Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. Sure, you could read advertising blurbs on Amazon, but wouldn’t you be more likely to believe a neighbor with no skin in the game over a corporation being fed words by publishers? So in this new series, we are sharing these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“Trust,” by Hernan Diaz (Riverhead Books)
This is a multi-layered, spellbinding story of wealth, reputation, secrets and appearances, set in the 1920s in New York City. The more the different layers of history and truth are pulled away, each revelation leaves the reader less sure which reality is the true one. (This novel won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in fiction.) — 4 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“So Far from Spring: A Novel of the American West,” by Peggy Simson Curry (WestWinds Press)
“So Far from Spring” is set in the North Park area near Walden, along the Wyoming-Colorado border. Written by the first poet laureate of Wyoming, this is the saga of Kelsey Cameron, who has come from Scotland to break into the cattle business and make his fortune in the 1890s. The wind-whipped landscape holds both promise and peril as Kelsey tries to make a home for his wife and daughter. The descriptions of the land and the forces of nature that shape it are powerful, and the hardscrabble life, the interplay of the characters and the life-and-death decisions that are part of ranching are beautifully rendered by Curry in her exquisite prose. A gem from the mid-1950s, this story will stay with you long after you have turned the last page. 4 stars (out of 4); Susan Tracy, Denver
“The Deep Sky,” by Yume Kitasei (Flatiron)
A crew of 80 women (he/she, they/them) is the last hope for our species. Earth is dying and the women have trained since childhood to travel into deep space and grow humanity (literally and figuratively) on Planet X. In this sci-fi debut, Kitasei takes us on an intergalactic journey in which Asuka (Susie) needs to find the cause of an explosion that has torn her ship off course and killed three crew members. Without that course correction, the mission will fail and death is a strong possibility. To succeed, the crew will need to give up their AI, join together and use their training if they want to survive. This is a good debut, raising current Earth issues in a fantasy-sci-fi-thriller with an exciting murder-mystery baked in. It kept me guessing and turning the pages (reminiscent of the Mao-Miller storyline in “The Expanse” TV series and books by James S.A. Corey). – 3 stars (out of 4); Dave Pallozzi, Lakewood
“Lark Ascending,” by Silas House (Algonquin Books)
Set in North America and Ireland in a not-too-distant future world that has been ravaged by climate change and by both political and religious extremism, this is a story of the dangers of both flight and immigration, survival enabled by chosen families, and the grace of humanity amid chaos. I had to read some sentences several times over to fully appreciate the beauty of the writing. (This one was recommended by Pulitzer Prize-winner Barbara Kingsolver.) — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater,” by Peggy Orenstein (Harper)
During the pandemic, long-time knitter Peggy Orenstein devised an ambitious project to “tap into the romance and resilience of an earlier age” by creating a sweater from scratch, meaning from the sheep up. Along the way, Orenstein grieved her mother, prepared for upcoming empty-nesting, committed to “thinking more consciously about clothing, as well as other consumption,” and lamented increasing fires and the climate crisis. She writes about her experience with precision, self-effacement, humor and beauty. Although I’m not truly a knitter, I found this book supremely satisfying. Orenstein’s writing is so accomplished it seems effortless. She combs together her memories, her philosophy, her humor, and her love for words. The result is cozy and beautiful, with details that delight and illuminate. This is a memoir in which we, too, learn about life in ways that stretch beyond the titular subject. 4 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
