Mary

Kidder introduces a new hero for our time. Deo— a survivor of the Rwandan massacres—through a combination of what can only be described as grace and good fortune, manages to get to the U.S., squatting in a tenement in New York City and camping in Central Park while working as a grocery delivery man. Befriended by perceptive and tenacious strangers, he makes his way to Columbia University, medical school, and Dr. Paul Farmer with Partners in Health—the subject of Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond Mountains. Kidder examines Deo’s remarkable life and journey with sensitivity, compassion, and awe at the example set by Deo’s sheer capacity for hope. ~ Mary ~ We anticipate a visit to Bainbridge by Kidder in Fall 2010!

The Lacuna (Harper), a lavish, luscious novel told through diaries and letters, is a splendid mixture of art and politics. The language and characters are vintage Kingsolver. Historical fiction doesn’t get any better—you’ll meet Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky. There’s a mystery, too, so don’t be discouraged if you’re confused at first!”

. . . totally amazing. The characters are fascinating, the language is luscious, and the events are breathtaking. . . an odyssey of the magnitude of Cold Mountain . . . one of my two favorite books of the year. ~ Mary

Enger has surpassed Peace Like a River with this tale of outlaw Glendon Hale's search for the wife he abandoned many years earlier. Monte Becket, the narrator, tears himself away from his home and family, irresistibly drawn by Hale and his quest. The journey, set in 1915 and moving from Minnesota across the fading Wild West, reveals that Enger has honed his direct-from-the heart style with a story that both men and women will find immensely satisfying and appealing. ~ Mary

Having moved to rural Tennessee in 1980 for an internship, Dr. Verghese gives us a glimpse of life there-- the hill people, tobacco culture, truck stops, and evangelical churches-- as he chronicles the arrival of AIDS in his hometown. His candor and compassion make Verghese and appealing narrator. Despite its grim subject, this book is funny and touching and ultimatly uplifting in its demonstration that it is possible to get beyond our ignorance and fears in striving to create a caring community.

Kingsolver on hermit crabs, the Gulf War, motherhood, life as a musician and much more-- non-fiction with her trademark passion, humor, and politics.

Wild Life has one of the more engaging main characters /narrators I've ever encountereed-- turn of the (last) century feminist, writer and free thinking futurist- see what you think!

Diane Ackerman (The Zookeeper’s Wife, A Natural History of the Senses) writes movingly of her husband Paul West’s stroke and their journey together. Both are poets, sharing language as one of their chief delights, so West’s loss of words was devastating. Together they developed an unconventional routine that facilitated his return to speech, writing, and the minting of remarkable terms of endearment, the “hundred names for love.” The writing is exquisite, and the book is suffused with insight into strokes, invalidism, caregiving, and rehabilitation. Excellent! ~ Mary Gleysteen, Bookseller Emeritus