Recommended Dennis Lehane had already made an impressive name for himself as the author of stylish crime noirs set on the gritty streets of Boston when Hollywood came calling. First, it was Clint Eastwood, who turned Lehane’s taut psychological thriller Mystic River into a classic movie. Next up was Ben Affleck, whose directorial debut was based on Lehane’s novel Gone Baby … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Writers and Poets
The Brilliance of Beckett
On Wednesday, July 23, as part of Lincoln Center Festival’s stunning Gate|Beckett series, an audience of some 75 Samuel Beckett devotees gathered in Lincoln Center’s Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse to listen to Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, actor Barry McGovern (I’ll Go On), and John Collins, Founder and Director of New York’s Elevator Repair Service (Gatz and The Sound and … [Read more...] about The Brilliance of Beckett
Among Other Things: An Interview with Aoibheann Sweeney
Aoibheann Sweeney’s debut novel, Among Other Things, I’ve Taken Up Smoking, is quite simply the story of a girl’s journey from one island to another. Miranda Donnal is a young woman caught between her father’s world as he doggedly translates Ovid in the mythic fog of Crab Island, Maine, where she has grown up motherless, well-educated and utterly lonely, and the draw of New … [Read more...] about Among Other Things: An Interview with Aoibheann Sweeney
Strong Echoes of Ireland at Book Fair
“When I walked in this morning I was overwhelmed. I heard the siren call of books from every corner, and I didn’t know which one to answer. There’s an openness at the BookExpo, a kind of non-restrictive environment that lets you go wherever you like. No stops, no prohibitions. Maybe because it’s in L.A. Would it be the same in New York? Here everyone seems welcome and the … [Read more...] about Strong Echoes of Ireland at Book Fair
Review of Books
Recommended Until releasing his latest novel, Joseph O’Neill was best known for his “family history” Blood-Dark Track (about his grandfather who was an IRA soldier) and his regular, insightful contributions to The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Add two earlier novels into this mix, and this is certainly a fine résumé. But it does not quite strike you as the background of the … [Read more...] about Review of Books