Barry Stewart Levy's Blog, page 3
August 9, 2022
Book Review #132
White Noise
by Don DeLillo
DeLillo's novel is prescient, profound, thought-provoking, disturbing, funny and poignant.
by Don DeLillo
DeLillo's novel is prescient, profound, thought-provoking, disturbing, funny and poignant.
August 2, 2022
Book Review #131
Agent Running in the Field
by John le Carre
A good, entertaining, very British, very witty and very well written spy novel with an ending that is both happy and sad.
by John le Carre
A good, entertaining, very British, very witty and very well written spy novel with an ending that is both happy and sad.
June 30, 2022
Book Review #130
Liarmouth: a Feel-Bad Romance
by John Waters
A filthy, funny, foul-mouthed romp. It took a while but I found myself laughing out loud. And more than once.
by John Waters
A filthy, funny, foul-mouthed romp. It took a while but I found myself laughing out loud. And more than once.
February 12, 2022
Book Review #129
The Child's Child
by Barbara Vine
I have read several books by Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine, her pseudonym. This book is not typical of either. I had to re-read the opening pages before I fully understood who the characters were and their relationship to one another. The first half of the book turned was superb and I couldn't put it down. But then the story goes on and on, without seeming to go anywhere and, most importantly, without having any mystery or suspense. And then the book just stops and comes to, I suppose what the author believes is, a tidy ending. I was disappointed.
by Barbara Vine
I have read several books by Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine, her pseudonym. This book is not typical of either. I had to re-read the opening pages before I fully understood who the characters were and their relationship to one another. The first half of the book turned was superb and I couldn't put it down. But then the story goes on and on, without seeming to go anywhere and, most importantly, without having any mystery or suspense. And then the book just stops and comes to, I suppose what the author believes is, a tidy ending. I was disappointed.
January 5, 2022
Book Review #128
Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels
by Justin Vivian Bond
Full disclosure: I'm a fan. I've seen Justin Vivian Bond perform here in New York City at Joe's Pub, La MaMa and Rose Hall and at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown. Mx Bond's childhood memoir is raw, honest, sexually graphic, painful, poignant and very funny. I greatly enjoyed reading it.
by Justin Vivian Bond
Full disclosure: I'm a fan. I've seen Justin Vivian Bond perform here in New York City at Joe's Pub, La MaMa and Rose Hall and at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown. Mx Bond's childhood memoir is raw, honest, sexually graphic, painful, poignant and very funny. I greatly enjoyed reading it.
December 16, 2021
Book Review #127
Boredom
by Alberto Moravia
When I first read it quite some time ago, the book was titled "The Empty Canvas" which was also the name of its filmed version. The novel itself is brilliantly written, extremely sensual and often very funny. Moravia examines the human condition with all its intricacies and contradictions. It is a pleasure to be in the hands of such a masterful writer; and Angus Davidson, who has translated several of Moravia's other works of fiction from Italian to English, once again does an excellent job.
by Alberto Moravia
When I first read it quite some time ago, the book was titled "The Empty Canvas" which was also the name of its filmed version. The novel itself is brilliantly written, extremely sensual and often very funny. Moravia examines the human condition with all its intricacies and contradictions. It is a pleasure to be in the hands of such a masterful writer; and Angus Davidson, who has translated several of Moravia's other works of fiction from Italian to English, once again does an excellent job.
October 18, 2021
Book Review #126
1984
by George Orwell
A brilliant, brutal and prophetic novel. As prescient as it is frightening. And as timely as recent events where we are told: "Don't believe what you see and hear. Just believe me." And: "Only I can fix it." If that doesn't sound like Big Brother to you, then Orwell's words are falling on deaf ears. And it's time we listened.
by George Orwell
A brilliant, brutal and prophetic novel. As prescient as it is frightening. And as timely as recent events where we are told: "Don't believe what you see and hear. Just believe me." And: "Only I can fix it." If that doesn't sound like Big Brother to you, then Orwell's words are falling on deaf ears. And it's time we listened.
September 22, 2021
Book Review #125
She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother
by Bryan Batt
Bryan Batt's lovely, highly entertaining tale of growing up gay in New Orleans, discovering his talent as an actor and celebrating his adoring relationship with his mother. The book is as funny as it is touching as it is Southern. You can practically smell the magnolias..! It is a wonderful memoir. And thank you, Bryan, for not ending it on a sad note.
by Bryan Batt
Bryan Batt's lovely, highly entertaining tale of growing up gay in New Orleans, discovering his talent as an actor and celebrating his adoring relationship with his mother. The book is as funny as it is touching as it is Southern. You can practically smell the magnolias..! It is a wonderful memoir. And thank you, Bryan, for not ending it on a sad note.
August 20, 2021
Book Review #124
The Crossing
by Michael Connelly
Most of this book is extremely well written and tough to put down. Connelly knows how to keep events moving and how to grab the reader's attention. The title is particularly intriguing as it refers to the mystery of how and why and where and when the victim and her murderer crossed paths. Unfortunately the last fifty pages of the novel fell apart. The two shootouts at the end are dealt with in a perfunctory manner. The court hearing lasts about five pages and is almost anti-climactic. But worst of all, Connelly introduces, or perhaps I should say re-introduces, characters from previous Harry Bosch novels, including a potential love interest. Frankly, I found this annoying. Even the final sentence of the book comes across as mundane. Too bad because most of this police procedural is a terrific read.
by Michael Connelly
Most of this book is extremely well written and tough to put down. Connelly knows how to keep events moving and how to grab the reader's attention. The title is particularly intriguing as it refers to the mystery of how and why and where and when the victim and her murderer crossed paths. Unfortunately the last fifty pages of the novel fell apart. The two shootouts at the end are dealt with in a perfunctory manner. The court hearing lasts about five pages and is almost anti-climactic. But worst of all, Connelly introduces, or perhaps I should say re-introduces, characters from previous Harry Bosch novels, including a potential love interest. Frankly, I found this annoying. Even the final sentence of the book comes across as mundane. Too bad because most of this police procedural is a terrific read.
July 15, 2021
Book Review #123
The Glass Kingdom
by Lawrence Osborne
This is the fifth book I have read by Lawrence Osborne. It is very well written and highly atmospheric. In this novel he incorporates many aspects found in his other writings: an exotic locale, a foreboding sense of doom, conflicts between the indigent and the well-to-do, ghosts, karma, etc.
It is a riveting read about the unraveling of a young woman named Sarah who deceives her elderly female employer, a successful writer, by forging her correspondence and then swindling a Hong Kong businessman. She then moves into a once luxurious high-rise in Bangkok where she assumes a false identity. There she is befriended by three other women, all suspicious of who she really is.
Outside the decaying edifice an insurrection is brewing. More and more of the tenants are leaving as their residence becomes less and less safe.
Sarah's hold on reality begins crumbling as does her outward appearance.
The novel's ending is horrifying and disturbing, making it difficult for me to recommend this book.
I still think his best novel is his first, "The Forgiven."
by Lawrence Osborne
This is the fifth book I have read by Lawrence Osborne. It is very well written and highly atmospheric. In this novel he incorporates many aspects found in his other writings: an exotic locale, a foreboding sense of doom, conflicts between the indigent and the well-to-do, ghosts, karma, etc.
It is a riveting read about the unraveling of a young woman named Sarah who deceives her elderly female employer, a successful writer, by forging her correspondence and then swindling a Hong Kong businessman. She then moves into a once luxurious high-rise in Bangkok where she assumes a false identity. There she is befriended by three other women, all suspicious of who she really is.
Outside the decaying edifice an insurrection is brewing. More and more of the tenants are leaving as their residence becomes less and less safe.
Sarah's hold on reality begins crumbling as does her outward appearance.
The novel's ending is horrifying and disturbing, making it difficult for me to recommend this book.
I still think his best novel is his first, "The Forgiven."
