News - Book Reviews

News - Book Reviews

EVERYYTHING NOW by Rosecrans Baldwin received a glowing blurb from INTERIOR CHINATOWN author Charles Yu. He writes: “With a novelist's eye and a searching curiosity, Rosecrans Baldwin has created a sprawling work that explores a place and its people, as well as culture, history, geography and ecology. A feat of imagination that fed my mind, heart and soul." The book was also blurbed by theLAnd Magazine Editor-in-Chief Jeff Weiss, who writes: “[T]he rare work that understands L.A. for its Sphinx-like inscrutability and complex history. It refuses to lapse into cheap stereotype or inherited cliché, yet remains skeptical of the cultish lure and sunbaked weirdness. This is the meticulously reported and three-dimensional contemporary history that the city needs." MCD will publish the book on June 15, 2021.

Diane Johnson’s LORNA MOTT COMES HOME received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. They write:
“Johnson makes a welcome return to her wheelhouse in this propulsive domestic dramedy of manners…[Her] usual razor-sharp prose and astute observations are on full display as she tweaks comic incidents arising out of her characters’ relationships. This provocative family chronicle resolves in a poignant ending with prospects for a promising sequel. The author’s fans are in for a treat.” Knopf will publish the novel on June 29, 2021.

Georgia Clark’s next rom-com, IT HAD TO BE YOU, has received its first trade review: a stunner from Publishers Weekly. They rave: “THE FIRST WIVES CLUB meets LOVE ACTUALLY in this entertaining story of friendship and second chances…Clark delivers a humorous, poignant story about rebuilding after tragedy.” Emily Bestler Books will publish the novel on May 4, 2021.

CROSSING THE LINE by Kareem Rosser received an enthusiastic review from InsideHook. Jason Diamond writes: “Rosser is humble and honest. His sensitivity comes across throughout the book. Vulnerability is exactly what gives CROSSING THE LINE its strength; Rosser not holding anything back is the key quality that makes this first-time author’s words worth your time.” The book was also selected as a Publishers Weekly Book of the Week: "Rosser debuts with the captivating story of how he came to be a champion polo player. This remarkable and inspiring story shines." St. Martin’s Press published the book on February 9, 2021.

New reviews are in for Lucy Ives’s short story collection COSMOGONY, celebrating its inventiveness and intellectualism. Kirkus praises: "A dozen improvisatory narratives from a mind that just won't stop… Everything a grad student in semiotics could dream of is here." Meanwhile, Booklist writes: "Ives has the rare ability to boomerang reality totally out of whack before calling it home in an even purer form." Soft Skull will publish the book on March 9, 2021.

EVERYTHING NOW by Rosecrans Baldwin received a glowing blurb from YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY author Steph Cha. She writes: “I was born in Los Angeles and intend to die here—there’s no place in the world I love more. I'm also constantly furious about the many ways it falls short of its promise. Rosecrans Baldwin has taken on the unwieldy task of portraying this unique, enormous city in all its overlapping, contradictory layers, and incredibly, he succeeds. With vivid stories and a ready knowledge of local literature and history, he captures the sunshine and noir of 21st Century L.A.: both the multitudinous roar of life and the untenable, unconscionable inequality.”
MCD will publish the novel on June 15, 2021.

CLOUDMAKER by Malcolm Brooks received a starred review from Library Journal. They write: “With a nod to Ivan Doig’s straightforward folksy style, this impressive second novel after PAINTED HORSES tells an earnest, heartfelt family story with laugh-out-loud humor, deep-seated family conflicts, and distressing coming-of-age crises. Enthusiastically recommended.” Grove Press will publish the book on March 9, 2021.

Alex McElroy’s THE ATMOSPHERIANS continues to receive wonderful praise in advance of its May publication. Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of IN THE DISTANCE Hernan Diaz calls the book “[r]arefied, unstable, charged,” and “[a] sophisticated farce about alienation [that] takes our absurd age seriously –which is to say it laughs, darkly, in its face.” Meanwhile, WHY VISIT AMERICA AND HYBRID CREATURES author Matt Baker deems McElroy’s work “[a]n astonishing vision. Every page contains a new wonder, another breathtaking surprise. This novel satisfies a hunger you might have never even realized was there.” Atria Books will publish the novel on May 18, 2021.

Daniel Loedel’s debut novel, HADES, ARGENTINA, is featured in the New Yorker’s Briefly Noted section for its February 8 issue. The magazine praises the way in which “this haunting historical novel…weaves betrayal and sacrifice together so intricately that one cannot be disentangled from the other.” Riverhead Books published the book on January 12, 2021.

Jen Silverman’s WE PLAY OURSELVES is featured on the New York Times Book Review’s shortlist. Reviewer Ginny Hogan writes: “WE PLAY OURSELVES offers a delightful, satirical glimpse into the entertainment industry and the price of fame…Silverman balances wit with earnestness, the laugh-out-loud moments highlighting the absurdity of writing — whether plays, films or poetry, the genre she skewers most adroitly in a pitch-perfect parody of an overhyped ingénue.” The novel is also featured on February must-read lists for O, the Oprah Magazine and The Millions, and Book Riot selected it as the Capricorn pick for its “February 2021 Horoscope Book Recommendations.” Random House will publish the book on February 9, 2021.