Reviews & Essays

Late in the Day

FICTION

Late in the Day

By TESSA HADLEY

Reviewed by Heller McAlpin ×

In Tessa Hadley's latest novel, two couples lives are deeply entangled -- all the more so when one of the foursome isn't there.

Handel in London: The Making of a Genius

MUSIC

Handel in London: The Making of a Genius

By JANE GLOVER

Reviewed by Anna Mundow ×

The German-born composer found his greatest audience in Britain's capital -- even if they were suspicious of his Italian-language operas.

The Future is (Nearly) Now: Science Fiction’s View of 2018

THE SPECULATOR

The Future is (Nearly) Now: Science Fiction’s View of 2018

By Paul Di Filippo ×

Looking back at a year in speculative fiction -- and what it says about the Brave New World of 2018.

“The Trouble with All the Houses I’ve Lived In”: Lucia Berlin in Fiction and Memoir

Reviews & Essays

“The Trouble with All the Houses I’ve Lived In”: Lucia Berlin in Fiction and Memoir

By Veronica Esposito ×

A posthumous memoir and collection of stories from the author of A Manual for Cleaning Woman offer a glimpse into the writer's fascinating life and a restless intelligence.

A READING LIFE

Milkman

By ANNA BURNS

Reviewed by Katherine A. Powers ×

The 2018 Man Booker Prize winner charts a young woman's personal struggle amid the broader perils of 1970s Northern Ireland.

Art and Discontent: Olivia Laing’s Gamble in “Crudo”

BEYOND CATEGORY

Art and Discontent: Olivia Laing’s Gamble in “Crudo”

By Rafia Zakaria ×

In one of the year's most daring works of fiction, Olivia Laing imagines an internet-era altenate life for the groundbreaking writer Kathy Acker.

FICTION

Little

By EDWARD CAREY

Reviewed by Heller McAlpin ×

The story of the woman who became Madame Tussaud gets a treatment far livelier than waxwork in the novelist Edward Carey's imagination.

An American House Divided: “The Field of Blood” and “The War Before the War”

AMERICAN HISTORY

An American House Divided: “The Field of Blood” and “The War Before the War”

Essay by Hamilton Cain ×

Two new works of history look at the political and personal clashes that set the stage for the Civil War.

5 Favorite Novels of 2018: A Critic’s Choices

BEST OF 2018

5 Favorite Novels of 2018: A Critic’s Choices

By Katherine A. Powers ×

Five works of fiction worth moving to the top of even a very large to-read pile.

Sigrid Nunez’s “The Friend” Wins the 2018 National Book Award in Fiction

NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS

Sigrid Nunez’s “The Friend” Wins the 2018 National Book Award in Fiction

Posted by The Barnes and Noble Review ×

Sigrid Nunez's novel, which turns on a human-canine relationship, took home the 2018 prize for fiction.

Astounding Days: John W. Campbell and the Golden Age of Science Fiction

THE SPECULATOR

Astounding Days: John W. Campbell and the Golden Age of Science Fiction

By Paul Di Filippo ×

A new work of literary history unveils the story of how science fiction -- and much of our conception of the future -- took shape.

Ninth Street Women

LIVES

Ninth Street Women

By MARY GABRIEL

Reviewed by Hamilton Cain ×

Mary Gabriel's group biography puts the spotlight on five trailblazers of abstract art -- all of them women.