French journalist and screenwriter Emanuele Carrère brings fictional life to a colorful Russian misfit.
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Whose Watchman?
Harper Lee's much-hyped "Go Set a Watchman" is skimpy, uninspired and poorly written.
The Illogic of Kassel
Vila-Matas' latest translated novel is a voyage into self, art and literature with a gimpy happy ending.
War in mind
Pamela Schoenewaldt offers World War I historical fiction sympathetic to the plight of German-Americans.
The Mersault Investigation
Algerian journalist Kamel Daoud beats incredible odds in re-imagining Camus' "The Stranger."
The Making of the Zombie Wars
Aleksandar Hemon takes a sincere crack at screwball comedy, but he swings and misses.
The Country Road
Regina Ullmann's stories, finally translated into English, are creations of other-worldly grace.
Chickens Eat Pasta
British journalist Clare Pedrick's charming Italian memoir is a love affair with country, house and man.
An American nightmare
Toni Morrison's "God Help the Child" shifts from racism to child abuse, though the two are kin.
The Long Good Bye
The Raymond Chandler of the final Philip Marlowe book is more brilliant than ever, but also burned out.
Roman Tales
Alberto Moravia's tales of blue-collar Rome men in the postwar help explain neorealism.
A Love Affair
Dino Buzzati's overlooked 1963 masterpiece is a perfect companion to La Dolce Vita.