Editorial reviews

Over several lifetimes, there’s as much individual evil as the governmental kind in this engaging novel. The Hastings family must fend off adversity of all kinds and from every side. Their challenges — so movingly detailed here — provide a profound sense of the whole tumultuous century.

If you want a perfect embodiment of the political divide that E.J. Dionne Jr. describes and laments in his new book, “Our Divided Political Heart,” there’s no better place to look than the credentials of E.J. Dionne Jr.: columnist for The Washington Post; senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; professor at Georgetown University; regular guest on “Meet the Press,” MSNBC and NPR.

Laced with humor, often ribald and iconoclastic, this is an insightful tale of pain and love, a story of a quest for humanity and grace in a desperate, chaotic society.

Janine: To sum up my feelings about Tangle of Need, while it had its flaws, there was much I appreciated about it. It was a good book, but not among my big favorites in the series. Grade:B-.

Jennie: I’d give it a B-/C+.

Like all good memoirs, John Darnton’s “Almost a Family ” (Anchor, $16.95) is something of a detective story.

Reading Kristina McMorris' writing is nothing short of poetry. BRIDGE OF SCARLET LEAVES will have you laughing, taking pause and also reaching for Kleenex, as I did more than once.

A Gentleman Undone is a beautifully written book and one that rewards readers with a superbly novel take on historical romance. And while I lack faith in the implicit promise at the end of the book, I am wholly certain the book itself is a winner. I give it a B+

In One Person remains a big, entertaining and unstintingly generous read, bulging with incident and able to make every member of its large cast entirely memorable.

This was an amazing book that I'd recommend to any fan of contemporary romance. I'll be rooting for Jane Graves at the RITA awards this summer, and I'll definitely be checking out her other books when it's time for me to pack for my next vacation.

The story was written around the time of the Spartacus revolt and references regarding Spartacus were made but the exploration of this important political event was superficial, almost hesitant. There were elements I liked – the ominous gothic feel and the setting of Ancient Rome. I felt that the story didn’t live up to the promise. C

You’ve ended the book on sort of a cliff hanger. What happened 28 years ago and how is Sadie going to find out and what will happen when she does? I think I can guess who will be the next hero but I will look forward to it, him and another trip to Lovett, Texas. B

Take “Scoop,” Evelyn Waugh’s classic sendup of journalism, and replace its hero, a clueless nature columnist, with a perky Bridget Jones gal, move the time frame from the 1930s to 1997, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what Annalena McAfee’s first novel, “The Spoiler,” aspires to be.

The sharpest evidence of Dybek's skills is that he has taken a story line that could easily have veered into film cliché, a mix of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and the basic secret-in-the-basement plot, and turned it into a taut novel juggling the sometimes conflicting impulses to do the moral thing, and to protect those we love.

“Gone Girl” is this author’s third novel, after “Sharp Objects” and “Dark Places.” “Dark Places,” in particular, drew attention from mystery aficionados, but “Gone Girl” is Ms. Flynn’s dazzling breakthrough. It is wily, mercurial, subtly layered and populated by characters so well imagined that they’re hard to part with — even if, as in Amy’s case, they are already departed.

Any one of the plot strains in this ambitious debut might have made for a satisfying novel, but woven together, they create more confusion than excitement.

A well-researched, informative and accessible look at important economic and agricultural issues.

Dragnic avoids mawkishness by keeping her focus on the ache of love and on the difficulties of its fulfillment.

Real sexual tension apparently requires all the divine forces in the universe be arrayed against you, if this book is any guide.