"I am a poet, I am a married man, and I am resolved upon my own immediate suicide—for I married for money insteaAn amusing tale of hilarious hijinks.
"I am a poet, I am a married man, and I am resolved upon my own immediate suicide—for I married for money instead of love, and when I did I discovered that I could no longer write."
The Gentleman is set in the Victorian era and follows a poet named Lionel Savage who falls on hard times financially and subsequently marries Vivian Lancaster for her money. He’s disenchanted with married life and soon blames his marriage to Vivian for his inability to write. He then inadvertently makes a deal with the Devil, trading his wife for the ability to write again.
Before long, Lionel realizes that that trade was a terrible mistake, and he embarks on a journey to Hell to get Vivian back. A few delightfully quirky characters join him, including his progressive kid sister, Lizzie, and hijinks ensue.
The story is told by Lionel, who’s an amusing narcissist, but it’s edited by Vivian’s cousin, Hubert Lancaster, who does not like Lionel. So throughout the book we’re privy to snarky footnotes from the editor that add an extra layer of humor to this story of madcap adventurers and their over-the-top encounters.
The Gentleman is all about the journey not the destination. It’s an entertaining, witty book with a unique take on the Devil that I highly recommend, especially if you could use a laugh....more
Based on the real-life witch trials in 16th century Scotland (but with many creative liberties taken),"It is the men who rule us that I am afraid of."
Based on the real-life witch trials in 16th century Scotland (but with many creative liberties taken), The King's Witches is a well-plotted story of unexpected sisterhood.
Readers familiar with witch trial stories may not find anything new or unexpected here, but if you're new to historical fiction about witches, this could be an entertaining place to start.
For an even more compelling historical fiction read about unexpected sisterhood (albeit without witches), check out Foster's thrilling debut, The Maiden.
Birth trauma is real and we don't talk about it enough.
"This book is for mothers looking to see themselves reflected in the story of birth, and for thBirth trauma is real and we don't talk about it enough.
"This book is for mothers looking to see themselves reflected in the story of birth, and for those seeking to better understand the many reasons why their births may have unfolded the way they did."
For author Rachel Somerstein, the trauma of giving birth haunted her long after she held her daughter in her arms. The anesthesia she was given during her emergency C-section didn't take, and though Somerstein screamed in agony and kicked so much in response to the pain that nurses had to hold her down, the procedure continued. Afterward, she assumed her experience was unusual, but later she discovered that "breakthrough pain" during C-sections isn't that rare. The problem is, people aren't talking about it and researchers have only begun to investigate it.
Somerstein's birth trauma compelled her to explore the history of C-sections. In this illuminating book, she deep dives the history of C-sections and reveals how enslaved women bore the brunt of early experimentation. In addition to outlining the increasing rate of C-sections performed in the US, she also explains why the number of C-sections performed each year keeps going up, how health care companies profit from C-sections, and which people are most negatively affected by these trends.
Too few pregnant people are aware of what comes after a C-section, and Somerstein ensures that readers have a full picture of recovery, from the possible need to wait two years before conceiving again (to allow the body time to heal) to the probability that all future births will be C-sections (as a VBAC [vaginal birth after C-section] poses a great risk of injury). While discussing recovery, she also explores the mental aspects of life after giving birth and breaks down birthing myths, such as the idea that once a woman holds her new baby, all the trauma of giving birth disappears.
Invisible Labor makes shocking revelations about how hospitals prioritize a fetus over the body housing it and asserts that at some point during pregnancy, the pregnant person loses their civil rights. In light of recent abortion laws in the US, this subject couldn't be more topical.
Woven throughout the book are glimpses of other women's traumatic pregnancy or birth experiences. And Somerstein uses the terms "pregnant women" and "pregnant people" interchangeable, making for an inclusive read.
Invisible Labor is a revelatory book on pregnancy, a rallying cry to legislate for adequate paid prental leave in the US, and an invitation to openly discuss birth trauma. Highly recommend!
My heartfelt thanks goes out to Ecco books for sending me a copy of this enlightening book that I was dying to read.
An innovative book in which the devil is a beguiling figure whose presence and voice grow increasingly strange and assertive with each passing chapterAn innovative book in which the devil is a beguiling figure whose presence and voice grow increasingly strange and assertive with each passing chapter.
"You cannot stand for the horrific and the beautiful to touch, cannot fathom a system in which one person benefits from the suffering of another. But it is so."*
Two-Step Devil explores the carnal and the divine in daily life through the story of a seventy-year-old man called the Prophet, who transforms his prophetic visions into art pieces, and a teen girl named Michael, who the Prophet first sees trapped in a car with her wrists zip tied. He believes she's a messenger sent by God to take his visionary warnings of the coming end-times to the White House, so he contrives to rescue her.
Thus begins a story of an unlikely friendship between two strangers who live on the margins of society. While the Prophet’s backstory is unveiled, Michael’s future unfolds. Meanwhile, the devil emerges from the shadows to taunt the Prophet, and eventually, the reader.
I applaud Jamie Quatro for taking risks in this book. The structure is playful and roguish. The story is complex and gritty. The writing is sinuous and alluring. I never quite knew where Quatro was taking me, but curiosity compelled me forward.
Highly recommend if you're in the mood for an unusual and surprising read.
My heartfelt thanks to the generous folks at Grove Atlantic for sending me an early copy of this surprising book.
*Note: quote taken from an uncorrected proof and is subject to change in the final printing.
"The prison psychiatrist maintains that it is unhealthy to eavesdrop on one's ex following a breakup."
The Vixen Amber Halloway is aOooh this was good!
"The prison psychiatrist maintains that it is unhealthy to eavesdrop on one's ex following a breakup."
The Vixen Amber Halloway is a revenge thriller with an eloquent, unreliable narrator named Ophelia Fairweather. After she learns that her husband is cheating, Ophelia does something that results in her being incarcerated. The story of what happened is delivered as a prison confession.
The story is a combination of Ophelia's therapeutic sessions with a prison psychiatrist in preparation for her meeting with the parole board and a confession (directed to her husband) about everything that transpired to land her in prison.
Ophelia is a woman in her forties who finds love late in life, but once she does, she falls hard. She works as a college professor (a scholar of Dante), and her eloquent way of speaking exudes her intelligence.
At a young age, Ophelia's mother walked out the door and never looked back, leaving Ophelia with deep emotional wounds. Her husband's infidelity is exacerbated by the lingering pain of her mother's absence. Throughout the book, Ophelia attempts to work through her abandonment issues while recounting how Andy's sudden departure in pursuit of the young and attractive Amber propelled her toward a mental break.
While Ophelia's narrative voice is clearly defined throughout the book, her dialogue is less convincing. This is especially true during the book's climax; it's possible Ophelia's dialogue is too stilted and mechanical during this scene or it could be that our unreliable narrator is trying to shape our opinion of her (perhaps portraying herself as "cool" in the way that only an awkward person with a personality disorder would).
Overall, I found this to be a fascinating examination of society's proclivity to blame women for men's bad behavior. In a just world, the book would have been titled The Cheater Andy Fairweather, but society would have us blame the woman, and Ophelia tragically succumbs to this way of thinking.
Let it be a lesson to all: If a woman takes a cheating man off your hands, send her flowers and a thank you card because she just saved you from wasting your time and energy on a man who doesn't deserve you.
Faintly reminiscent of Alias Grace, The Vixen Amber Halloway is a tense yet sorrowful story of mental illness, deep-seeded childhood pain, and a broken heart manifesting in terrifying ways.
My heartfelt thanks to the very generous people at Regal House Publishing for sending me a finished copy of this highly anticipated read.
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