Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Reviews

Are We the Butterfly or the Tornado?: Joan Silber’s “Improvement”
Tara Ison finds Joan Silber’s latest novel “Improvement” an astute, lyrical portrait of characters linked by their limits and their truths.
Tara IsonNov 15, 2017
- Fiction
A Preoccupation with Consciousness: Matthew Weiner’s “Heather, the Totality”
Matthew Specktor reviews Matthew Weiner's debut novel, "Heather, the Totality."
Matthew SpecktorNov 15, 2017
- Fiction
The Intimate Portrait of a Generation: Annie Ernaux’s “The Years”
Azarin Sadegh reviews Annie Ernaux's memoir, recently translated by Alison L. Strayer.
Azarin SadeghNov 15, 2017
- Memoir & Essay
Gender-Bending the Body: On Andrea Lawlor’s “Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl”
Michael Valinsky reviews Andrea Lawlor's new novel.
Michael ValinskyNov 14, 2017
- Fiction
- Gender & Sexuality
Postcards from the Edge: The Voices of Hard Times in Today’s United States
A new anthology doesn’t quite explain Trump’s rise, but it does shed light on a persistent American problem.
Sean WoodardNov 14, 2017
- Economics and Finance
- Politics
I Knew Somebody Would Come: Svetlana Alexievich’s Wars
Paul Delany on Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich and the legacies of war.
Paul DelanyNov 14, 2017
Zora Neale Hurston: “A Genius of the South”
John W. W. Zeiser reviews Peter Bagge's graphic biography "Fire!! The Zora Neale Hurston Story."
John W. W. ZeiserNov 13, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- Comics
Zeitgeist to Obsolete: Rewinding the Walkman’s Inverted Cinderella Story
The Walkman revolutionized music listening, creating personal experiences in public spaces.
Carissa StoltingNov 12, 2017
“I’ll Take You to a Place Called Italian Hall”: On Daniel Wolff’s “Grown-Up Anger” and the Calumet Massacre of 1913
Darryl Holter reflects on “Grown-Up Anger” by Daniel Wolff.
Darryl HolterNov 12, 2017
Russia’s Race to the Past
Why is Russia so eager to meddle in Ukrainian affairs? Because they see it as the true birthplace of Russia.
Evan BurkinNov 11, 2017
“A Kiss Across the Stage”: Michael Longley’s “Angel Hill” and the Legacy of Seamus Heaney
Isaac Nowell reviews Michael Longley’s “Angel Hill.”
Isaac NowellNov 10, 2017
- Around the World
- Poetry
Who Sings the Revolution?: On Julia Balén’s “A Queerly Joyful Noise: Choral Musicking for Social Justice”
Morgan Woolsey wrangles with the political potential of queer singing in Julia Balén’s “A Queerly Joyful Noise: Choral Musicking for Social Justice.”
Morgan WoolseyNov 10, 2017
- Gender & Sexuality
- Music
The Ironies of Style
Matthew Hunter reviews Jeff Dolven’s “Senses of Style: Poetry before Interpretation.”
Matthew HunterNov 9, 2017
Through a Verse Darkly: On Kevin Hart’s “Poetry and Revelation”
One surefire way to ruin a poem is to let a philosopher interpret it. Happily, however, Kevin Hart the philosopher-poet is an exception.
Christopher WatkinNov 8, 2017
Figuring It out in the Air: On “The Education of a Young Poet”
Lisa Fetchko reviews David Biespiel’s memoir about his coming to consciousness as a poet.
Lisa FetchkoNov 8, 2017
- Memoir & Essay
- Poetry
Completing the Portrait: John Banville Tells Us What Isabel Archer Does Next
Thomas J. Millay reviews John Banville's "Mrs. Osmond," his continuation of "The Portrait of a Lady."
Thomas J. MillayNov 7, 2017
- Fiction