Review in Miniature: The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

“I am in awe of this novel . . . The Wives of Los Alamos will be read and reread and remembered.” —Gail Godwin 

Well, praise like that is hard won and in this case well deserved. This is the story of the women who came together from all over the world to make homes and a life for the men who were working on the bomb that will ultimately be used to annihilate those living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

Written in the collective first person plural this novel’s unique use of perspective takes the reader on a different kind of ride. Think modern Greek chorus and you’ve got the picture. Some may find this off putting, I did not. It was an innovative refreshing way to structure the story. The real question behind the “We” is could you have stomached the story once the bomb was dropped without it? I felt at that point the “We” that may have alienated some readers becomes essential to deal with the horror of what those living in Los Alamos had constructed. 

If you are looking for something different in the methodology used to tell the story give The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit a try.

Thank you Net Galley and Bloomsbury for the advance reader’s copy of The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit.

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Review in Miniature: Equilateral by Ken Kalfus

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Does a book’s cover matter?  Oh, yes it does, and in the case of Equilateral by Ken Kalfus it was the reason I wanted to read the book.  Cover first, description second!  What can I say, I’m a very visual person and I’ve picked up many a book because of the cover art, but it doesn’t mean I liked all of them, however in the case of Equilateral, I loved it!

Equilateral is hard to define, part historical fiction, part science fiction, with just the right amount of weird, and you have an idea of what you are in for with this one.  Set in 1894, we meet Sanford Thayer a British astronomer who has spent years working on the construction of a massive equilateral triangle in Egypt, and guess what?  Thayer, our brilliant scientist, has come to believe that his triangle possesses the ability to communicate with those folks living on Mars if in fact the triangle is finished on a specific day and set a fire, which will allow the planets to properly align for said communication.  Are you still with me? Because as bizarre as this sounds it works.  Kalfus expertly weaves his tales like a spider luring his readers into the world of Sanford Thayer.  I really mean it when I say it truly was a fascinating read.

If you are a film buff, like I am, this novel was in a sense like the 1902 movie A Trip to the Moon but instead of the camera performing the illusions the written words did all the tricks.  If you are a fan of “different” then pick up a copy of Equilateral and sit back for an interesting ride.

Thank you Net Galley and Bloomsbury USA for an advance review copy of Equilateral by Ken Kalfus.

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!