Readings Archives - Jessica Rohm

On Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi – Santa Fe, NM

Jessica — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:46:44 +0000

This is a truly magnificent book, one that stays with you and disturbs your sense of stability as I imagine an earthquake would as it trembles and shifts the ground beneath your feet. It was written in 1994, and takes place in a small fictitious town outside Dusseldorf between WWI and WWII. However, it struck […]

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On An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

Jessica — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:59:55 +0000

This novel, described as a historical mystery, was first published in 1998. It was recommended to me by a friend, perhaps because she knows I write mysteries and love historical fiction. Although many people shy away from long books – this one is 725 pages – I usually enjoy them. I’m a fast reader and […]

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On Man in the Woods by Scott Spencer

Jessica — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:00:38 +0000

Sometimes it’s really important to read a book that someone you barely know highly recommends. I really don’t think I ever would have found Man in the Woods had it not been thrown out there as the best book she read this year by a woman I have never met but with whom I share […]

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On South of Broad by Pat Conroy – East Hampton

Jessica — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:47:16 +0000

One of the most common remarks I hear about Pat Conroy is that “he takes a hundred words to say what he could have in ten.” While that may be true, those words are so lovely that I wish he had taken even longer to describe the South as he knows it. Some writers are […]

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On Every Last One by Anna Quindlen – East Hampton, NY

Jessica — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:10:32 +0000

When I was at Barnard College in the 1970s, Anna Quindlen was a year ahead of me. She was famous in her own way even then. I admired her focus and early recognition that she wanted to be a writer. I love her work, particularly her New York Times column “Life in the 30’s” and […]

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On Wolf Hall and the Man Booker Prize – East Hampton, NY

Jessica — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:32:20 +0000

I don’t place much value on prizes – or best-seller lists – to help me decide what to read. But I have found that the Man Booker Prize is usually awarded to a book of extraordinary depth and originality, so I follow this prize looking for gems. Noteworthy among the titles I found among Man […]

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