Tag Archives: literary fiction

Once Upon a Day – Lisa Tucker

The characters in Lisa Tucker’s Once Upon a Day immediately sucked me into their world. This story is told through the point of views of many interesting characters. Stephen was a doctor, and quite happy in his life until his lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. Because he couldn’t save them, he gave up medicine and began driving a cab. Dorothea is a twenty-three year old woman who has never before left home, gone to school, or had a friend. She’s been raised with her brother in The Sanctuary, by her father and grandmother. While she’s had … Continue reading →

The Pilot’s Wife – Anita Shreve

Kathryn Lyons is married to a pilot, and they have a beautiful daughter. She thinks she has the ideal life. Well, her marriage has become just a little lackluster over the years, but that’s pretty normal for marriage, isn’t it? When Robert Hart, a representative for the union, knocks on her door in the middle of the night, she knows the truth before he even says it. Jack’s plane has gone down. Robert says near while she sorts through her emotions. Of course, denial. Shock. Horror. Her daughter goes through them as well when she wakes her up to tell … Continue reading →

I Am Not Wolf – Roger Terry

“I Am Not Wolf” by LDS author Roger Terry is a book that is equally at home on the shelf of an LDS reader or a person who prefers nationally published books. Written in a literary style we don’t often see on the LDS market, I was instantly caught up in the beautiful and rich imagery and found myself more than just a little bit jealous of Terry’s skills as a writer. David Nelson has taken some time off from college and decides to come to Germany for a vacation. His mother was German and so he speaks the language … Continue reading →

Peace Like a River – Leif Enger

Wow. I came to the end of the book and had to pause a minute to absorb everything I had just read. “Peace Like a River” is the best book I’ve read so far this year. Rueben Land is an eleven-year-old with a horrible case of asthma. Swede is his nine-year-old sister, and they have an older brother, Davy, already in his teens. Their father, Jeremiah, has been single for years, and is an amazing man. Deeply connected to his faith, he has literally performed miracles, and Rueben has seen him do it. The family is poor, but they are … Continue reading →

Author Interview — Elizabeth Petty Bentley (part two) Her Newest Novel

Thank you for joining us for part two of our conversation with novelist and publisher, Elizabeth Petty Bentley. If you missed part one, click here. When we left off yesterday, Beth and I were discussing her novel, “In a Dry Land.” Beth, I understand your book is more of a literary novel than we’re used to seeing in the LDS market. How has it been received? In Meridian, Jennie Hansen said, “Readers who enjoy Thomas Hardy’s tragic style won’t want to miss this one. Those who like intense realism, hard choices, and don’t mind a dose of injustice, should give … Continue reading →

Light on Snow – Anita Shreve

“Light on Snow” is the first Anita Shreve novel I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. Nicky Dillon is a twelve-year-old girl whose mother and baby sister were killed in a car accident two years before. Her father was completely bereft and sold their house, packing up all their things and taking them to New England, where he hoped they would make a brand new start. Nicky doesn’t like the fact that they’ve left every aspect of their old life behind, but she knows he needs this, so she tries to go along with it. One afternoon she and her … Continue reading →

The Obituary Writer – Porter Shreeve

I started out “The Obituary Writer” with a set of expectations, and found them all shattered by the end. It was a fabulous surprise. Gordon Hatch is a young obituary writer for The Independent. He longs to become a top-notch crime reporter and has his own police scanner. Sometimes late at night, he’ll flip it on, see where the action is, and run to the scene, hoping that someday he’ll be able to break into the business in a big way. His father, long since deceased, was a great reporter, and even covered Kennedy’s assassination up close and personal. With … Continue reading →

A Hole in the Earth – Robert Bausch

I really went back and forth with myself on whether I should review “A Hole in the Earth.” It had some interesting themes and I found the overall concept intriguing, but it does have some language in it. Back and forth I went, trying to decide, and then I said to myself (I really do talk to myself) “Tristi, present the book to them and then they’ll decide for themselves.” So that’s what I’m going to do. Our main character is Henry Porter, and the book is written from his point of view. He starts by telling us that because … Continue reading →