Tag: novel

On Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

lettersforrentLeave a comment

Following 2010’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, Manhattan Beach (2017) is a far cry from the time-hopping experimental prose anyone might have expected. It’s a “traditional” historical novel set in Depression era/World War II New York and centred on the Navy Yards. Egan’s melancholic, Noir-esque drama is elegiac and affirmative — which was also true… Continue reading On Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

A Review of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

lettersforrentLeave a comment

Ann Patchett's sprawling domestic novel begins in 60s Los Angeles at a suburban christening party. The reader is immediately planted in the middle of the action and given a panoramic view of the scene. When handsome Bert arrives with a bottle of gin we see an almost comical jump to action as men roll up their shirtsleeves to… Continue reading A Review of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett