Best new paperbacks:

The BookPage monthly feature for reading groups

  • The latest paperbacks

  • Book recommendations

  • Web sites

  • Links to publishers

  • Group guides

    		•  July paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups

    REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

    Cover The Bounty
    Alexander's best-selling, painstakingly researched narrative delves deep into the mystery of history's most famous nautical mutiny. During a 1787 voyage from England to the South Pacific, rebellion broke out on the Bounty, pitting Lt. William Bligh against shipmate Fletcher Christian and his unhappy band of mutineers. Bligh was stripped of authority, forced off the Bounty and left to drift on the ocean in a 23-foot boat, along with a group of loyal followers. Bligh's remarkable return to England after 48 days at sea—a 3,600-mile cruise—is recounted here, as Alexander presents a redeeming portrait of the controversial seaman. Her treatment of Christian and the captured mutineers, who were court-martialed, is lively and vivid, filled with authentic quotes taken from crew members' correspondence and from court documents.

    Cover The Great Fire
    Hazzard's first work of fiction in more than 20 years won the National Book Award and was a Today Show Book Club pick. Set in Japan in 1947, this unforgettable novel tells the story of two young men trying to get on with their lives in a world forever altered by war. Aldred Leith, 32-year-old war hero and son of a famous novelist, travels to a small town near Hiroshima to conduct research for a book on the aftermath of the bomb. Meanwhile, Aldred's friend Peter Exley, an art historian and war veteran, interrogates war criminals in Hong Kong, fighting the singular emptiness that seems to haunt every young character in the book. The intertwining of the characters' lives, the ways in which they struggle to find a sense of purpose in the midst of catastrophe, make this a wonderfully illuminating account of a definitive era in history. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.picadorusa.com.

    Cover Liars and Saints
    A saga that spans five decades, this multigenerational tale follows the lives of the Santerre family, a Catholic clan living in California. Yvette and Teddy, a marine who served in World War II, struggle with their 16-year-old daughter, who threatens to bring scandal upon the family when she becomes pregnant. To save face, Yvette claims the baby as her own—one of many family deceptions that occur. Presented in brief chapters narrated by various family members, the novel presents the reader with a kaleidoscopic look at the Santerres. The voices Meloy conjures here are authentic and fresh, and she does an expert job of capturing the tensions of the times, bringing to life the cultural tumult of the 1960s and '70s. Best of all, she writes with wisdom and generosity about the quirks and complexities of family life.

    Cover The Time Traveler's Wife
    This unconventional love story marks the arrival of a talented new author. Henry and Clare De Tamble are, by all appearances, a regular Chicago couple. Yet, all is not as it seems. Henry suffers from Chrono-Displacement Disorder, which means that, with no warning, he often disappears, only to resurface in the past or the future—most often at moments of special significance in his life. Thus, he travels backward into Clare's childhood, where, in a bizarre twist, he encounters her as a six-year-old. Skillfully shifting points of view, the author presents us with the perspectives of both Clare and Henry, with poignant, often hilarious results. As time's toy, Henry relies upon Clare—the one constant in his life—to keep him grounded. Their marriage, in fact, seems to grow stronger despite his peculiar condition and the strange paradoxes that ensue as a result. This touching, uniquely inventive novel was a national bestseller. The movie rights have been purchased by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. A reading group guide is included in the book.


    Has your club recently read an excellent book that sparked good group discussion? If so, BookPage would like to hear about it. Contact us at reading@bookpage.com with a description of the book and the reasons for your recommendation. We'll pass the top choices along to our readers.

    © 2004 ProMotion, inc.
    www@bookpage.com