Romantic Parvenu

Book Review: Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie

July 7, 2016

Robert Massie’s biography of the final days of the Romanov dynasty is full of detail, atmosphere, and evident research. I wouldn’t say that Nicholas and Alexandra covers one of my favorite historical eras or explores the lives of my favorite ...

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Book Review: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

May 19, 2016

Celeste Ng begins by telling us that Lydia is dead, and then Everything I Never Told You goes on to explain why. This book is a layered, nuanced look at a family and the different personalities that comprise it, an examination of how each ...

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Book Review: The Circle by Dave Eggers

May 11, 2016

The Circle is a dystopian novel not unlike the many other dystopian novels that have flooded the market for the past several years. In the not-too-distant future, society as we know it is greatly changed, and not for the better. Our young ...

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Book Review: Girls & Sex by Peggy Orenstein

March 31, 2016

In her latest book, Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape, author Peggy Orenstein discusses, well…girls and sex—young women and how they are affected by society and its attitudes towards sex and female sexuality. Backed up by ...

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Book Review: Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet

February 10, 2016

I think any work of fiction has the potential to touch someone, to impact them, regardless of content. However, those books where you see your own experience mirrored in characters’ lives tend to mean more. They validate you, make you feel less ...

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Book Review: The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella

November 6, 2015

Though Angelina Mirabella’s debut novel has a lot going for it, what’s going to stand out for its readers right away is its second person narrative. Though, of course, I think the fact that The Sweetheart is also about a professional female ...

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