Set in and around Boston at the time of the American Revolution, Octavian Nothing tells the story of a black boy (Octavian) who becomes the subject of a philosophical experiment. Can the African negro be taught to be an educated, civilized man? This clever, thoughtful child gradually discovers that he and his mother, the Princess of Oyo in western Africa, are not royalty, but, in fact, slaves. And then the funding for the experiment passes into the hands of an evil man, and the chaos of revolution descends.
Older teens and adults who can cope with the late 18th century language will find much to admire in this book. It is a story about many things: freedom, slavery, the free market economy, the dehumanizing effects of cold science, and a confusing and terrifying time in American history.
Categories: Reviews
A Memoir of Friendship: The Letters Between Carol Shields and Blanche Howard presents the thirty year correspondence (from 1973 until Carol's death in 2003) between two friends, both of them "women of letters ... mothers, wives and thinkers."
The correspondence began with Carol's request for advice regarding her first publishing contract, a request accompanied by a statement that she has an "overwhelmimg wish to talk to someone about writing". Blanche, already a published author, was quick to respond, and thus began a friendship which ultimately resulted in over 1000 pages of correspondence.
Categories: Reviews
This gripping novel is based on the true story of Anne Green who, although hung until dead for the crime of infanticide in 1650, came back to life -- just as famous scholars and physicians were about to dissect her corpse. We hear her story in her own voice as she lies in the darkness, imagining herself in purgatory.
Categories: Reviews
, author of Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin, has been tapped by Bungie Studios to write the sixth Halo novel, The Cole Protocol. The novel is said to reveal the location of the Spartan Gray Team and explore more of the Human-Covenant War.
This is a great chance for Buckell, whose writing has been well reviewed, to reach a much broader audience.
Categories: buzz, SciFi & Fantasy
De Niro's Game, a novel by Canadian novelist , has won the 13th annual International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The award is the world's richest literary prize ($160,000 CDN)and honors a single work of fiction written in English.
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