Who is not reading Elena Ferrante’s quartet of Neapolitan novels? It seems that anyone interested in literary fiction is enraptured by this series of books set mostly in Naples that tells the life story of two ‘frenemies’. Continue reading →

A “soaring triumph” they said. A must read. A critical and popular success, winning every literary award in sight. Then what was the matter with our book group? Continue reading →

‘Not Exactly as Planned’ and ‘Make Me a Mother’ are two very different stories of adoption including the extreme challenges and remarkable rewards. Continue reading →

What happens when you’re reading two books at once? Or reading one and listening to the other? Depending on whether the two are the same genre I can either keep them completely separate or start to confuse them. Continue reading →

Twin and adoption studies and stories are gold to those interested in the never-ending nature-nurture debate. As a political pinko, I easily bought into the idea of the transformative potential of environment to trump genetic endowment. Continue reading →

What happens when Susannah Cahalan, a young successful journalist suddenly comes down with inexplicable and seemingly life-threatening symptoms? Marlene Webber reviews the harrowing memoir of Cahalan’s experience. Continue reading →

All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, is at the top of many ‘best of the year’ books and was a recent pick of our book group. The general consensus was pretty much total adoration for many reasons. Continue reading →

Martha Baillie is a novelist who produces more than a manuscript. In constructing her fiction she sometimes fabricates artifacts – objects and evidences of the world she is creating. Continue reading →