Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood in “Meet the Benedettos” – Chicago Review of Books

Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood in “Meet the Benedettos” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] There is no shortage of literary mashups in contemporary publishing, at least in how books are marketed. Books are described as X meets Y to give readers an idea of what to expect. Katie Cotugno’s latest novel, Meet the Benedettos, is billed as Pride and Prejudice meets the Kardashians, and the characterization is dead … Read more

Killing Convention in “My Murder” – Chicago Review of Books

Killing Convention in “My Murder” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Murder mysteries usually include a few key characters: there’s a victim, a killer, and someone who solves the whodunnit. As the novel progresses, the reader works alongside the detective or amateur sleuth to identify the circumstances of the death, the identity of the killer, the motive, and the details of how everything went down. … Read more

Searching for Our Future in “The Last Catastrophe” – Chicago Review of Books

Searching for Our Future in “The Last Catastrophe” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] For all the ominousness of the title, The Last Catastrophe, Allegra Hyde’s sophomore short story collection, is remarkably hopeful. Not hopeful as to the eventual collapse of ecosystems, or the extinction of species, or technology addiction, or pollution, or the state of American politics (though Hyde’s satire on this front is biting enough to … Read more

Defining and Creating Home in “Home Bound” – Chicago Review of Books

Defining and Creating Home in “Home Bound” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Vanessa A. Bee’s debut memoir opens with a passport replacement appointment at the French consulate in Washington, D.C. “Where are you from?” the consulate guard asks Bee. Home Bound: An Uprooted Daughter’s Reflections on Belonging, a meditative and captivating examination of the layers that make up a home, is Bee’s answer to this question. … Read more

The Delusion of Work Loving You Back in “The Work Wife” – Chicago Review of Books

The Delusion of Work Loving You Back in “The Work Wife” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Alison B. Hart’s incisive debut novel, The Work Wife, captures one day in the lives of esteemed Hollywood director Ted Stabler’s three wives—his ex-wife, his current wife, and his work wife. Each of these women struggles, with varying levels of success, to balance her relationships and creative goals with work and its attendant power … Read more