtedly become a powerful educational tool in the arsenal of black/white history and culture where readers can broaden their knowledge and understanding of enslavement beyond what they have gleaned from Emmett Till, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and even George Floyd. The poems and prose at the beginning of the chapters are heart-wrenching and poignant, and the essays that follow seem to be well-researched and factual. The lingering question is not whether reparation is warranted, but whether it is possible. (Carmel B) | |
Tietjen offers an original plot with several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning right up to the exciting climax.
Her protagonist is a gutsy, no-nonsense woman described by one friend as hard to like. She admits to using vinegar when honey would work better in interpersonal relations, finds people exhausting, prefers her stray orange cat’s straightforwardness and emotional transparency.
The story (of Death in the Details) is inspired by the real-life Frances Glessner Lee, who crafted miniature crime scenes, and the Author’s Note makes interesting background reading. (Cloggie Downunder)
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For every title we review, we also write a "beyond the book" article that focuses on a related cultural, historical, or contextual topic. Browsing these articles is a great way to find new books and learn about new subjects!
Recent articles in our Books & Authors category include an interview with Carvell Wallace and Eve J. Chung's inspirations for her novel Daughters of Shandong. We feature writers of different eras, from Shirley Jackson to Shakespeare to Toni Morrison and beyond. Members have full access to all articles, while others have limited access.
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Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win a one-year membership to BookBrowse!
"A W in S C"
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The answer to the last Wordplay: R is a D B S C
"Revenge is a dish best served cold"
Meaning: Revenge on another can be better appreciated if one waits before exacting it.
Revenge is such an ancient concept that it seems like this saying should be similarly old – perhaps stemming from an old Greek philosopher or the Bible or, at the very least, a Shakespeare play, given the Bard’s penchant for the theme and for witty phrases. Its origin is surprisingly modern, however.
It’s commonly believed that the saying was first coined by French author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (1741-1803), an army general who preferred penning novels. His most famous work (which he took a six month vacation to write) was Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons - 1782). It’s widely stated that the phrase “La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid” – “Revenge is a dish best served cold” – first appears in the novel. This is, unfortunately, incorrect ... continued
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