Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Two wonderful, hugely contrasting novels - Kathryn Ryan interviews both authors

First up I read The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld and it  moved me and affected me like nothing else I have read in several years. As one reviewer said - " The Enchanted wrapped its beautiful and terrible fingers around me from the first page............"

Fortunately the next book I picked up  to read, The Collected Works of A.J.Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin,  while also moving and somewhat unusual was much gentler and it delighted me. This is a novel set largely in a bookshop, featuring a bookseller, a sales rep from a major publishing house, customers of the bookshop and assorted others. 
It is enchanting and is a book that all book lovers, bookshop owners and staff, and all who work in the wider book publishing world must read.

The astonishing thing that happened though was that yesterday (Monday) Kathryn Ryan interviewed Rene Denfeld on her Nine to Noon show and then today she interviewed Gabrielle Zevin. What an amazing coincidence.
I greatly enjoyed both interviews and of course they were so much the better for having read the books.

I warmly recommend both books, and both interviews.

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