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, we are sharing these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley,” by David Waldstreicher (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Part biography and part literary analysis, this book focuses on the life, times and writing of Phillis Wheatley, who is considered the first African-American author to publish a book of poetry. Wheatley was born in West Africa around 1750, kidnapped and sold into slavery. Her owners in Boston taught her to read and write, and they supported her literary talents. However, since there are few primary sources available about her actual life, the “biographical” portions of the book are extrapolations and suppositions cobbled together from what is known about African-American life in Boston in the latter half of the 18th century. Interesting, nonetheless. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Demon Copperhead,” by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)
In this modernization of Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield,” Barbara Kingsolver places her protagonist in Appalachia and drives home the rampant poverty and opioid stronghold in that region through the story of Damon Fields, born to a single addict in Virginia. Kingsolver’s writing chops are undeniable, and this story is absolutely compelling. “Demon” could easily have been trimmed by 100-some pages and been even more powerful, but who am I to judge? It won the Pulitzer in fiction this year. ‘Nuff said. — 4 stars (out of 4); Barbara Ellis, The Denver Post
“Small World,” by Laura Zigman (Ecco)
This novel follows two sisters who end up living together as newly divorced adult women. They finally start talking about childhood losses, the assumptions each made about the other over the years, and their previously unspoken resentments. And, not without a bit of humor along the way. — 2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
