That Old Cape Magic

I am the coordinator of a little section of our community's website, What Sisters Are Reading. Thirty-five sisters have already contributed by sharing a short review of a recent book they have read. Their reviews are very fine and, with the variety there's been, it's a goldmine for avid readers.

In this post I want to share one I recently finished--here's the story.

A year ago a friend and I were chatting about books we'd read and authors we knew. She asked me if I had ever read anything by Richard Russo. No, I answered, too embarrassed to mention that I hadn't even heard of him! Russo won a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for his book Empire Falls. I got the book, read it and loved it. What writing! The only "however" is that it was huge, very large, and since I read primarily late at night, except on vacation, it took me forever to finish it and so it was read in fits and starts.

Recently I came upon another Russo book, That Old Cape Magic, one that is more in the average size range. I read it and WOW, another wonderful read from a talented writer.

Both books' stories are told by a middle-aged man as he looks back over his past and reflects on it and on his present circumstances. In other words, he's trying to figure out his life and the adventures and situations that have brought him to where he is today. But the writing, the writing is just marvelous. I had the same experience when I read John Hart's novels, one of which is reviewed on our site, too.

So whatever you're reading, I hope it's good...if not, try Russo or Hart. Theirs are.