Book Reviews | Chapter 16

“I Shall Never Have a Friend Like Her”

By Maria Browning

September 12, 2012

September 12, 2012 In 1873, when Edith Wharton was eleven years old, her parents hired a young governess named Anna Bahlmann. The two developed a close relationship that lasted until Bahlmann’s death forty-two years later. In My Dear Governess: The Letters of Edith Wharton to Anna Bahlmann, Irene Goldman-Price traces the disparate but intertwined lives of the two women through their correspondence, offering a new picture of Wharton’s early years. Goldman-Price will join novelist Jennie Fields, author of The Age of Desire, for “A Talk on Edith Wharton” on September 20 at 6:15 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library, as part of the Salon@615 series. The event is free and open to the public.

Before, When We Were Young

By Tina LoTufo

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012 Imagine a decent, ordinary, hard-working guy who just wants to be a good husband and hang out with his dog and go trout fishing once in a while. Then imagine that guy in his 1956 Cessna 182 airplane, flying over the brutal, lawless rubble of civilization’s end. Where would he go? How would he survive? What would he become? That’s the premise of award-winning adventure writer Peter Heller’s wonderful debut novel, The Dog Stars. Heller will discuss the book at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

Hopeless Dreamers

By Susannah Felts

September 7, 2012

September 7, 2012 There’s something heady about watching a pro wrangle with the definition of American identity. Almost as much as we love to reinvent ourselves, we love to reinvent the definition of ourselves, to give that narrative a fresh coat of paint. In Bunch of Amateurs: A Search for the American Character, Jack Hitt puts himself to this uber-American task, making a lively and ultimately convincing argument about amateurism as a mainstay of American identity. Hitt will discuss Bunch of Amateurs at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

Life is Beautiful

By Sarah Norris

September 4, 2012

September 4, 2012 Jess Walter has packed his wondrously strange seventh novel to the breaking point. Its dual narratives alternate between the destructive, self-serving pursuits of a present-day Hollywood producer and the personal, romantic quest of an Italian man searching for his long-lost love—until the two stories converge. The plot itself is remarkable, not least of all because it’s comprised of so many threads, but the most impressive aspects of Beautiful Ruins are its surprising humor, emotional depth, and exquisite writing.Jess Walter will discuss Beautiful Ruins at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

How Things Work in Memphis

By Ralph Bowden

August 31, 2012

August 31, 2012 Mayor Pete Pigg has a grand design to make Memphis the home of The World Barbecue Hall of Fame. Who could complain about new construction jobs, a tourist boom, and lots of money to spread around? The bigger question: who gets the money? After ten years as a reporter for the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Blake Fontenay (now a resident of Old Hickory, Tennessee) has a pretty good idea of where it will go. He knows Memphis politics and uses its rich tradition of absurdity and sleaze as the backdrop for his first novel, The Politics of Barbecue. It’s all here: deal-making and threats, hidden agendas, chases and violence, beautiful women, intrigue of all sorts—everything a fancier of slightly-less-than-serious thrillers could want. Fontenay will discuss the novel at Parnassus Books in Nashville on September 9 at 2 p.m., at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on September 18 at 6 p.m., and at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

The Arc of Destiny

By Ed Tarkington

August 30, 2012

August 30, 2012 Regardless of where one stands on the subject of Barack Obama, the trajectory of his life—his nomadic ancestors on both sides, his naively courageous mother and mercurial father, his global childhood , and his search for identity and purpose as a young man—can only be seen as remarkable. With Barack Obama: The Story, David Maraniss delivers what will likely stand as the first volume of the president’s definitive biography and an absorbing history that, through the window of an extraordinary life, is also the story of America—past, present, and future. David Maraniss will discuss Barack Obama at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

“Laced with Tyler’s trademark humor, love of pop culture, and arguably too many musical theater references, This Changes Everything is a story about how wrestling with the idea of death can birth a whole new outlook on life, how we live it, and the urgency that comes when you grasp that time is a precious commodity.”

~ the publisher