Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 9/17/2007

-- Publishers Weekly, 9/17/2007

NONFICTION

112 Miles to the Pin: Extreme Golf Around the World
Duncan Lennard. Skyhorse (Sterling, dist.), $17.95 (202p) ISBN 9781602391741

Escorting the reader through uncharted territory, journalist and author Lennard playfully describes the adventurous side of golf, hoping that fellow golfers will rediscover the joy of a game that “remains dominated by social convention… marginaliz[ing] the people who have the most fire for [it].” As such, he’s amassed infectious, inspiring interviews with unorthodox golfers from every continent: cross-country golfer David Ewen improved his game by playing all the way across his homeland of Scotland; the Natural Born Golfers, a group of raffishly dressed German punks, swing at targets from rooftops or boats; and New Zealand’s Mackenzie Muster naturist festival features a nude tournament (though socks and shoes are allowed). Lennard rounds out his global survey with an amusing appendix of miscellany: records of the longest hits from land, ocean, and space; tips for tundra and mountain golf; and rules for playing the city (“from the Shoreditch Urban Open Rulebook”). Though Lennard’s descriptions are deft, readers will long for a photo to illustrate rare hazards like the aftermath of warring hippos or the Arctic skuas, large and aggressive birds who steal balls, mistaking them for penguin eggs; for those and other images, readers will have to turn to Lennard’s 2004 book, Extreme Golf, for which this makes a fun, fitting follow-up. (Oct.)

Children of Jihad: A Young American’s Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East
Jared Cohen. Gotham, $26 (304p) ISBN 9781592403240

Rather than globetrotting for pleasure like many post-collegiate backpackers, Cohen charms his way through Middle Eastern countries typically thought of as unfriendly to the West. This type of travel is not without its problems: he suffers intimidation, unauthorized searches and other threats over the course of his two years spent among the twentysomethings of Lebanon, Syria and Iran. While gamboling across the region, Cohen drops in on Palestinian refugee camps, chats up Hezbollah members at a McDonalds, talks nuclear power with Iranians over illegal moonshine and meets “Iraqis who like us” in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is often repeated that the colorful and gifted youth immortalized in this book are surprisingly similar to their class of American counterparts, valuing education, dreaming of the future, and tooling with emerging technologies to broaden their sense of the world. Cohen’s accounts are sharp and his intentions admirable. (Oct.)

Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit
Editors of The Bark. Crown, $25 (304p) ISBN 9780307338389

The second literary salvo from The Bark magazine (after Dog is my Co-Pilot), a mostly-miss compendium of dog-related scribblings, opens with a spectacularly unfunny standup routine performed by a dog named Gracie. The schtick, by essayist Bonnie Thomas Abbott, is cliché-ridden enough almost to put readers off dogs for good. Alice Elliott Dark’s ponderous attempted satire of the James Frey debacle, related here as the dog Raw Bone’s memoir A Million Little Reeses, is so cringe-inducing the reader is actually embarrassed for the author. Those with fortitude will be rewarded, albeit sparingly. Marc Spitz’s essay on how his dog changed his life, riddled with pop culture references and self-deprecating humor, is truly a joy. Kinky Friedman’s all-too-short piece on the trials and tribulations of sharing a bed with animals will have dog lovers smiling and nodding in recognition, and Nancy Cohen’s “The Seven Month Itch” masterfully incorporates the multitude of nicknames owners have for their companions in a story about the search for the cure for a rash. Unfortunately, the gems are all too few. (Oct.)

Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy
John Bowe. Random, $25.95 (336p) ISBN 9781400062096

In this eye-opening look at the contemporary American scourge of labor abuse and outright slavery, journalist and author Bowe (Gig: Americans Talk About their Jobs) visits locations in Florida, Oklahoma and the U.S.-owned Pacific island of Saipan, where slavery cases have been brought to light as recently as 2006. There, he talks to affected workers, providing many moving and appalling first-hand accounts. In Immokalee, Florida, migrant Latino tomato and orange pickers are barely paid, kept in decrepit conditions and intimidated, violently, to keep quiet about it. A welding factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma imported workers from India who were forced to pay exorbitant “recruiting fees” and live in squalid barracks with tightly controlled access to the outside world. Considering the tiny island capital of Saipan, Bowe explores how its culture, isolation and American ties made it so favorable an environment for exploitative garment manufacturers and corrupt politicos; alongside the factories sprouted karaoke bars, strip joints and hotels where politicians were entertained by now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The detailed chapter gives readers a lasting image of the island, touted a “miracle of economic development,” as a vulnerable, truly suffering community, where poverty rates have climbed as high as 35 percent. Bowe’s deeply researched, well-written treatise on the very real problem of modern American slavery deserves the attention of anyone living, working and consuming in America. (Sept.)

Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life
Michael Krasny. Stanford, $24.95 (344p) ISBN 9780804756716

Long-time host of KQED’s Forum, Kransy always lusted after literature, pursuing a degree in it despite the protestations of his mother, who warned it might impress girls but would never make him money. Instead of pushing out a worthy novel, however, Krasny canonizes his talk radio career in this memoir, placing stories from his juicy backlog of interviews alongside tales of a neglectful father, his Ohio State fraternity, procreating and purchasing a home. His steadily honed love of language is palpable and infectious, suited more to the book party-hopping literary junkie than the broadcast historian. Eminent newsmakers, literary greats and iconoclasts open up to him like patients on a psychiatrist’s couch; the self-proclaimed “writer’s interviewer” reveals that for Michael Chabon, “[i]t’s irritating to come up with technical matters like plot and character”; that an “owl-like” Joyce Carol Oates allowed him to cradle her “as she went speechless on air… [over] her beloved deceased literary agent”; and that T.C. Boyle believes his wild story “If the River Was Whiskey” could have been written by anybody. Though dense at times, the text’s winding path toward self-definition is rewarding. Krasny posits how little he actually knows after a lifetime of reading and questioning, happily concluding that, like most everyone else, he has experienced over his life a confluence of ordinary and extraordinary, and been fortunate enough to live to write about it. (Oct.)

Other Colors: Essays and a Story
Orhan Pamuk. Knopf, $26.95 (384p) ISBN 9780307266750

Though the latest book from Nobel Prize-winning Pamuk (Istanbul, Snow) is a standard late-career essay collection, it makes clear the reasons behind the Turkish author’s acclaim. Eschewing flash and flourish, Pamuk’s style is plain, simple and persuasive—but therein lies its subtle power, well represented over more than 75 pieces divided into sections like “Living and Worrying” and “Politics, Europe, and Other Problems of Being Oneself.” Self-reflection and cultural evolution emerge often as twin themes, as in his consideration of the Thousand and One Nights: “In those days, young Turks like me who considered themselves modern viewed the classics of eastern literature as one might a dark and impenetrable forest.” These concerns lead naturally to political considerations, such as his conclusion that “the lies about the war in Iraq and… secret CIA prisons have so damaged the West’s credibility in Turkey… it is more and more difficult for people like me to make the case for true western democracy in my part of the world.” There’s humor as well; in “Giving Up Smoking,” a smoking cab driver begs Pamuk’s pardon: “He was opening the window. ‘No,’ I said, ‘keep it closed. I’ve given up smoking.’” Also included are musings on his own books and a short story, “To Look Out the Window.” Disarmingly honest, Pamuk refuses to give in to melodrama or stylistic quirks, giving his feeling and frustration crystalline clarity and lasting weight. (Sept.)

The Secret of “The Secret”: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Runaway Bestseller
Karen Kelly. Thomas Dunne, $16.95 (224p) ISBN 9780312377908

Journalist Kelly (coauthor, Starring You!, Get Serious About Getting Married) takes a close look at the instant success of Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret, the New Age inspirational/self-help title which, as of this title’s pub date, has ruled nonfiction bestseller lists for some nine months. Though the “secret” of The Secret is the tried-and-true “law of attraction,” an idea kicked around for centuries, Kelly demonstrates why it’s captured the attention of today’s culture, paying special attention to the scientific and historical claims made by Byrne and company and the marketing techniques used to fuel sales. Guiding readers first through the controversial process by which the DVD and book made it to market, she then looks at the history of an idea, “the power of positive thinking,” and demonstrates “stunning” similarities between “metaphysical writers working today… [and] the New Thought writers” of the 19th century (including Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy). Kelly’s straightforward writing style, inherent grasp of the content’s subtleties and natural skepticism give readers a big-picture view of The Secret and its success. Readers who want to examine the real facts behind the phenomenon will not be disappointed. (Aug.)

Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile’s Hunger for Home
Eduardo Machado with Michael Domitrovich. Gotham, $27.50 (320p) ISBN 9781592403219

In this memoir, playwright and professor Machado (Kissing Fidel) tells the story of his family’s escape from Cuba and their assimilation into the U.S. Although his tale features a familiar triumph-over-adversity storyline, it distinguishes itself in descriptions of Cuban delicacies, complete with recipes. Recalling a hasty dinner of swordfish escabeche enjoyed in the midst of the Revolution, he writes, “Something about looking down at a golden slab, cutting into the thick flesh… made the meal feel like a luxury.” To better share the tastes of home, the author studs the book with recipes for favorites like Roast Pork, heady with garlic and citrus, and Biztec Empanizado, a tropical country-fried steak that’s surprisingly light. Though the vivid food writing captivates, the memoir can drag in long reporterly passages, and rankles with a few too many glib assessments: “The shock of dad’s departure was that it changed how we understood the very concept of family.” Nevertheless, the luxuriant descriptions of family meals, and the obvious joy Machado takes in recounting them, make this memoir a tasty read. (Oct.)

To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle
George M. Taber. Scribner, $26 (288p) ISBN 9780743299343

Unexpectedly fascinating, this history of wine corks may sound like a book only an oenophile could love, but Taber’s zingy writing and juicy anecdotes make it a genuine page-turner, even for those who prefer wine coolers to wine lists. The first chapter alone is full of intriguing facts: for instance, wine was once sealed with a slick of olive oil, and the practice of tasting wine before pouring it “actually started as a way of making sure all the oil was gone.” Cork, a structurally unique substance used for sealing bottles since the Roman Empire, replaced olive oil centuries ago, but cork is not a perfect solution to the vexing problem of protecting wine: between 3 and 5 percent is tainted with a noxious chemical compound that can ruin an otherwise perfect bottle. The debate about whether or not to continue using cork has torn through the multibillion dollar wine industry, pitting traditionalists against innovators, cork farmers against scientists: “Says Brian Croser, one of Australia’s leading winemakers, ‘It’s scary how passionate people can be on this topic. Prejudice and extreme positions have taken over, and science has often gone out the window.’” If it seems strange to harbor such passion about cork, Taber, a respected wine journalist, will do much to change your mind. (Oct.)

Tour de Life: From Coma to Competition
Saul Raisin with David Shields. Three Story, $29.95 (304p) ISBN 9780974849225

In 2006, 23-year-old Raisin was on his way to an impressive cycling career when a bad crash sent him into a coma, necessitating emergency brain surgery. Doctors told Raisin’s frantic parents he probably wouldn’t make it, and that if he did, he’d be confined to bed, “or at best a wheelchair for the rest of his life.” What follows is Raisin’s long, miraculous, tear-jerking fight back to the cycling arena. Hospitalized in France for 28 days, Raisin finally returns to America and his Georgia home to begin his recovery; one of the peculiarities of his brain injury is that even while actively recovering, his brain would not process the extent of his injuries: “My wonderful life has somehow become scrambled beyond repair.” In an especially moving passage, Raisin discovers for the first time exactly what happened to him and the severity of his injuries by Googling his name. Determined to win back what he lost, Raisin sets his own stakes: “They said I could never walk, so I say I will run. They said I could never ride a bike, so I say I’ll compete in another race.” Stilted dialog, especially in the first half, tends to distract, as do occasional, unnecessary tangents (e.g., doping, Lance Armstrong), but not enough to keep this memorable story of personal and family crisis from engaging and inspiring. (Sept.) 

LIFESTYLE

1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die
Patricia Schultz. Workman, $19.95 paper (1,200pp) ISBN 9780761136910

Of the plethora of adjectives suitable for the tone of this witty reference book, the most relevant is proud; from the outset, Schultz declares her own personal connection to the places visited, titling the introduction, “Rediscovering My Own Backyard.” Divided by region—starting off in New England, the Mid-Atlantic states, the Southeast and the rest of the U.S., then continues into eastern and western Canada—Schultz’s follow-up to the bestselling 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (a global survey) presents grandiose portraits of the two countries’ most popular and patriotic spots. Schultz includes plenty of directions for travel, food and lodging, including costs, though this is no budget guide (see the $75 dinner under the Brooklyn Bridge). Still, what Schultz lacks in cost-efficiency she makes up for in scope; quite literally, there’s something here for everyone: baseball fields, national parks and campgrounds, major malls, expansive historical estates and more. A fine gift, it should also spark spirited party conversation—who’s been where, what to visit next, and which personal favorites didn’t make the cut. (Aug.)

Get Yours!: The Girlfriends’ Guide to Having Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More
Amy DuBois Barnett. Broadway, $22.95 (256p) ISBN 9780767925082

According to journalist and editor Barnett, living out a success trifecta (motherhood, marriage, career) isn’t as easy as it looks. Having faced her share of sadness—from death and divorce to dead-end jobs and cheating men—Barrett chronicles her turn from despair to dedication on the path to becoming the first African-American woman to run a major mainstream magazine (recently shuttered Teen People). Eager to share the precepts that govern her productive, gratifying life, Barnett fills this book with sisterly advice; “Realize your value and demand the best” is easily the most pivotal of these tips, which also cover friendship, family, career, style, financial security, personal space, men, creativity and spirituality. Concrete steps point readers toward self-confidence and success: face your fears and “embrace [them] as a chance for growth” by “compos[ing] a list of 10 things that scare you”; keep family close by sending out a newsletter, or devoting one full day a month to them. Unfortunately, clichés outnumber innovative ideas, though personal anecdotes and celebrity Q&As (including Gayle King, Kelly Rowland and Venus Williams) prove revealing and encouraging. A fun, knowing and star-studded guide to success, this self-help is suitable for readers at any stage of life. (Oct.)

Great Kids: Helping your Baby and Child Develop the 10 Essential Qualities for a Healthy, Happy Life
Stanley I. Greenspan. Da Capo, $22.95 (240p) ISBN 9780738209791

Professor of psychiatry and pediatrics Greenspan (The Challenging Child, Engaging Autism) expands his authorial reach, heretofore limited to special needs children, with this general guide to instilling values in any developing child. A conversational style eases parents into the methods for cultivating 10 essential qualities that will “make possible the pursuit of success, wisdom, and rich relationships at every stage of life”: engagement, empathy, curiosity, communication, emotional range, self-awareness, internal discipline, creativity and vision, logical thinking and moral integrity. Using the “Floortime” method developed (and trademarked) by Greenspan and his colleagues (widely practiced by those working with autistic children), the process begins with parents getting down into “her orbit at her eye level and on her terms,” letting the child lead so that one can “build on [her interests] in ways that expand her experiences and tolerance for frustration.” Following a complete and detailed discussion of the quality in question, including helpful examples, chapters end with a concise set of action points for children at various stages of development. Interesting, practical and rooted in solid values, Greenspan’s latest is a notable standout in a crowded field. (Sept.)

Mending The Broken Bond: The 90-Day Answer to Developing a Loving Relationship with Your Child
Frank Lawlis. Viking, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 9780670018345

Author and psychologist Lawlis (also an adviser on the Dr. Phil television show) presents a three-month program designed to “restore the two-way flow of love between parents and children.” Initially, Lawlis helps to “identify the original causes of a ‘difficult child,’ ” offering sound solutions—perhaps as simple as cutting back a manic schedule: “Children of all ages need downtime.” Next, Lawlis methodically leads participants through a series of chapters that help uncover a family’s unique challenges, strengths and weaknesses, which point the way forward. Each phase of the program includes helpful quizzes and exercises to aid participants in identifying problems and reshaping their roles, responses and relationships. Topics are varied and occasionally innovative, including “Sour Brain Phenomenon” (“those minds that are crippled by chemical pollution of one sort or another”), the importance of “Nurturing Meals,” and “Natural Healing Powers” (touch, scent) that anyone can practice. At times the self-help vocabulary is a little cloying, (e.g., “Feel it and Then Heal It,” “Relating Not Dictating”), but Lawlis’ reassuring voice and fully-fleshed program, coupled with frequent examples of family success stories, offer effective ideas for disconnected families. (Sept.)

ILLUSTRATED

Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Regan
Peter Schifando and J. Jonathan Joseph. Morrow, $49.95 (240p) ISBN 9780061350122

Schifando and Joseph sweep readers into the elegant world of Washington elite in this photo-heavy look at White House entertaining, particularly during the presidency of Ronald Regan. The authors begin with a look at various presidential approaches to entertaining and the emergence of a uniquely American style. The greater part of the volume is devoted to the intricate details in meal preparation, table setting, protocol and etiquette in the private gatherings and celebrations of the Regan administration; former first lady Nancy Regan shares her scrapbooks and journals with the same hospitality she showed visiting dignitaries. Though it steers clear of politics, Schifando and Joseph never stray from one of the books’ central themes, the importance of White House entertaining in American statesmanship, not just a ceremonial procedure but a chance for real change in international relations, simply by virtue of formal proximity and the unexpected connections it can engender: “In the East Room of the White House, surrounded by Cold War hawks like Jeane Kirkpatrick and Dick Cheney, the leaders of the Communist Party were serenading the guests.” Party-goers and party-throwers alike will enjoy this full-color behind-the-scenes look at the People’s house, featuring hundreds of photos that take readers from world-famous celebrations to casual private dinners. (Oct.)

POETRY

Ocean Effects
Brendan Galvin. Louisiana State Univ., $45 (80p) ISBN 9780807132661; $16.95 paper ISBN 9780807132678

Galvin (Habitat) may be known as a nature poet, but the real strength in this very readable volume lies in the people who speak through it, in the dramatic monologues, epistolary impersonations and modern folktales Galvin spins through the longer poems in the middle third of the book. Galvin is also a poet of the Atlantic—of Cape Cod, where he lives, of the seagoing Irish heritage, and of the harsh salt water and air. Most of the verse here reflects lives lived by the sea. “These Little Town Blues” tells entertaining stories in the voices of Massachusetts police who complain about the tourists, whom they call “New Age lizards, washashores, blow-ins.” The long, ambitious, informative and ultimately moving “Around Master Williams” pursues American hopes and disappointments in the person and through the pen of Rhode Island’s 17th-century founder: “I speak of this Rhode Island drowning/ in disorders of our own creation,” Galvin’s version of Roger Williams complains. Lyric poems set in Labrador, the Faroe Islands and the wild spaces of contemporary America seem less original, but they too have their moments of obvious beauty: “wild asparagus tall as a man one day,/ barely there the day before.” (Sept.)

Poetry Speaks: Expanded
Elise Paschen and Rebekah Presson Mosby. Sourcebooks, $49.95 (400p) ISBN 9781402210624

This second edition of the popular anthology is an accessible introduction to 20th century poetry on the page and in the air. Forty-seven poets—beginning with Tennyson, moving through Eliot, Kerouac and Bishop, among many others, and ending on Plath—are represented in this book and CD package. Attesting to the fact that poetry remains a spoken art form, this book may convince readers that well-chosen words gain vitality when heard aloud, as Allen Ginsberg’s incantatory rendering of “Howl” proves. William Carlos Williams’ “The Red Wheelbarrow,” in the poet’s voice, takes on a playful singsong quality. Gwendolyn Brooks, reading “We Real Cool,” affects her subjects’ swagger and attitude, shifting to solemnity for the grave final line: “we die soon.” The book also includes useful biographical information and a literary essay on each writer by contemporary poets, who locate the poets in historical context: Anne Stevenson, for instance, comments on Plath and Paul Muldoon on James Joyce, by whom this edition also contains a previously unreleased recording of the “Anna Livia Plurabelle” section of Finnegan’s Wake. Reluctant poetry readers may find themselves drawn to the printed page by the spoken work, and poetry fans are likely to find much to love here. (Oct.)

FICTION

The Cry of the Dove
Fadia Faqir. Black Cat/Grove Atlantic, $14 paper (304p) ISBN 9780802170408

In Faqir’s haunting, fragmented third novel (following Pillars of Salt), Bedouin teenager Salma Ibrahim El-Musa has become Sally Ascher, longing to fit in to her adopted rural Devon, England. As the novel unfolds in retrospect, Salma becomes pregnant by her lover, Hamdan, who repudiates her. Under threat of an honor killing at the hands of her family and tribe, Salma is put in protective prison custody, where her newborn daughter, Layla, is taken from her; she then escapes, with her family in pursuit. The story of Salma’s flight alternates with her emigré travails, where she cruises bars, hopelessly picking up men: seeking human connection, self-inflicted punishment, and escape from the pain of being separated from Layla. Always Salma sees, lurking in the shadows, the figure of her brother, Mahmoud, coming to “shoot [her] between the eyes.” Faqir skillfully weaves together the strands of Salma’s life, and movingly follows her torturous path to asylum, and to her adult self and life. (Oct.)

Midnight Clear
Jerry B. Jenkins and Dallas Jenkins. Tyndale, $9.99 paper (204p) ISBN 9781414316598

Most Christmas novellas are as gentle as snow falling in a well-contained snow globe: everything is muted and soft around the edges. But this story by Jenkins (Left Behind), a novelization of the December DVD release Midnight Clear starring Stephen Baldwin, takes on some darker themes than the usual holiday fare: one character is a realistically-portrayed alcoholic, another a young mother whose husband is brain damaged after a devastating car accident, and another an old woman carefully cleaning her house on Christmas Eve to prepare for her planned holiday suicide. The other two characters are a depressed gas station owner and a disillusioned youth pastor, both of whom are wondering why life is so stultifying and hard. Jenkins is not a lyrical writer, and many of the story’s transitions are abrupt and more suitable for a screenplay than a novel. But these are surprisingly genuine characters, and the novel doesn’t have a contrived ending. Though the characters discover the hope of Christmas in the ordinary kindnesses they render each other, their difficult circumstances don’t change overnight. The simple story, refreshingly devoid of treacle, becomes all the more hopeful because of the characters’ earlier despair. (Oct.)

The Parting
Beverly Lewis. Bethany House, $13.99 paper (352p) ISBN 9780764203107

Beloved bestselling inspirational author Lewis kicks off The Courtship of Nellie Fisher series, dishing up her usual sort of Amish meal. Amish teen Nellie Fisher’s grief over the death of her sister, Suzy, in a drowning accident is just beginning to heal. It helps that Caleb Yoder has asked her to be his girl, and wedding bells ring in her imagination. Her baked goods shop also provides solace. But change blows through her Pennsylvania Amish community, threatening to divide families and thwart her newfound romance. Other storylines are set up: Rosanna King seems unable to have children, but is promised a forthcoming baby by a woman who has many; Nellie’s father reads forbidden scripture and becomes intrigued with salvation by grace. Amish dialect is used judiciously throughout, and although some items (like an old journal) seem like tired clichés, Lewis creates the tension necessary to get the series started. Some Christian readers will wonder about a theology that finds Suzy’s death and a crop failure part of God’s plan, and there may be confusion for readers unfamiliar with the Amish about the boundaries of Rumschpringe (rumspringa, or the running-around period for some Amish teens). Lewis has a gentle narrative style, however, and her fans will line up for this latest fictional slice of Amish life. (Oct.)

Searching for Eternity
Elizabeth Musser. Bethany House, $13.99 paper (432p) ISBN 9780764203725

Musser’s competent writing marks her latest lengthy foray into inspirational fiction. The novel spans four decades of the life of Emile de Bonnery, a French-born boy who, at age 13, unexpectedly must leave the only home he’s ever known for Atlanta in the 1960s. Torn between his belief that his father has abandoned him and his mother for another woman and the idea that his father is a spy, Emile’s anger and grief hinder his transition into American life. Then, he meets the odd and strangely attractive Eternity Jones (hence the word play on the title) and is plunged into issues of poverty, racism, alcoholism, faith and abuse. Musser is an excellent writer, but some of the plot developments seem contrived, as when Emile’s grandmother pays for a room for an African-American neighbor of Eternity’s to celebrate the hotel’s desegregation or invites Eternity’s family to her home for Thanksgiving dinner. The second half of the too-long novel loses steam. Historical and cultural details enrich the text but the excessive newspaper clippings feel like padding. Although the happily-ever-after ending forgoes any loose ends, Musser keeps the reader guessing about Emile’s father until the final pages. Fans of The Swan House should enjoy this. (Oct.)

The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene: A Novel
Michèle Roberts. Pegasus (Consortium, dist.), $13.95 paper (208p) ISBN 9781933648569

Inspired by the Nag Hammadi gospels, Roberts (Reader, I Married Him) has imagined a Gnostic gospel according to Mary Magdalene. Her Mary is a composite of three women mentioned in the biblical gospels, and she tells many of the same stories, albeit from a different perspective, as do the canonical gospel writers. In particular, a number of the miracles recorded in the Bible appear in this novel, and Roberts’s intriguing take on these events follows no boring or predictable pattern. The Jesus of this novel is a genial, nonjudgmental sort who preaches inscrutable homilies, and happily keeps company with the excessively abstemious Simon Peter as well some more sexually liberated followers. While Roberts’s Jesus and Mary both express some powerful ideas about the feminine aspect of God, the unity of the spiritual and the physical, and the legitimacy of ecstatic, revelatory experience, the novel leaves readers befuddled as to what the alternative Christianity this Jesus preached would look like. Nonetheless, it does succeed to some extent as an exploration of what early Christian feminism may have looked like, and is perhaps strongest and most poignant at those moments when Jesus’ closest female companions find themselves subtly but inexorably excluded from leadership in the early church. (Oct.)