review by mary abshire

   geraldine brooks transports readers to a year of horror and wonder: the year of the plague, 1666, as seen through the eyes of the vicar’s maid. set in the fictional english village of eyam, Year of Wonders chronicles the villagers’ struggle to reconcile faith and loss in the midst of destruction. as half the village is struck with the deadly disease, heroine anna frith sees her frailty and fears forged into strength. brooks faithfully records the strangeness of the time; the human tendency to embrace absurdity in times of hopelessness appears in strange forms, from flagellants to quack doctors. as the vicar’s maid, anna frith also has ample opportunity to observe even the clergy’s increasing disillusionment with traditional religion.

   as arthur golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha, says: “geraldine brooks’ impressive first novel goes well beyond chronicling the devastation of a plague-ridden village…an elegant and engaging story.”

   for supplemental reading on the plague and medieval culture and history, check out A Distant Mirror, by barbara tuchman.

   Year of Wonders will be released in august 2001.

Lipstick and Other Stories by alex kuo  

review by mary abshire

   Lipstick, alex kuo’s latest book, is a place where language blooms in vivid and mysterious  images through the use of precise language and an uncannily perceptive ear for sound.

  “his stories burst with hard-edged insights that take my breath away. I read them with surprise and admiration,” said p.k. leung.

   the stories are short, seldom longer than seven pages. the result is a fine collection, where each word is important and the craftsmanship and placing is superb.

  alex kuo is a trans-pacific writer; in Lipstick, most of the stories take place in contemporary china, though kuo has spent most of his adult life in the pacific northwest. since 1988, kuo has taught and travelled in china as a senior fulbright fellow and lecturer. he is the author of Chinese Opera, and This Fierce Geography, a collection of poems.   2000. 182 pp. paperback. $14.95

The Prayers of Kierkegaard edited by perry d. lefevre

review by lucas grubbs

   existentialism and christianity are two ways of life commonly considered quite at odds with each other.  but one man has brought the two together in a unique and beautiful way.  his name is soren kierkegaard and with The Prayers of Kierkegaard, edited by perry d. lefevre, his insight to this special religious philosophy is documented in a lucid manner which shows that the two can coexist peacefully.  The Prayers of Kierkegaard begins as the title suggests with a survey of many of the prayers written by kierkegaard himself.  many never before translated from danish, these prayers are more than just tools for religious devotion, they also show insight into this man’s way of religious and philosophical thinking.  for reasons attributed to the special way in which kierkegaard views the trinitarian nature of the christian god, the prayers are divided into orations toward the father, the son and the holy spirit.  each prayer allows one a clear example of how kierkegaard views the subjects he deals with in the prayers, how he views each part of the trinity as well as fine literary crafting.  The Prayers of Kierkegaard then delves into a brief but thorough study of the life of kierkegaard, the events and surroundings that shaped his writings and the philosophy of kierkegaard himself.  for anyone interested in the world of religion and philosophy, The Prayers of Kierkegaard is a recent work worthy of discovery.  beautifully written and organized, here is a volume that will turn the wheels of the mind and keep them curious.  a final question: are you an aesthetic person or a rational person?  The Prayers of Kierkegaard will help you decide and find out what  to do after you know. 

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