Web-Exclusive Reviews: Week of 7/23/2007
-- Publishers Weekly, 7/23/2007
NONFICTION
* -30-: The Collapse of the Great American Newspaper
Edited by Charles M. Madigan. Ivan R. Dee, $26 (256p) ISBN 9781566637428
If you have ever loved a newspaper, this book will provide a gut-churning mix of joy and nostalgia, amazement and disgust, and no small sense of fatalism. Award-winning Chicago Tribune reporter Madigan collects a powerful array of commentary from journalists and observers, who enumerate the varied forces driving the decline of newspaper readership: the internet, the consolidation of department stores (and their advertising), metro sprawl, decades of job-cutting and the demise of family ownership; the idea that chain papers have "slowly carved out the soul of local papers" is repeated throughout. Highlights include a look at the changing face of the New York Times and painful stories of once-great papers like the Philadelphia Enquirer and the LA Times gutted by suits who see themselves "in conflict with sanctimonious and unrealistic idealists." The editor of Idaho Falls' Post Register contributes a singular, but too brief, ray of hope in his consideration of small-town dailies (around 1,420 of them) where, under the ownership of smaller companies, honest journalism thrives and profit margins can run in excess of 20 percent. The most daunting questions come from David T.Z. Mindich's examination of the uninformed citizenry: "making sure young people see themselves as citizens should be the priority of every news executive in the country." Though it may be too late to reverse the trends examined here, this anthology will inspire a healthy measure of resistance. (Aug.)
THE ARGUMENT: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics
Matt Bai. Penguin, $25.95 paper (336p) ISBN 9781594201332
Scandals, the immigration debate, questions of competency and an approval-deficient President all point to a Democratic sweep in the 2008 elections; despite that, New York Times Magazine writer Bai contends, the Dems' perennial stumbling blocks—a lack of strong leaders, fractured beliefs, general disorganization and inferior skills of mass communication—are only getting worse. In this look behind the scenes at Democratic decision makers,Bai points to a new generation of troubles: has Howard Dean squandered money, good will and opportunities as the head of the party? Have blogs such as DailyKos.com steered the debate away from unifying issues in favor of divisive strategies? Can lefty billionaires like George Soros, or his pet activist Rob Stein, spearhead an effective organization? And how many of these people even know what they're talking about? To analyze these questions, Bai enjoys generous access to many key figures—including Tom Matzzie of MoveOn and Hollywood stalwart Rob Reiner—but few come across as interesting characters. In addition, the focus on 2004 and 2006 races gives much of the book a been-there, done-that feel. It doesn't provide much hope for the Dems—sympathizers are sure to come away from this title depressed, even if the 2008 elections do go their way. (Aug.)
CLUBLIFE: Thugs, Drugs, and Chaos at New York City's Premier Nightclubs
Rob the Bouncer. HarperCollins, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 9780061123887
In this behind-the-velvet-rope memoir, anonymous blogger Rob the Bouncer (identity to be revealed "on publication") details his adventures working security at "Axis," a dizzying composite of real-life New York nightclubs. Spending grungy nights working the "Nightmare Square" of club-choked West Chelsea, antagonized by feuding bosses and berated by the downgrading clientele, Rob has plenty of material for his misanthropic observations. He spends most nights playing God to a line-up of bankers, club kids and mobsters, ogling his bartender girlfriend and babysitting the VIP room for pocket cash. Rob is a likable, identifiable narrator, an average working guy dreaming of something better, genuinely aggrieved to be trading barbs with women drunk enough to chuck tampons at him. Though structural tics can grate—like his use of second person and too-frequent shifts into screenplay-style dialogue—a handful of sidebars reveal useful tips for getting in: pack a fistful of twenties and never bark, "All my friends are inside!" And, a must-read for anyone with a tendency toward belligerence, instructions on how to leave without getting hurt ("Don't touch the bouncers on the way out"). Though the tough-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold routine feels familiar, club-goers will find Rob's dispatches entertaining and informative. (Aug.)
* DEAR GABRIEL
Halfdan W. Freihow, translated from the Norwegian by Robert Ferguson. MacAdam/Cage, $18 (185p) ISBN 9781596922495
The austere, wind-swept landscape of a Norwegian island provides the backdrop for this poetic memoir—nominated for the Brage Prize in its author's native Norway—chronicling the love between a father and his autistic son. Journalist Freihow, in his first book, writes movingly of his family's day-to-day experiences working to help Gabriel overcome his social and intellectual challenges, giving readers a vivid, detailed glimpse into the condition and its effects. For example, Gabriel has a large vocabulary and is an avid reader, but has difficulty understanding ambiguity or metaphor; to the literal-minded boy, it seems an ignorant misuse of language. Over time, Freihow learns to interpret his son's distress over figures of speech, and Gabriel comes to understand and accept other peoples' imprecision; throughout, Freihow's meditations (directed, in the second person, at his son) capture how love and acceptance can trump language when it misleads and mistreats. Freihow's honest description of their relationship, carefully balancing frustration, apprehension and at-times terrifying insecurity ("A moment later I'm there, sitting with you and holding you tight against my chest, not knowing what to say or do") with joy and triumph, will prove particularly valuable for families touched by autism, but anyone interested in an intimate, finely-crafted family memoir will find this hard to put down. (Aug.)
THE EDUCATION OF T. C. MITS: What Modern Mathematics Means to You
Lillian R. Lieber. Paul Dry, $11.95 paper (230p) ISBN 9781589880337
First published in 1942 for distribution to American soldiers in WWII, this volume makes a fascinating bit of social history, but a reprint of dubious worth. An acronym for The Celebrated Man In The Street, T.C. Mits is very much a product of his time, an early experiment in the personalized style of mass communication which has become the norm. Like many Americans who fought in the war, everyman Mits has a limited education and little knowledge of the world beyond his home; this book offers him a series of short lessons in mathematical logic and its social utility: "The value of Science and Mathematics is not limited to the gadgets which they give us, but is also in their philosophy." In each lesson, a mathematical example or proof is described, whimsically illustrated (occasionally in proper mathematical graphs), and then extended to non-mathematical matters; e.g., an amusing jaunt through Einsteinian relativity results in this "Moral": "[A]dapt yourself to a continually CHANGING world." The light-hearted lessons and corny line drawings are charming, to be sure, but numerous "Why We Fight" asides railing against Hitler and totalitarianism make it more than a little dated, and its condescending tone can grate; as described by Barry Mazer in the foreword, it's "funny" and "a bit exasperating," like "a loving, elderly aunt and uncle." (Aug.)
THE EXTREME MAKEOVER OF HILLARY (RODHAM) CLINTON
Bay Buchanan. Regnery, $27.95 (256p) ISBN 9781596985070
Buchanan, former U.S. treasurer and sister of former presidential nominee Pat Buchanan, takes Hillary Clinton to task in this unapologetically partisan biography. Buchanan outlines how Clinton's personality and character changed after she was elected to the Senate, casting mock sympathy as she goes: "It must be a terrible thing to be as deeply insecure as Hillary. It has made her so incredibly susceptible to the ideas of [others]." Subsequent chapters criticize the senator's positions on hot-button issues, including healthcare, same-sex partnerships and the war in Iraq. Though Buchanan backs up many of her points with outside scholarship and Clinton's own interviews and records (both as senator and student), claims that Clinton "accepts no responsibility" and disregards "[e]ven the most basic standards of behavior" make this a sermon for the choir. (June)
FEINGOLD: A New Democratic Party
Sanford D. Horwitt. Simon & Schuster, $26 (336p) ISBN 9781416534921
Author and essayist Horwitt's latest is a love letter to Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, the lawmaker whose political life began with a seat on his high school student council (where his "leadership reflected both his passion for the democratic ideals he had absorbed from his family, and his identification with American civil rights and the political heroes who sought to turn those ideals into reality") and now "represents the progressive side of the Democratic divide more clearly and authentically than any successful politician on the national stage." It would be easy to fault Horwitt for his naiveté ("With Wisconsin progressives, efficient government and fiscal prudence were not empty slogans; they were simply the way government was supposed to work. And honesty and high ethical standards were practical, indispensable ingredients of efficient government because they curbed tendencies toward cronyism, graft, and other forms of corruption."), but his intent here seems to be one of preaching to the choir. In that case, he succeeds with this light, one-sided polit-bio. (July)
KARMA QUEENS, GEEK GODS & INNERPRENEURS: Meet the 9 Consumer Types Shaping Today's Marketplace
Ron Rentel with Joe Zellnik. McGraw Hill, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 9780071477918
In this guide to reaching a rapidly diversifying consumer population, marketing veteran Rentel divides the purchasing public into nine "C-types," then sets about pinning them to a set of characteristics, interests and exploitation-ready buying habits. Profiles include the "Karma Queen," an alternative-remedy, health-obsessed Birkenstock enthusiast; the "Innerpreneur," a neo-hippie business owner who prioritizes inner peace over Porches; the "Middleman," an immature post-collegiate; and "E-Litists," interested in going green so long as it doesn't cost them style, comfort or quality. In accessible, well-laid out text, Rentel outlines their market-relevant stats, detailing the behavior and fixations of each consumer clique; for instance, when it comes to Middlemen, "Sex sells; 'relationships' don't." Using this information, Rentel delineates slick marketing moves for each type, like selling upscale chocolate to Karma Queens, energy bars to the Innerpreneur and big-ticket designer brands to "Ms. Independents" (single women committed to themselves, rather than family, feminism or corporate conquest). Though Rentel confesses that his primer is "not meant to be a comprehensive study of all … consumers in existence," that doesn't forgive his tendency toward easy stereotyping; though it's an interesting, informative read, its utility is limited by a penchant for oversimplification. (July)
PARADOXIA: A Predator's Diary
Lydia Lunch, intro. by Jerry Stahl, afterword by Thurston Moore. Akashic, $13.95 paper (160p) ISBN 9781933354354
Art-rocker, filmmaker and '80s doyenne Lunch opens this confession, first published in the UK in 1997, with an account of her childhood sexual abuse: "So twisted by men, a man, my father, that I became like one." She's not looking for healing or sympathy, but to explain her transformation into a sexual predator. From Lunch's arrival in pre-AIDS New York as a teenager, she matter-of-factly "targets marks," trades her body for rooms and drugs, and uses increasingly transgressive sex for a high of its own: she deflowers runaway teenage boys ("supping on their energy like an insatiable bloodsucker whose belly would never fill"), dabbles with a cannibal (whose room smells like "barbecue and old leather"), and turns tricks with a lesbian mother trying to put her girlfriend through law school. Of johns and men in general, she writes that they all "get milked." She describes the beginnings of her performance work as "a bigger hustle" that she undertakes because it "took up too much time servicing just one john at a time." Beyond the book's chronicling of Lunch's desires, it serves an overarching, exhibitionist desire to perform, and it brings a decrepit, vanished New York to life. Lunch's book is explicit, and it sometimes matches a rawness of experience with a purpleness of prose, but it recreates its time and place with vivid authenticity. (Sept.)
SECRET LIVES OF THE CIVIL WAR: What Your Teachers Never Told You About the War Between the States
Cormac O'Brien. Quirk, $16.95 paper (320p) ISBN 9781594741388
O'Brien's slight but entertaining follow-up to Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents and Secret Lives of the First Ladies is best for those who like their history light. O'Brien profiles 26 figures—13 from each side—who consist mostly of military figures, plus the two Presidents and their first ladies, a few spies and the black leaders Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass; he proves most fascinating in the attendant anecdotes (James Longstreet fighting the Battle of Antietam in his slippers, William T. Sherman's two shipwrecks in a single day). Trivia abounds, including all the nicknames of each subject, astrological signs and characteristic quotes ("The moment a grain of black pepper touches my tongue, I lose all strength in my right leg," said Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a "notorious hypochondriac"). Unfortunately, the Civil War does not easily lend itself to irreverence or overview; O'Brien has no choice but to slog through battle after battle in order to put the details in context, forsaking in large part such topics as slavery, international relations, munitions and life on the home front. If, in fact, your teachers never told you about these secrets, it's probably because they had bigger fish to fry. (Aug.)
TARGETING IRAN
David Barsamian. City Lights, $11.95 paper (208p) ISBN 9780872864580
Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio and coauthor of Imperial Delusions, has produced a highly informative book that examines the U.S.-Iran standoff through interviews with Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian and Nahid Mozaffari. Topics of discussion range from the U.S.-backed 1953 coup to poetry in the years after the Islamic revolution, but the exposition of why Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad thinks Iran has the upper hand and the prospects for and likely consequences of a U.S. military strike in Iran are some of the most powerful portions of the book. "Both sides are playing brinksmanship," claims Abrahamian. One of the central conclusions is that the U.S. and Iran are teetering precipitously on the edge of another war that neither side can afford to participate in. In Barsamian's (and his interviewees') view, the best hope for a bloodless conclusion to the current standoff is for the US to approach Iran without demanding it submit to American demands before they even reach the bargaining table. This slim book is heavy with historical and cultural background that doesn't often find its way into news accounts; it's a great primer on a simmering conflict. (July)
WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN KEEP YOU OUT OF COLLEGE: The 13 Fatal Application Mistakes and Why Character is the Key to College Admissions
Dan Dunbar with G.F. Lichtenberg. Gotham, $15 (224p) ISBN 9781592403028
Dunbar offers sage advice on what to do—or, more specifically, what not to do—during the often daunting college admissions process in order to ensure a more successful (or at least less painful) outcome. Dunbar's first tip for getting through the "marathon" of application is simple: "Pace yourself… commit to one work session per weekend." The steps that follow are equally manageable, designed to guide even the least prepared to the halls of higher learning. All the usual ins and outs are explored: essays, extracurriculars, interviewing and getting waitlisted. More specific advice steers applicants away from dangerous essay topics and explicates the value of social sensitivity, while boxed asides ("First Aid," "Steps to Success," "Revising the Rule") provide spot treatment for mid-interview faux pas and winning strategies for asserting independence and positivity. Though he spends perhaps too much time on interviews—a step not every applicant will have to take—his background in prestigious East Coast prep school admissions makes this a top-notch resource for students applying to small private colleges or Ivy League institutions. (July)
LIFESTYLE
THE 4-INGREDIENT DIABETES COOKBOOK: Simple, Quick and Delicious Recipes Using Just Four Ingredients or Less
Nancy S. Hughes. American Diabetes Association, $16.95 paper (198p) ISBN 9781580402781
Hughes, author of cookbooks health-minded (The 1200-Calory-A-Day Menu Cookbook) and otherwise (The New Chili Cuisine) pulls off a challenging trick in her latest, devising more than 100 tasty recipes with only four ingredients that also satisfy the American Diabetes Association's dietary guidelines. When limiting ingredients, the first casualty is depth of flavor, but Hughes employs a variety of tricks to correct this, like lemon zest in Greek Chicken with Lemon or onion soup mix in Homestyle Double-Onion Roast; elsewhere, packaged chili spice mix meets varying degrees of success. Bacon-Onion Potato Salad, which relies on reduced-fat Ranch dressing, is a rare miss, but the hits more than make up: Seared Chicken with Spicy Chipotle Cream Sauce, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Bourbon'd Filet Mignon—its rich sauce made with a deglaze of strong coffee—all beg for a turn. Nutritional and exchange information is supplied for each dish, and Hughes thoughtfully rounds out the book with useful all-purpose tips, like using low-carb vegetables to boost the volume of starchy dishes, adding instant coffee to deepen chocolate flavors and substituting equal amounts of cauliflower for potatoes. Those on a restricted diet will appreciate this wide range of simple dishes, as well as tips and tricks for enhancing everyday staples. (Aug.)
THE EAT WELL COOKBOOK: Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes for Food Lovers
Jan Purser and Kathy Snowball. Allen & Unwin, $24.95 paper (192p) ISBN 9781741148275
A follow-up of sorts to their Detox Cookbook, nutritionist Purser and food writer Snowball offer an assortment of gluten- and dairy-free dishes for restricted diets. Dairy-free dishes are fairly straightforward, substituting rice or soy milk in recipes for smoothies, soufflés and pudding. Dishes such as Swordfish Kebabs, Goan Fish Stew and Greek-Style Roast Chicken are rounded out with flavorful, vegetable-based accents rather than gluten-heavy sides. As those unable to eat gluten can attest, recreating wheat-based favorites can pose a challenge; in some cases the authors opt for pre-made gluten-free bread, as in French Toast with Fruit Compote, while in others (like Banana, Carrot and Walnut Cake) they advocate a from-scratch approach. The dishes' success likely depends as much on a cook's ability to source the ingredients as their preparation; happily, the authors provide a source for gluten-free products in the United States and their native Australia, and substitutions are suggested throughout. The book has a decidedly Aussie feel, from the use of "kilojoules" for "calories" to the use of native ingredients like Moreton Bay bugs, snake beans and barramundi. Given the relative paucity of books with flavorful takes on the limited-ingredient approach, credit is due for variety alone, though bread-starved dieters might be disappointed that more baked goods aren't offered. (Sept.)
* THE NEW ENGLAND SOUP FACTORY COOKBOOK
Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein. Thomas Nelson, $24.99 (256p) ISBN 9781401603007
Druker, executive chef and co-owner of Massachusetts eatery the New England Soup Factory, joins veteran Boston-based food writer Silverstein to weave personal stories of the region with mouthwatering recipes in this instant classic, a must-have for soup lovers. Standards like Beef and Barley, Split Pea with Bacon and Potatoes, and Hot and Sour Soup sit comfortably next to innovative combinations such as Butternut Squash Soup with Calvados, Gorgonzola Cheese and Prosciutto or Yellow Tomato Soup with Jasmine Rice. Aside from the stock-making, which Druker and Silverstein heartily endorse, most of the soups and accompanying sides come together in minutes, producing a quick, hearty meal that few dishes can match for sheer satisfaction. Many recipes highlight just a handful of ingredients (Roasted Yellow Beet and Pear Soup with Blue Cheese; Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup with Dill; Apple, Onion and Cheddar Soup) and call for little else, keeping recipes simple, costs low and flavors bold. Recipes are grouped intuitively by theme (cheese, chicken, chowders, etc.) as well as by season, ensuring that the perfect bowl of soup is never far away. (Sept.)
ILLUSTRATED
THE MUGHAL EMPERORS: And the Islamic Dynasties of India, Iran and Central Asia
Frances Robinson. Thames & Hudson, $45 (240p) ISBN 9780500251348
This illustrated volume is a fascinating, thorough history covering dozens of Middle Eastern and Indian leaders from the 13th century on, each struggling with the problems of maintaining strong central power among a wide-spread, pre-industrial society. When not conquering and pillaging, the profiled rulers—who exhibit tremendous passion and curiosity—experimented with the use of paper currency, built monuments that still stand today and fostered advancements in calligraphy, poetry, architecture, painting, mathematics and astronomy. Each emperor's tale is unique, but among this span of rulers several constants remain: Islam and the range of ideas it offers are constantly subordinated by the demands of power, substance abuse is widespread, and women are given a surprising role in architecture, business and political ventures. Just as commonplace are illicit affairs, strained alliances, ascendancy struggles and morbid deaths (Il Khan leader Teguder is killed "by having his back broken, a form of execution which, like being kicked to death in a carpet, avoided the spilling of noble blood"). These stories, accompanied by full-color illustrations, capture beautifully the glory, excess and tragedy at the heart of these illustrious Islamic dynasties. (July)
FICTION
THE ASSISTANT
Robert Walser, trans. from the German by Susan Bernofsky. New Directions, $16.95 paper (304p) ISBN 9780811215909
Swiss writer Walser (1878–1956) wrote this Kafka-esque novel in 1908. Joseph Marti, a 24-year-old clerk, comes to work and live in the home-office of inventor-entrepreneur Karl Tobler, a boor and practical incompetent. As business prospects dry up and investors lose interest, Joseph's job becomes a surreal parody of itself, his only function to send away creditors, smoke cigars and drink coffee with Tobler's wife. Yet as he awaits the inevitable financial collapse of the family, Joseph remains in thrall of Tobler, subject to nightmares about being berated while he works on, unpaid, in a thankless job that only gets more demeaning. Joseph continually writes letters, "memoirs" and journal entries, but always tears up his writing and throws it in the trash. He remains a willing prisoner of Tobler's rages and declining fortunes, for perverse love of the household in spite of his unhappiness—the archetype of a colorless, characterless, purely functional assistant. As intended, this sly, modern-seeming novel is almost unbearable to read. (July)
CATCH A RISING STAR
Tracey Bateman. Hachette/FaithWords, $12.99 paper (304p) ISBN 9780446698931
Bateman (I Love Claire) kicks off a new series about three single 30-something roommates in New York City. The protagonist of this installment is Tabby Brockman, a struggling actress who is asked to resurrect a character she once played on a popular soap opera. It's a dream job, even though Tabby wrestles with how to be a faithful Christian on the set of such a steamy show and occasionally refuses to play a scene that she thinks is immoral. Meanwhile, her off-the-air love life is heating up, too. Tabby's mom is determined to set her up with a drippy guy who won't take no for an answer, but Tabby loses her heart to a hunky, recently widowed stage dad, whose two children play her twins on the soap. There are only two problems: Tabby can't stand kids, and her archrival, an annoying actress named Rachel Savage, appears to be after the same man. Tabby's first-person narration is chatty and fast-paced, the dialogue is snappy, and Tabby's roommates, parents and sister are all well-developed characters. The number of hospital scenes in this otherwise winsome and fun novel strains credulity, but in the realm of Christian chick lit, Bateman is a rising star in her own right. (July)
CLOSED FOR REPAIRS: STORIES
Nancy Alonso, trans. from the Spanish by Anne Fountain. Curbstone (Perseus, dist.), $13.95 paper (92p) ISBN 9781931896320
In 11 too-brief, charming tales, Cuban author Alonso gently pokes fun at the irksome living conditions in her home country. In "Caesar," a family starved for the taste of meat—unavailable and prohibitively expensive to the regular workers—decide to raise a pig for slaughter, but become very attached to the clean, well-behaved Caesar. More gruesome is the plight of Berta in "The Test," who prolongs the ulcer that ensures she'll continue to receive the dietary supplement to her food rations. "Mutiny on Board" presents a satisfying revolt by a busload of workers mortally tired of being cheated by the bus drivers and fare collectors on Cojímar's route 58. A gap "like a giant stomach, constantly devouring" garners national attention but little repair in "The Story of a Pothole," while a the couple seeking a new home in "Never Finished" try to navigate the bewildering system of Cuban house trading, permutar. Throughout, Alonso finds a redemptive humor amid privation and heartache. (July)
THE CURE
Athol Dickson. Bethany House, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 9780764201639
In his follow-up to the Christy Award-winning River Rising, Dickson focuses on a missionary, Riley Keep, who becomes an alcoholic after a devastating experience in the mission field. Blending science fiction and suspense, Dickson sets his novel in the small fishing town of Dublin, Maine. Rich with local dialect and scenery, the novel explores what happens to this bucolic village when dozens, then hundreds, of desperate homeless people descend upon it, having heard that someone there has a miracle cure for alcoholism. As Dublin becomes increasingly dystopic, Riley and the people in his life experience one crisis after another. Dickson's approach is thought-provoking, and his prose beautifully evokes the taciturn spirit of the Mainers who people this novel. As a suspense novel, however, it suffers from a series of implausible misunderstandings. Far too many of the novel's crises involve characters not having discovered facts the reader has known or surmised for some time. Mistaken assumptions about identities, relationships, motives, and culpability for evil deeds serve as a tiresome framework for much of Dickson's plot. His characters seem too smart not to make certain discoveries sooner, and this problem slows down an otherwise well-paced novel that is full of interesting ideas and well-developed characters. (July)
THE DEAD WHISPER ON
T.L. Hines. Bethany House, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 9780764202056
A miner-turned-garbage collector is the refreshingly different protagonist of this sophomore horror outing by Hines (Waking Lazarus). Chubby redhead Candace "Canada Mac" MacHugh drives a '72 Dodge Charger, lives in a hand-me-down trailer full of junk in Butte, Montana, and hears the voice of her father who died 11 years ago. It turns out her dad wants her to join him and some mysterious shadows of the presumed dead in what seem to be do-good missions. As Canada begins her first mission working with the shadows, Hines uses multiple points of view to show a town where people are spontaneously combusting and discerning good from evil is surprisingly difficult. Hines writes with wry humor and imagination, although the plot elements don't always transition smoothly. Some of the scenes are creative and metaphorical (a dream about Old Faithful); others are less successful, as when Canada reunites a little girl with her father in the aftermath of a tornado. The spiritual themes are more of the "good vs. evil" variety than overtly Christian. As the story ends, the symbolic nature of the malady striking the inhabitants of Butte might have been more powerful if not so clearly explained. Although the novel frays a bit at the edges, in his best moments, Hines brings to mind W. G. Griffiths (Driven). (July)
DIAMOND IN THE SKY
Margaret Bailey. Five Star, $26.95 (324p) ISBN 9781594145667
There's too much victimhood and not enough positive action in the struggling 1895 town of Leadville, Colorado. Thaddeus MacElwaine runs the local store; Noah Ralston, Thaddeus's best friend, runs the slightly more successful hotel. When newcomer Juliet "Lettie" Corcoran and her consumptive brother, Laertes ("Larry"), come into town (on the same day as Thad's estranged brother, Zeb), Thad sets his heart on Lettie. Unfortunately, so does Noah. Lettie admits she reciprocates Thad's love, but is worried about Larry's worsening condition and fears she might have to marry Noah in order to pay for Larry's medical care. Hope comes to Leadville in the guise of a proposed Ice Palace, set to bring tourist dollars to the town, which is already showing its factionalm worse-for-wear seams. First-time novelist Bailey's splendid scenic descriptions impart a real love of place, but it's easy to stay ahead of the sweet, simplistic plot, and frustrating when the protagonists don't think clearly enough to anticipate even a smidgen of the consequences of their actions. (July)
FRENCH TRYSTS: Secrets of a Courtesan
Kirsten Lobe. St. Martin's Griffin, $13.95 paper (352p) ISBN 9780312363208
It doesn't take long for Alexandra Ward, a Chicago girl and heroine of Lobe's dirty and annoying second novel, to go from Sorbonne student to orgy participant. The "plot" involves Alexandra's string of affairs with rich and powerful Frenchmen. There's Jean-Albert, the "zillionaire"; Frederic de Fallois, "France's minister of something"; the Marquis Louis-Philippe de Tassin, who throws an aristocratic orgy at his family chateau; and her true love, Laurent, who proposes marriage and then abandons her. The tone of the narrative is that of a no-holds-barred chatty confession, and readers who can get past the haltingly air-headed banter (to wit: "I galloped. (Okay kill the horseshit. Oh, but it's so fun. I may corral a few more jokes out of it, bare with me!)") are treated to 300 pages of erotic exploits that could just as easily be letters to Penthouse. In the end, she discovers the meaning of life. Alexandra is perpetually hot and bothered, but readers will just be bothered. (July)
THE IMMACULATE CONNECTION
Michelle Sawyer. Alyson, $14.95 paper (202p) ISBN 9781593500207
Sawyer brings back lipstick lesbian Macy Delongchamp in this uneven sequel to her acclaimed debut They Say She Tastes Like Honey. Macy—comfortably retired, on the wagon, in psychotherapy and going through menopause—along with "charming wife" Faith and young son Banky, head to Santa Monica to escape Manhattan's bad air and lurking dangers. The move is an instant hit with Faith and Banky, but not Macy, who goes about alienating her New Age neighbors, best friend Trish (whose daughter announces she's gay, much to her straight mother's shock and horror) and long-suffering Faith. The strain shatters Macy's once happy home. What follows is this saucy, ribald lesbian's foolhardy and occasionally funny attempts to win her wife and child back. But the narrative is a mess, from inexplicable appearances by Macy's adored and departed step-mom Vi, to a ridiculous and unbelievable kidnapping of Banky by Macy's brother Elliott. With too much fanfare, Sawyer tells the tired story of love found, lost and found again. The same-sex scenario could add a little spice in the hands of a more careful storyteller, but sadly, it doesn't bring much to this drab yarn. (July)
SCHOOL OF FORTUNE
Amanda Brown and Janice Weber. St. Martin's Griffin, $12.95 paper (320p) ISBN 9780312366735
Legally Blond author Brown's collaboration with Weber features Pippa Walker, a smart, spirited heroine trapped in a plot that doesn't do her justice. Pippa's mother, Thayne, has planned her daughter's fabulous Texas wedding to Dallas Cowboy quarterback Lance down to the last solid gold spoon. But Pippa calls off the wedding last-minute after learning a disastrous secret about her husband-to-be. Disowned and reeling from the sudden death of her grandfather, who leaves Pippa a fortune on the condition that she earn a diploma, Pippa tries a variety of moneymaking schemes, from clown class to driving school. An eventual romance pairs Pippa with a valet who, like the heroine, is not what he seems. Fans of Brown's or Weber's earlier works may be disappointed with this effort. While the ending is an enjoyable mixture of farce and fairy tale, there are a surfeit of inconsequential plot detours along the way. (July)
VIE FRANÇAISE
Jean-Paul Dubois, trans. from the French by Linda Coverdale. Knopf, $24.95 (272p) ISBN 9780307262875
In this first translation of veteran French novelist Dubois, Gallic everyman Paul Blick experiences decades of turmoil and tragedy, and conscientiously adds each mishap—whether national or personal—to his bleak philosophy. A native of the southern city of Toulouse, Paul loses his beloved brother in childhood, flirts with the revolutionary side of the '60s during his student days and finally sells out to marry Anna, the proud daughter of an aggressively capitalist family. Peaceful domesticity eventually gives way to Paul being unfaithful, and to his newfound passion for photography, which in turn brings him fame. Each section of Paul's life is titled with the name of the French president at the time ("Charles De Gaulle"; "François Mitterrand") and not-so-subtle parallels are drawn by Paul between his shifting discontent and his country's restlessness, climaxing in a series of random tragedies. Dubois's sense of irony and the absurd—Paul's fascination with snapping photos of trees and beetles, a friend's teenage sexual exploits with a roast turkey, Anna's hauteur as CEO of a Jacuzzi company—is compelling. But while Paul's grim discourses may be an integral part of his character, they don't add much to the story. (July)
