On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review
Illustration by Javier Jaén Benavides
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| Family Way |
| By JUDITH WARNER |
Two new books examine the current culture of motherhood: one bemoaning it and the other suggesting what might be done to improve the balance of work and family demands.
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By JUDITH NEWMAN
The novelist Anne Enright offers an unsentimental look at the essential condition of motherhood: absurdity.
Also in the Book Review
By JOHN IRVING
Reviewed by JEANETTE WINTERSON
In John Irving's new novel, an aspiring writer struggles with his sexuality.
By CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY
Reviewed by ALIDA BECKER
Christopher Buckley's comic hero stirs up a ruckus with China.
By JONAH LEHRER
Reviewed by CHRISTOPHER CHABRIS
Creativity isn't a gift possessed by a lucky few, Jonah Lehrer says. It's a process we can all learn to use more effectively.
By RAJESH PARAMESWARAN
Reviewed by CHANDRAHAS CHOUDHURY
A first collection of unpredictable short stories.
By EDWARD O. WILSON
Reviewed by PAUL BLOOM
By looking at the "eusocial" ant, Edward O. Wilson argues, humans can learn something about our own nature.
By PAUL PRESTON
Reviewed by ADAM HOCHSCHILD
In Paul Preston's history of the Spanish Civil War, the atrocities under Franco mirror those in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
By JOHN SUTHERLAND
Reviewed by CHRISTOPHER BENFEY
Many novelists don't have to look far for inspiration, John Sutherland writes.
CRIME
By MARILYN STASIO
Joseph Olshan's novel "Cloudland" concerns the impact of a murder on a rural community.
By AMARA LAKHOUS.Translated by ANN GOLDSTEIN.
Reviewed by ALESSANDRA STANLEY
This novel about Muslim immigrants in Italy scales down important themes by concentrating on ordinary people.
Children's Books
By KRISTIN CASHORE. Illustrated by IAN SCHOENHERR.
Reviewed by GRETCHEN RUBIN
Kristin Cashore's teenage queen struggles through a fog of secrets in this companion to "Graceling" and "Fire."
By ADAM GOPNIK
Two novels about princes display different approaches to the world of fantasy.
By SOPHIE BLACKALL
Readers can learn from the birds in these picture books.
By PAMELA PAUL
Picture books about bedtime.
By PAMELA PAUL
Picture books that are odes to the maternal.
By ELIZABETH BIRD
From stolen sweets to missing parents, the sleuths in these stories have their work cut out for them.
By SARA PENNYPACKER
Reviewed by ELISABETH EGAN
Two girls conceal a great-aunt's death to salvage some order in their lives.
By ANITA SILVEY
Four books explore friendship through animal pairs.
By PAMELA PAUL
Picture books about siblings.
By PATRICIA MCCORMICK
Reviewed by SETH MYDANS
A novel based on a boy's life under the Khmer Rouge.
By TIM CARVELL. Illustrated by DOUG HOLGATE.
Reviewed by DAN KOIS
Tim Carvell's 12-year-old narrator has a lot on his mind.
By ELIZABETH SPIRES
Shelter - from storms or from busy routines - is the subject of three books.
By ELIZABETH WEIN
Reviewed by MARJORIE INGALL
Two young women fight for Britain during World War II.
By R. P. HARRIS. Illustrated by TAEEUN YOO.
Reviewed by SARA GRUEN
In the bustling Thailand of R. P. Harris's novel, a special bond is formed.
By JULIET BELL
Reviewed by DANI SHAPIRO
When the mother of this novel's heroine needs a stem-cell transplant, the girl must spend the summer with her grandmother.
By BETH ANN BAUMAN
Reviewed by JESSICA WAKEMAN
Beth Ann Bauman's 17-year-old heroine brings contemporary issues to light.
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The author of "The Lost Years" and many other novels was once thrilled to spot a fellow air passenger reading one of her books. Moments later, the reader was fast asleep.
Back Page
By ROGER ROSENBLATT
Sure, authors get treated like weirdos in their own homes, but they have only themselves to blame.
By GREGORY COWLES
On May 25, fans of Douglas Adams will honor the author's memory with the annual Towel Day, a nod to Adams's delirious novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Recently reviewed books of particular interest.
By IHSAN TAYLOR
Paperback books of particular interest.
This week, Judith Newman discusses Anne Enright's memoir "Making Babies"; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Pamela Paul talks about children's books; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
REVIEWS BY THE TIMES'S CRITICS
Editor's Note
Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail. Feel free to send feedback; I enjoy hearing your opinions and will do my best to respond.
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