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. Sure, you could read advertising blurbs on Amazon, but wouldn’t you be more likely to believe a neighbor with no skin in the game over a corporation being fed words by publishers? So in this new series, The Book Club, we are sharing these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles (Viking)
In 1922’s Communist Russia, unfortunate Count Alexander Rostov is placed under house arrest by the Bolsheviks for political “crimes.” Fortunately, his prison is a posh, famous Moscow hotel, home to royalty, stars, and politicians. He works for his keep, participates in numerous adventures with compelling personalities, meets a precocious and charming young girl, and launches a love affair, while trying for years to escape. Replete with humor and major historical issues over decades, the author deftly balances insights into human behavior and history. – 4 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver; bonniemccune.com
“The House Is On Fire,” by Rachel Beanland (Simon & Schuster)
This novel is based on a historical event, a theater fire in Richmond, Va., in 1811. The author chose four people whose lives were touched in some way by the fire: two men (one black, the other white) and two women (again, one black, one white). The way in which Beanland weaves these figures together with the history of the post-Revolutionary South is very compelling (although there is no historical evidence that they knew one another in real life). Furthermore, she deepens her novel to examine meaty questions like, “What is truth?” and “What is justice?” for these characters. I couldn’t put it down. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“The Covenant of Water,” by Abraham Varghese (Grove Press)
Review 1: “The Covenant of Water” is a multi-generational story set in India, whose main characters are beset by tragedy piled upon tragedy, across the decades, with random members of one family seemingly cursed to die by drowning. I opened this book eagerly, expecting to be transported by Varghese’s writing into a carefully crafted world, populated by believable and relatable characters, much as I was by his first novel, “Cutting for Stone.” However, Varghese includes way too many characters and the result is a bunch of thinly drawn “types” and an overly long novel. I won’t give away the ending, but will say it is an attempt to tie things up neatly with a pretty, metaphorical bow. Because of my unrealistic expectations for this one, I was, in the end, disappointed. You, however, might enjoy this Oprah’s Book Club pick. — 1½ stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
Review 2: “To see the miraculous in the ordinary is a more precious gift than prophesy.” In “The Covenant of Water,” Verghese shows us the miraculous in ordinary lives. Through his words, these ordinary lives become extraordinary. Characters, major and minor, are vibrant, multidimensional, real. We see them, we know them, and we appreciate them, foibles and all. We experience their world, the colors, the fragrances, the feel of the air against our skin. Reading this book is an immersive experience: We join in the laughter, and the tears. Verghese takes an established formula, the family saga, and incisively remodels it into a novel on the south Indian coast filled with beauty and pain — just like life. At times I was stunned by a turn in the story, then chagrined that I’d overlooked the subtle, but distinct, clues. And just when I felt the greatest sorrow, Verghese spun me around to see a vista of hope. This is a big book, with a big story told over almost 80 years. The 14-year wait for this novel was worth it. — 4 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
