Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and other readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“Ordinary Grace,” by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books, 2013)
This was a re-read, something I do very rarely. I knew I’d loved this book, and Krueger’s clear, lyrical prose, yet I recalled little of the story. But as I read, each paragraph came forward to greet me, materializing like a long-lost friend. I felt again the heat and humidity of summer 1961. And I fell in love, again, with the Drum family and their strengths, their deep secrets, their integrity, their fears. Nathan, especially, is a beautiful man. There’s a sweet melancholy that is left after reading a book this fine. It leaves an after-image on my brain — or, perhaps, in this case, on my heart. Kent Krueger says he writes his standalone books with his heart, and this is apparent.
“The dead are never far from us. They’re in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.” — 4 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“Land of Milk and Honey,” by C. Pam Zhang (Riverhead Books, 2023)
Set in an undefined future with climate change devastating much of our planet, this novel imagines the attempt of a mega-rich visionary to create an insulated oasis amid the disastrous chaos, where homage is paid to the decadent indulgences of the past, and where only a select few are invited to partake. Our heroine takes a job as chef to said titan and she becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the ethical dilemma her dream job puts her in. This novel explores large themes of privilege, deceit, pleasure and personal ethics, yet it is in no way heavy-handed. It will keep you thinking long after you finish it. – 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford” (FSG Classics, 2005)
This is a compilation of the Pulitzer-Prize winner’s short works that appeared for decades in The New Yorker. Unabashedly “literary,”
Stafford spotlights the human experience in touching and enlightening looks at people in Europe, Boston, the West and Manhattan. Called “one of the most distinctively American stylists of her day,” Stafford died in 1979 but her works continue to provide unexpected insights for readers who treasure great stories. E.B. White said her “prose is made vivid by the use of words and images that evoke sensations.” (Note: Stafford lived for years in Boulder and attended the University of Colorado.) — 3 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)
