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Monday, August 31, 2020

Book Round-Up: Love Stories

 Persuasion by Jane Austen: I think this is now my favorite Austen novel. It was her last work, published posthumously, and I find the comedy funnier, the satire sharper, and the emotions more heartfelt than her other works.

 Well Met by Jen DeLuca: The Ren Faire setting was cute, and the argument the protagonists had about the Authorship Question had me laughing, but overall I found the characters behaving more like teenagers than the mid- to late-twentysomethings they were.

 Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn: a love story where the protagonists are more interesting than usual, and which had some smart things to say about friendship. My only complaint is that the narration, the interior monologue of the heroine, was verbose to the point of distraction.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King: I read this in 23 hours, neglecting sleep and chores and work (but not my kids -- they are too noisy to neglect easily). It's a moving novel about grief, daily pressures, inspiration, writer's block, and opening one's heart. Its setting of Cambridge and Boston in 1997 is evocative (I lived in Somerville in 1998, and Boston thereafter) and the depiction of Casey's struggle to get her life under control was moving. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

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