The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay My rating: 4 of 5 stars Quietly devastating. That’s how I would sum up The Far Field. Vijay’s prose isn’t flowery or ornate. It tells the story simply, going back and forth in time as we follow the main character, as a child always close by her mother whoContinue reading “Book Review: The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay”
Tag Archives: fiction
Book Review: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a difficult book to describe in a nutshell. Beautifully written, but not fast-paced, it’s one you sink your teeth into and relish. Only nine chapters, but they’re long and told from different perspectives as you travel from Afghanistan to ParisContinue reading “Book Review: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini”
Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr My rating: 5 of 5 stars “All the Light We Cannot See” is a rich, evocative novel set during World War II. The third person narrator primarily follows two characters: a blind French girl whose father is a locksmith at a museum in Paris, and anContinue reading “Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr”
Book Review: The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer My rating: 5 of 5 stars A stream-of-consciousness narrative tackling dual themes of mental illness (schizophrenia, in particular) and grief, “The Shock of the Fall” follows 19-year-old Matthew Homes as he seeks to write his story, partly on his treatment program’s computer and partly on the typewriterContinue reading “Book Review: The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer”
Review of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Hawkins’ words don’t paint lush portraits or jump to poetic heights. They’re too busy drawing you close to the characters, especially Rachel whose perspective begins and ends the book. As you read, you immerse into the complexity that is a human being whose past she both regrets and can’t leave behind.
8 writing lessons I (re)learned through revision
“Crap. Crap. Mega crap.” That’s what I thought when I read my draft three days later. This is what I (re)learned while revising.
Inside the Shadow City with Kirsten Miller, an interview
In 2008, I interviewed Kirsten Miller, author of the Kiki Strike series (among other books), for my then-magazine Messenger Girl. All questions and answers were made via email. I was 16. At the end is my original review of Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City. Me: Where did you get the idea for the Shadow City? Kirsten: Believe it orContinue reading “Inside the Shadow City with Kirsten Miller, an interview”
Meredith Sell 