August paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups

REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

Flight of the Swan

A story of love, political intrigue and—believe it or not—ballet, this wonderfully original novel tells the story of a Russian dance troupe stranded in Puerto Rico in 1917, during the country's tumultuous independence movement. Narrator Masha is the loyal servant and faithful friend of Madame, the group's prima ballerina. When Madame falls for Diamantino Marquez, a young revolutionary half her age who uses her to help his political causes, Masha tries to steer her clear of the foolish attachment. Meanwhile, she loses her own heart to a black Puerto Rican shoemaker—and to the country she will soon call home. Rich with Puerto Rican history and culture, this engaging story, inspired by Anna Pavlova's tours of Latin America, is sure to solidify the reputation of Ferré, a National Book Award nominee. A reading group guide is available at www.penguinputnam.com.


The Dearly Departed

When small-time actress Margaret Batten and her boyfriend Miles Finn are found dead in Margaret's house, rumors fly around the town of King George, New Hampshire. Were they murdered? Were they married? Investigating this mystery is Margaret's daughter, Sunny, who returns to King George for the first time since high school only to learn that her mother was not the timid wallflower she believed. The arrival of Miles' son Fletcher Finn—a cantankerous 31-year-old bearing an uncanny resemblance to Sunny—sets the town speculating further about the pair's parents. Lipman has created an amusing whodunit set in a small community populated with familiar, likable figures—from Dot, the waitress at the local diner, to the hapless police chief Joey Loach. This lighthearted comedy raises important questions about the nature of family and community. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.vintagebooks.com/read.


The World Below

Returning to the Vermont house bequeathed to her by an aunt, Catherine Hubbard—freshly divorced and in her 50s—takes stock of her life in this wonderfully resonant novel. The trip to Vermont is a journey into the past as Catherine reflects on her childhood, her mother's suicide, the teenage years she and her brother spent with their grandparents and her relationship with Georgia, the grandmother she adored. When she finds Georgia's diary, Catherine makes some life-changing discoveries about her broken family. Torn between the past and her life in San Francisco, she embarks on an emotional odyssey that's recounted with wisdom and grace by Miller, whose previous novel, While I Was Gone, was an Oprah's Book Club selection. A reading group guide is included in the book.


Visible Spirits

Set in 1902 in the Mississippi Delta community of Loring, where Jim Crow is hampering the progress of Reconstruction, this lyrical novel tells the story of Loda Jackson, the town's first black postmistress. The citizens of Loring accept her appointment to the post until Tandy Payne, the mayor's brother and a no-good gambler, comes to town. He begins to foment opposition among Loring's racist factions, and Loda is soon fired. But when President Roosevelt himself takes action, she is promptly reinstated, a decision that angers the town's prejudiced population. Violence looms as Tandy clashes with his brother, and the people of Loring turn against each other. This widely praised novel—an original and perceptive look at life in the South—has been compared to the work of William Faulkner.


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