REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

Eventide
In this stirring sequel to his best-selling novel Plainsong, Haruf returns to Holt, Colorado, to continue the story of young Victoria Roubideaux and the abrasive but loveable McPheron brothers who took her in when she became pregnant. The novel is set a year after the events recounted in the previous book. With her baby daughter Katie in tow, single mother Victoria leaves the McPheron ranch to attend college in Fort Collins. Not long after her departure, tragedy strikes the brothers, leaving Raymond to deal single-handedly with the ranch. But when he befriends Rose Tyler, a kind-hearted social worker, Raymond finds romance and discovers he can make a difference in Holt. Assisting Rose with her young clients, he forms strong new attachments to troubled members of the community, including an 11-year-old orphan named DJ Kephart, who struggles to care for his grandfather. When it comes to depicting small-town dynamics and the ties that bind family, nobody can outwrite Haruf. Authentic and stark, his latest book is a striking portrait of daily life in the rural Midwest, an unforgettable story about love, loss and survival characterized by the author's lean yet spirited prose. Eventide is a sequel that equals its predecessor, a satisfying follow-up to Plainsong, certain to please readers. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.readinggroupcenter.com.

Eventide
By Kent Haruf
Vintage, $$13.95
320 pages, ISBN 0375725768



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Above the Thunder
Manfredi makes a first-class debut with this highly acclaimed work of literary fiction. At the center of the novel is Bostonian Anna Brinkman, a widow in her 50s, who is a successful medical technologist and academic. Anna's life is turned upside-down after Poppy, her heroin-addict daughter, phones from Alaska and asks to visit. When Poppy's husband arrives instead, looking for help in raising their 10-year-old daughter, Flynn, Anna is pushed to her limit. As a mentor for an AIDS support group, she has other worries to contend with, including her growing attachment to an HIV-positive patient—a young homosexual named Jack. Making all of this bearable for Anna is the presence of her granddaughter. An extraordinarily sharp little girl with a wild imagination and a quick mind, Flynn charms everyone around her. In the end, it is Flynn's remarkable spirit that redeems Anna in the midst of her trials, inspiring her to form a unique family of her own, along with Jack. Manfredi, who was named one of Granta's best American novelists under the age of 40, writes about complex medical issues like AIDS with poise and confidence. With Above the Thunder, she has created an exceptional novel about hope, loyalty and the meaning of family. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.readinggroupcenter.com.

Above the Thunder
By Renée Manfredi
Anchor, $13.95
352 pages, ISBN 1400078504



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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
More true tales from everybody's favorite essayist. The best-selling author of Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day returns in full force with a classic collection of nonfiction pieces. Bearing the unmistakable stamp of Sedaris' offbeat humor, brimming with priceless insights, these carefully crafted slices of autobiography serve as open invitations into the author's life. There are laugh-out-loud accounts of Sedaris' middle-class upbringing, including family vacations, quarrels with his parents and comic incidents with his siblings. But Sedaris also presents sensitive renderings of a painful adolescence, as he comes of age knowing he is gay. Negotiating the rough terrain of romantic relationships, he offers honest, open narratives about monogamy and love. In "Possession," he reports on his current life in Europe, as he and his boyfriend Hugh search for the perfect apartment. "A Can of Worms" is a perceptive and unsparing look at a personality conflict that arises between the two lovers. As usual, Sedaris balances humor with wisdom, and the result is a narrative voice that's uniquely endearing. Each of these 27 hilarious tales of family, childhood, love and travel is sure to resonate with readers. Fans won't want to miss the continuing adventures of this extremely popular writer.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
By David Sedaris
Back Bay, $14.95
272 pages, ISBN 0316010790



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