Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“Kairos,” by Jenny Alpenbeck (New Directions, 2024)
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (New Directions)
I wanted to like “Kairos.” I even broke my 50-page rule for it (i.e., if a book hasn’t grabbed my interest by page 50, I move on). But the odious callousness of the older, male protagonist set against the hapless, hopeful naivete of the younger, female protagonist made me give up in disappointment. Their adulterous affair quickly takes an abusive turn, which everyone except the young naif sees. Other reviewers have pointed to the brilliant parallel between this unequal and abusive interpersonal relationship and the political reality of satellite nations vis-à-vis the Soviet Union in the pre-1989 years. A sharp yet witty political satire, in the vein of Polish author Stanislav Lem, this is not. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It wasn’t mine. (Winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize for Alpenbeck, the first German author to win this prestigious award.) — 2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Sipsworth,” by Simon Van Booy (David R. Godwin, 2024)
Eighty-three-year-old Helen Cartwright has returned to England after six decades in Australia, wishing to die in her home village. But life has some surprises in mind, starting with the accidental rescue of a tiny mouse. As in all good rescue stories, it’s not easy to discern the rescued from the rescuer. There’s much to reflect on in this gentle, delicately written book. Van Booy ushers us through the heaviest of emotions (loneliness, grief) with a touch lightened by hope. This may be the sweetest read of 2024. — 4 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“How to Bake a Perfect Life,” by Barbara O’Neal (Bantam, 2010)
“How to Bake a Perfect Life,” by Barbara O’Neal (Bantam, 2010)
Colorado author O’Neal, a prolific writer of women’s fiction, was a RITA winner for “How to Bake a Perfect Life.” One of her talents is to take ordinary people and spotlight their challenges, triumphs and relationships to show readers how each one’s existence is unique and wonderful. Ramona, the fortysomething owner of a bakery whose daughter’s husband is severely injured in war, meets a male friend she’d originally connected with when she was a pregnant teen. Now serving as substitute mom to her daughter’s rebellious stepdaughter during that daughter’s absence, her life becomes even more complicated when the business, in a historical Victorian, threatens to fall victim to the forces of age. Affection for daughter, step-granddaughter and old pal, along with hard work, helps her help herself. — 2 1/2 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)
“Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence,” by Yaroslav Trofimov (Penguin Press)
Trofimov, who grew up in Kiev, is a Wall Street Journal reporter covering the war in Ukraine. His reporting includes interviews with Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian leaders, as well as with everyday citizens. He also describes his experiences reporting across the country and at the front lines, from the 2014 seizure of Crimea and the Donbas through the end of 2023. The details are riveting and his insights are candid and unvarnished. No one can guess how this war will end, but with Trofimov’s reporting, we now know how we got to this point. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver