Review: The White King by Gyorgy Dragomán

Today in January Magazine’s fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews The White King by Gyorgy Dragomán. Says Thiessen:

Somewhere in Transylvania during Romania’s repressive Communist regime in the 1980s, eleven-year old Djata is playing chess with a frighteningly real looking African robot. Surrounded by various spooky African “trophies” owned by one of this country’s corrupt military leaders, Djata is soon aware that he cannot win. Refusing to give up, he grabs the robot’s white king and thrusts it in his pocket. He would rather steal than give up.

The full review is here.

Review: Dervishes by Beth Helms

Today in January Magazine’s fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews Dervishes by Beth Helms. Says Thiessen:

Dervishes has to be an ironic title. While the 12-year old protagonist, Canada, later remembers having seen dervishes, describing them as isolated figures spinning endlessly in place, drawing a parallel between the lives of the novel’s two main characters and this religious Sufi Muslim practice is totally inaccurate. Superficially, it may look the same: a shallow and self-absorbed mother and her neglected daughter go in circles, ever faster, and getting nowhere. Dervishes, however, spin to achieve religious ecstasy. Moreover, Wikipedia points out that dervishes as known for their extreme poverty and austerity, and are indifferent to material possessions. They are also known as being a source of wisdom, poetry, enlightenment and so on. This bears no relation to the novel’s females.

The full review is here.

Review: France: Instructions for Use by Alison Culliford and Nan McElroy

Today in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews France: Instructions for Use by Alison Culliford and Nan McElroy. Says Thiessen:

“When all else fails ... read the instructions,” is the tongue-in-cheek advice on the cover of this diminutive book, setting the lighthearted tone for this latest offering in the Instructions for Use travel series. (Earlier books were on Europe and Italy.)

Well, there’s only one way to test out a travel book, so obviously I had to pack my bags, tuck the small compendium into my backpack, and fly to Europe. France: Instructions for Use made for entertaining reading on the plane, although my sudden bouts of laughter may have woken my neighbor more than once.

The full review is here.

Review: The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa. Says Thiessen:

The three pithy works contained in this new publication are as sleek and muscular as Jun, the young diver in the first story. He’s the oldest child at the Light House, an orphanage run by Aya’s parents, who are also church leaders. Aya is the narrator; she’s the only one who’s not an orphan, although she has often wished she were:

... If I could have one of the tragic histories so common at the Light House -- an alcoholic mother, a homicidal father, parents lost to death or abandonment, anything at all -- then I would have been a proper orphan.

The full review is here.

Review: Artists In Their Studios: Where Art Is Born by Robert Amos

Today, in January Magazine’s art and culture section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews Artists In Their Studios: Where Art Is Born by Robert Amos. Says Thiessen:

Ever wanted to wander into Robert Bateman or Ted Harrison’s studio to see how they work? Ever wondered what Carole Sabiston or Pat Martin Bates’ studios might look like? It is a heady thing to be in the presence of a celebrated and gifted artist, and this book is the closest many of us will ever get to that.

The full review is here.

Review: Effigy by Alissa York

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews Effigy by Alissa York. Says Thiessen:

Effigy was born when York read a newspaper article about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and one of their infamous Canadian communities in Bountiful, B.C. “I was shocked to read that the ‘plural wives’ of Bountiful are often little more than children when they are given in marriage,” she recently explained in an interview.

“What would it be like to share your husband? To share my husband. There was a buzz around the question -- the kind of sensation I get when there’s a story to be found in something. This was a really big buzz-from the beginning it felt like a book.”

The full review is here.

Review: A Memoir of Friendship edited by Blanche and Allison Howard

Today, in January Magazine’s biography section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews A Memoir of Friendship: The Letters Between Carol Shields and Blanche Howard. Says Thiessen:

The two women met at a university women’s club meeting hosted by Shields when both were beginning their writing. Shields was 35 and Blanche, 47.

It was to the older woman that Shields would turn when she needed advice on childrearing, wanted an expert eye to critique her writing, or someone with whom to share books, reflections, experiences and memories. They had much in common: enquiring and critical minds, children, long and successful marriages, a love of travel and a foothold in the Canadian literary scene. They knew many of the same people, had the same literary affiliations, had published books and devoured literature.

The evolution of the correspondence the Howards share with us is an interesting one. It takes us from rambling letters and occasional phone calls in the days when long distance calls were a rare luxury, to the formality of word processing, still sent by snail mail, but slightly differing in tone from the handwritten missive, and eventually to e-mail, with its more casual, emotive intimacy, and to regular phone calls as the rates became cheaper and the friends became wealthier.

The full review is here.

Review: Turtle Valley by Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews Turtle Valley by Gail Anderson-Dargatz. Says Thiessen:

... in Anderson-Dargatz’s fictional world that evil is never stamped out, remaining indelibly to stain space and haunt its victims. The reader hopes that the raging forest fire has been heaven-sent to finally raze the earth so that new growth can flourish here, hopefully in time for Kat. She has already made several wrong choices in her life, beginning with a youthful affair with a married man that resulted in a miscarriage, and then rebounding way too quickly into a rushed marriage.

Disaster continues to dog her: her husband, Ezra, suffers a debilitating stroke that renders him unable to work, and thrusts her unwillingly into the role of nursemaid, the last thing Kat needs as they already have a young child, Jeremy, who, not surprisingly, has to act out himself in order to get the attention he needs.

The full review is here. You can read January’s 2003 interview with Anderson-Dargatz here.

Review: Women of Our Time by Frederick S. Voss and Women Who Write by Stefan Bollmann

Today, in January Magazine’s art & culture section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews two books that celebrate the lives and art of women.

Thiessen finds a lot to like in Women of Our Time by Frederick S. Voss:

Women of Our Time ... gives us a sampling of notable women in the 20th century. In addition, we are privileged to see them through the eyes of great portrait photographers and can often chart how women’s roles have changed throughout the years by studying the women themselves: their clothes, their pose, their expressions and their surroundings. We can also get a sense of history from the style of the images themselves.

Thiessen is overall less impressed with Women Who Write by Stefan Bollmann:

I had expected this book would appeal more to me, but a slightly pedantic and petulant tone is set in the foreword, where well published academic, Francine Prose, explores the times when these women wrote, and their challenge in pursuing their love and passion. It’s perhaps a little more strident than we need. We know it’s been a rough ride for women writers, but hey -- we’re there now.

Thiessen’s review of both books is here.

Review: The Worst Thing I’ve Done by Ursula Hegi

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews The Worst Thing I’ve Done by Ursula Hegi. Says Thiessen:

If The Worst Thing I’ve Done was strictly about an engrossing plot, it would be enough. But it’s far, far more than that. This, after all, is Hegi, who was 18 when she emigrated from Germany and who has endeared herself to readers and critics alike with novels like Stones from the River and Floating In My Mother’s Palm, books that explore her conflict over her cultural identity and simmering sense of inherited guilt.

The full review is here.

Review: Delible by Anne Stone

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews Delible by Anne Stone. Says Thiessen:

The subject of a missing teenager is a wrenching one. Although such a plot has a strong likelihood of being a page-turner, such a scenario is not easy to write about. How to accurately convey the agony of a parent, or the loneliness and disorientation of a doting younger sister?

The horror of the death of a child is unimaginable. Equally harrowing is the not knowing, an acute loss that is forever stalled between hope and horror. Stone’s obsession was well translated; the reader is dragged into this pain relentlessly.

The full review is here.

Review: The Moon by Michael Carlowicz

Today, in January Magazine’s art & culture section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen examines The Moon by Michael Carlowicz. Says Thiessen:

The Moon is a hodgepodge of interesting tidbits, with the narrative reflecting the visuals in its variety and scope. Perhaps the only aspect of the moon that he hasn’t covered is that cheeky little human act of defiance and provocation.

The full review is here.

Review: Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar. Says Thiessen:

Tal Ben-Shahar is one of the most popular teachers at Harvard. He also teaches the most popular course there. It must make him feel, well -- happy. “Grounded in the revolutionary ‘positive psychology’ movement,” boasts the promo on the attractively simple book cover, “Ben-Shahar ingeniously combines scientific studies, scholarly research, self-help advice, and spiritual enlightenment.”

The full review is here.

Review: Above the Falls by John Harris

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews Above the Falls by John Harris. Contributing editor Thiessen advises us to read the book for:

... historical perspective. What the back cover does accurately tell us about the book is that it paints a vivid picture of a now-vanished lifestyle. It portrays trappers living off the land, shooting and drying their meat when they need a fresh supply, catching their fish, sleeping rough, living in small cabins and tents. It reminds us of the frontier mindset -- when the belief that everything in nature was there just for us and just for the taking -- was common. The naïve idea that nature would always provide, no matter how much we took, was prevalent not so long ago. Many of us can still remember a time when a crab trap would yield crabs, when a fishing line would bring up a cod if not a salmon, when shellfish abounded for the taking and when hunting was many of our fathers’ favorite ways of relaxing and filling the freezer. Depending on their points of view, readers may feel nostalgic, or nauseated.

The full review is here.

Review: The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson. Thiessen says:

Using a very clichéd situation -- a man with only a month left to live -- the author manages to create a fresh story you’ll want to read through to the finish in one sitting. That won’t be a problem; it’s only 139 pages.

Surprisingly, this is the first novel from a man who has been in publishing for over 20 years, not as an author but as a book designer. In fact, Richardson is at the top of his craft, having been awarded many high honours for his designs.

The full review is here.

Review: A Year of Spicy Sex by Gabrielle Morrissey

Today, in January Magazine’s cookbook section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen gets us ready for some holiday fireworks with A Year of Spicy Sex by Gabrielle Morrissey. Says Thiessen:

My apologies for the length of time it has taken to review this book. But you have to realize there are 52 recipes tucked between these licentious covers and they all have to be tried in order to give an honest evaluation of their worth. My hunk and I are not 30 anymore; we sacrificed quantity for quality some years back.

The full review is here.

Review: The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies. Says Thiessen:

Davies, who was raised in England but has since chosen the United States as his home, has two short-story collections to his credit: The Ugliest House in the World and Equal Love. Many will enjoy this first novel. Me, I longed for a less victimized heroine who would make different, less clichéd choices.

The full review is here.

Review: Lost Son by M. Allen Cunningham

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen has mixed feelings about Lost Son by M. Allen Cunningham. Thiessen wants to know if a work can be both tedious and tantalizing.

The frequent jumps in time, from Rilke’s bizarre childhood, to his marriage, his affair with Lou, his sojourns in Paris, his infrequent homecomings, and his frequent retreats, are very difficult to follow. Stylistically I believe Cunningham wants to convey the idea of the rootlessness and unpredictability of Rilke’s life. However, showing the confusion of a confused life inevitably leads to confusion.

The full review is here.

Review: The Strange Case of Hellish Nell by Nina Shandler

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen looks at The Strange Case of Hellish Nell by Nina Shandler. Says Thiessen:

The last person in Britain to be tried as a witch was a Scottish medium. The year, surprisingly, was 1944. Nell ran afoul of authorities when she started to channel spirits who knew way too much about Britain's military secrets during World War II. When Nina Shandler heard this story on the radio in America in 1998, she was intrigued. The following year she found herself in London, accompanying her husband on a temporary assignment, and she began to research Nell's incredible story. Without a work visa or children, she suddenly had lots of that rare commodity -- time. This was the perfect opportunity for the psychologist to turn writer/researcher and uncover details about the bizarre story that had so intrigued her.

The full review is here.

Review: Radiance by Shaena Lambert

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews Radiance by Shaena Lambert, the long-awaited debut novel by the author of the international bestselling short story collection, The Falling Woman.

In Radiance we follow a young woman, scarred by Hiroshima, to New York where she will be a poster child for the tragedy. “Brilliant,” says Thiessen, not once, but several times.

The full review is here.

Review: The End of East by Jen Sookfong Lee

Today, in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen examines The End of East by Jen Sookfong Lee. Says Thiessen:

Happiness and dreams are not part of life’s plan for this immigrant family, and that’s part of the problem. If one looks continually backward when in a new place, how can she see where she is? The End of East should naturally become the beginning of West, but in the Chan family, this is never allowed to happen.

Lee is a sketch artist. ... I was frustrated because, without the details, I could never see the picture. It’s a measure of this young writer’s skill, however, that I wanted to. Because the mood and sense of place in this work are so strong, you feel the tragedy strongly.

The full review is here.

Review: The Rhythm of the Road by Albyn Leah Hall

Today in January Magazine’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews The Rhythm of the Road by Albyn Leah Hall. Readers who loved Hall’s debut novel, Deliria, have had to wait a very long time for a new book-length work from this author. Word is, but for some bumps towards the end, Rhythm of the Road was worth the long haul.

Thiessen’s review is here.

Review: Healing Our World by David Morley

Today in January’s children’s book section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen looks at Healing Our World: Inside Doctors Without Borders by David Morley.

We all know the expression, think globally, act locally, but David Morley takes it one step further, showing his readers how easy it is to put your body where your mouth is and actually get out there to make a difference, one pair of hands at a time.

Thiessen’s review is here.

Review: Ragged Islands by Don Hannah

Today, in January’s fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews Ragged Islands by celebrated Canadian author and playwright, Don Hannah. Says Thiessen:

The sustained mood of loneliness and longing also weaves a melancholy spell. Don't read Ragged Islands to be entertained. Read it because you want to be moved and perhaps even just a little enlightened.

The review is here.

Review: Steve Nash by Paul Arseneault and Peter Assaff

Today in January Magazine’s biography section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen looks at Steve Nash by Paul Arseneault and Peter Assaff.

Basketball fans of all ages will rate this slim read a three-pointer. With not an ounce of fat on it, it's lean, it looks good, it keeps its audience enthralled, and it never lets up. Several other books about Canada's super hero have been published, but as long as the Steve Nash story continues to unfold, there will be room for more.

The full review is here.

Review: My Wedding Dress: True-Life Tales of Lace, Laughter, Tears and Tulle

Today in the January Magazine biography section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen reviews My Wedding Dress: True-Life Tales of Lace, Laughter, Tears and Tulle edited by Susan Whelehan and Anne Laurel Carter. Says Thiessen:

Most readers will be pleasantly surprised to find these wedding day stories to be far beyond enchanting. Using the romantic image of a wedding dress as a jumping off point, the 26 writers have contributed much more than just a description of their tiaras and trains. They've poured out their souls, as women seem so able to do, while exploring memories and emotions that range from frightening to funny, depressing to delectable, whimsical to wise.

The review is here.