Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching, Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s The Aviator and the Showman, and Vivek Shanbhag’s Sakina’s Kiss all feature among the best reviewed books of the week.
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1. Sakina’s Kiss by Vivek Shanbhag, trans. by Srinath Perur
(McNally Editions)
6 Rave
“Perur has carried across the author’s light-fingered irony, narrative concision and deep humanity. Writers are too liberally likened to Anton Chekhov, but it is Chekhov’s classic story…that this splendid novel most resembles in its deft illustration of the tyranny of obedience and the mortal dangers of shielding one’s eyes to injustice.”
–Sam Sacks (The Wall Street Journal)
2. The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
(Del Rey)
5 Rave • 2 Mixed
“Brilliant, sinister, and captivating … The tale effortlessly merges witch folklore across time, giving readers a chilling horror novel, a multi-generational saga, a satisfying mystery, and a reminder of the interconnectedness of humanity, all in one bewitching package … Moreno-Garcia’s latest is a triumph.”
–Becky Spratford (Library Journal)
3. Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith
(Knopf)
3 Rave 1 Positive
“Poignant and gripping … A compelling, emotionally charged read that feels as urgent today as it would have decades ago, an unforgettable story of love, resistance, and self-discovery.”
–Enobong Tommelleo (Booklist)
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1. The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century by Tim Weiner
(Mariner)
5 Rave • 3 Positive
“Weiner is clear in his condemnation…but inclined to give the CIA the benefit of the doubt … The book contains many essential new details … There are all sorts of…important and fascinating revelations … This is a journalist’s book, and bears the marks of it. But no one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win Weiner a second Pulitzer.”
–John Simpson (The Guardian)
2. The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Iconby Laurie Gwen Shapiro
(Viking)
5 Rave • 3 Positive • 2 Mixed
“Enticing…vibrant … Shapiro dexterously untangles the Gordian knot of their entwined passions, shared ambitions and business bottom lines … Shapiro’s tone is conversational, luring us into a rich story about American media … Shapiro captures the thrill of a leap into the unknown.”
–Hamilton Cain (The Los Angeles Times)
3. A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children by Haley Cohen Gilliland
(Avid Reader Press)
6 Rave
“An unflinching playbook of what happens when a government’s tyrannical impulses are fed as well as a heartbreaking, immersive account of what it means to stand up against injustice and demand that those who allow it move out of the way.”
–Lily Hunter (Booklist)