Boardwalk Stories

Celebrity Review

• Seabiscuit, An American Legend
  by Hillenbrand, LauraOne does not have to be a lover of horses to respond to the story of Seabiscuit and the unique personalities of the men who scripted the Cinderella story of an ungainly, unwanted, unbeautiful animal that became a racehorse legend. The narrative vividly describes the Depression years, life at the race track, and the thrilling events that […]
• The Gormenghast Trilogy
  by Peake, MervynTolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” gets the attention this year because of the movie tie-in, but Peake’s more or less contemporary trilogy digs deeper into the twisted psyches of its characters. Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast, inherits a vast castle full of eccentrics in part 1, defends it against a murderous conniver in part 2, then abando […]
• Back When We Were Grownups
  by Tyler, AnneIf your life has neat borders and galvanized goals, Anne Tyler’s books may be too ragged, quirky and disquieting for you. But the Pulitzer Prizewinner’s fifteenth novel, Back When We Were Grownups, is a new favorite of mine because it celebrates the unexpected twists and epiphanies an ordinary woman’s life can take. The strong, delightful main […]
• Girl in Hyacinth Blue
  by Vreeland, SusanFor readers interested in art and history, Girl in Hyacinth Blue is a must read. Author Susan Vreeland traces ownership of a Vermeer painting from the present through each owner in reverse chronology to its seventeenth century Dutch artist. The painting has a complex history, told chapter by chapter in stories of each owner and describes th […]
• Uncle Tom's Cabin
  by Stowe, Harriet BeecherThough everyone has heard of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I have met few who have actually read it. That is unfortunate, since it captures pre-Civil War life in a colorful and compelling way that still invites controversy today. As a Southerner born and bred, I was challenged by the images of slave life, nostalgic over the local dialects and s […]