I've been working on
Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife. This novel is about a young woman, Alice, who grows up to marry a man. This isn't just any man, this is a man who goes on to become president. A terrible accident that breaks Alice's heart and innocence when she is 17 weaves its way through. I've been barely able to set this one down. After waiting for four months for the book at the local library, I'm thankful for the wait. This book comes highly recommended.
Another great book worth reading is
Ian McEwan's Atonement. This book is about young love that is lost in tragedy. A film was made of this novel recently, and while the film does an excellent job, the book is worth the read for McEwan's masterful descriptive style. His hand is so talented, you don't need the film in order to experience the verasimilitude this novel offers. I enjoyed the novel so much, that I've begun to systematically collect his other works, beginning with his first story collection,
First Love, Last Rites and another novel of his,
Enduring Love. McEwen is definitely worth picking up - for the style and for the strange twists each of his tales take. He's become one of my favorite authors.
