Best new paperbacks:

The BookPage monthly feature for reading groups

  • The latest paperbacks

  • Book recommendations

  • Web sites

  • Links to publishers

  • Group guides

    		•  November paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups

    REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

    Cover The Flamenco Academy
    Sarah Bird brings humor and authenticity to her sixth novel, the story of two teenagers struggling to adapt to life's unexpected twists and turns. Cyndi Rae is 17 when her family moves to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her father soon dies of cancer. Fortunately, Cyndi finds a friend in Didi Steinberg, a rebellious outsider who also lost her own father to cancer. Cyndi and Didi quickly bond and attempt to deal with their grief, while their mothers sink into despair. When Cyndi meets Tomás Montenegro, a gorgeous and talented flamenco guitarist, her life takes another unforeseen turn. Captivated and inspired by Tomás, she decides to study flamenco dancing, partly in hopes of winning his affection. Cyndi's teacher is Doña Carlota Anaya de Montenegro, a revered flamenco instructor and Tomás' great-aunt. Doña Carlota raised Tomás, and—as Cyndi Rae discovers—she knows him better than anyone else. Once Didi decides to take lessons from Doña Carlota, a sort of competition ensues between the two girls, with Tomás as the ultimate prize. As Doña Carlota teaches them, she tells her own story, recalling her life in Spain and revealing much about Tomás along the way. Bird sets up a wonderful contrast between Doña Carlota's past and the lives of teenagers in modern-day New Mexico. She writes beautifully about the art of flamenco, Gypsy culture and Spanish history. A reading group guide is included in the book.

    Cover Through the Children's Gate
    Gopnik, author of the best-selling nonfiction book Paris to the Moon (2000), returns with a fresh collection of essays, all related to the experience of being a parent in New York, the city he has called home for the past five years. Taken together, the 20 essays in the book provide a charming overview of life in the Big Apple and serve as a testament to the way in which the city has changed for the better over the past few decades. In Gopnik's view, New York has shed its brutal, uninviting image to become surprisingly family-friendly. The pieces included here center on parenthood and cover topics like the loss of a family pet (a fish named Bluie), the pros and cons of private schools and his daughter's attachment to an imaginary friend (a character named Charlie Ravioli). While these essays are undoubtedly site-specific, they offer something for everyone—not just New Yorkers. As a longtime reporter for The New Yorker, where most of these essays originally appeared, Gopnik has consistently delivered stylish nonfiction. Filled with wonderful anecdotes and unforgettable imagery, this valentine to the city that never sleeps is Gopnik at his best. A reading group guide is available online at www.readinggroupcenter.com.

    Cover After This
    The National Book Award-winning author returns with a poignant novel—her sixth—about an Irish-Catholic family struggling to deal with the after-effects of the Vietnam War. When John and Mary Keane of Long Island lose Jacob, their oldest son, in the conflict, their lives are forever altered. While the two are able to cope with their grief thanks to their deep-rooted Catholicism, their children react in ways that reflect the generation gap of the era. As she shows how the loss affects the Keanes' other children, McDermott—a virtuoso when it comes to presenting the inner lives of her characters—creates rich, well-rounded portraits of the three remaining siblings. The Keanes' son, Michael, turns to drugs and sex. Their two daughters, also overwhelmed by the loss, take different paths: Anne drops out of college and moves to Europe, while Clare, still in high school, gets pregnant. McDermott skillfully uses flashbacks to fill in the family's history, telling the story of John and Mary's courtship after World War II, when he was a veteran, and she had given up hope of ever marrying. Spanning several decades, this provocative novel unfolds in brief, tightly focused chapters that give the book a sharp emotional edge. McDermott has crafted a moving chronicle of a family shattered by war—a book that's timely, wise and beautifully written. A reading group guide is available online at www.bantamdell.com.


    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.

    © 2007 ProMotion, inc.