Posts tagged as:

Colson Whitehead

My Year in Books: Sag Harbor

by Patrick on December 18, 2009

Can a book be a coming of age novel if nobody really comes of age in it?  Colson Whitehead’s Sag Harbor is many things — smart, funny, weird — but I don’t really think anybody goes through a radical, life-altering experience.  This isn’t Stand By Me.  Benji Cooper is a dichotomy, a walking contraction — [...]

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A Quick Recommendation: Sag Harbor

by Patrick on May 26, 2009

For a long time, I favored first novels.  Something about those wobbly steps into the public sphere — the author finding her voice, trying things — thrilled me.  A high-wire act, a gawky kid playing a solo.  Sure, eventually I found the author’s “better” books — The Information, rather than The Rachel Papers, say– but [...]

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Goodbye, Columbus at 50 and Other Links

by Patrick on May 4, 2009

Goodbye, Columbus, one of my favorite books, was published 50 years ago this week.  Aside from being a great story and a very fast read, it holds a special place in my heart, as a copy of the book was the first gift I gave my wife (who was then just a friend).  I enjoyed [...]

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