"The Vanity Fair Diaries 1983-1992," by Tina Brown

I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed Tina Brown’s insightful (and juicy!) portrayal of the English royal family from the mid-20th century to now, titled “The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – the Truth and the Turmoil” (Crown, 2022). I am not writing about that book here, except to say that it is entirely engrossing, especially for those of us (yes, I admit it) who are fascinated by the royal family (perhaps this is my Canadian heritage showing? My maternal grandmother used to keep a scrapbook about the royal family), despite some reservations about this ancient and quite possibly outdated institution. But reading that book reminded me of Tina Brown’s ability to draw readers in to her stories with all their delicious details. (She also wrote a book about Princess Diana which I have not read, only because I have already read so much about her). I then decided to read Brown’s 2017 book, “The Vanity Fair Diaries 1983-1992” (Henry Holt). What a treat! The English-bred and Oxford-educated Brown was chosen as the (very young) editor of the then-recently resuscitated glamorous magazine, Vanity Fair, and recorded her experiences during those years, not only with editing the magazine, but with all the attendant experiences as she moved from London to New York, became heavily involved in the intellectual and social life of that city (as well as of Los Angeles/Hollywood), started a family, became famous, knew seemingly everyone else famous, and – as briefly described at the end of the book – then became the editor of The New Yorker. I loved reading about the various authors and editors Brown worked with, the politics of publishing in the Conde Nast world, the intrigues, the glamor, the hard work, and so much more. Also of interest are Brown's comparisons of life and work in England and in the United States, and her comments on what it was like to be a woman in a high-level position in the publishing world. The book is chockful of delicious (but generally not mean-spirited) gossip, with wonderful details. I have been a longtime reader of Vanity Fair, and I admire the very purposeful journalistic mix that Brown created of politics, literature, art, popular culture, fashion, glamor, and much more. (She called it the “high-low” mix for short.) The magazine had (and still often has) stunning covers, and photos by, most prominently, Annie Leibovitz, and other esteemed photographers such as Herb Ritts. I was completely absorbed by the book, and hurtled through all 419 pages of it, never bored for an instant.

"Bloomsbury Girls," by Natalie Jenner

A very enjoyable novel about bookshops and about feminist struggle? I couldn’t resist that! “Bloomsbury Girls” (St. Martin’s, 2022), is by Natalie Jenner, the author of the wonderful “The Jane Austen Society,” which I wrote about here on 7/18/20. That novel was about a group of friends who were able to restore Jane Austen’s home in Chawton. (I still get chills when I think about Chawton, which I visited many years ago, and where I was overcome with awe and even became a bit tearful, knowing that I was standing where my idol had lived and written.) Some of the characters in the current novel were also in the earlier one, which took place a few years before, although readers of the current novel do not at all need to have read the earlier one. “Bloomsbury Girls” takes place in London in the post-World War II years, and focuses on the bookstore where most of the characters work, Bloomsbury Books. The three women who work there love books, and have many good ideas, but are frustrated by the sexism of the male managers and co-workers. So this is a feminist book, one of my favorite kinds! It is also full of intrigue, suspense, love, and secret relationships. Several famous women, including the author Daphne du Maurier, assist the women who work in the bookshop, and there is a palpable sense of women helping women to deal with the obstructions they all face, to one degree or another. There is, near the end of the book especially, a bit of delicious conspiracy among the women -- those inside and outside of the bookstore -- to bring about a triumphant major change in the situation at the bookshop. A truly satisfying and enjoyable novel!

"Lessons in Chemistry," by Bonnie Garmus

“Lessons in Chemistry” (Doubleday, 2022), by Bonnie Garmus, caught me by surprise, in a delightful way. It is an extremely feminist novel, not didactic at all, but makes its points in a biting but also humorous way. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is a chemist in a time (the early 1960s) when the world of science was still not ready for women in science, at least not in positions other than menial ones, serving male scientists. Zott, though, never takes no for an answer, and through persistence, ingenuity, and belief in herself, is able to succeed. The novel is about more than this point, though, as it shows Elizabeth engaging with the world, with men, with what love (another kind of "chemistry") is or isn’t, and much more. This novel made me angry (but not surprised) on Zott’s behalf, and at the same time I was thoroughly engaged and even entertained. It is a unique, quirky, meaningful novel that I highly recommend.

"The Latecomer," by Jean Hanff Korelitz

I highly recommend “The Latecomer” (Celadon, 2022), by Jean Hanff Korelitz (author of the also highly recommended “The Plot”), which is the type of engrossing, entertaining, very original novel that I revel in. It focuses on a family with triplets (through an IVF process) who don’t much like each other, and manage to mostly avoid each other, although -- as a concession to their parents -- pretending to like each other more than they do. The birth of a fourth child when the first three are in college changes many things, and it all comes to a head when that child becomes a late adolescent and works to change the family dynamic positively. A lovely, tangled, complex, sweet and sour, no-holds-barred portrait of an unusual family, one which is somehow, despite everything, very relatable and at times even moving.

"Love Marriage," by Monica Ali

Monica Ali’s new novel, “Love Marriage” (Scribner, 2022), is as good as her wonderful earlier novel, “Brick Lane.” The setting is England, and many of the main characters are of Indian heritage. The theme is whether arranged marriages or “love marriages” are better. But that sentence is reductive, as this novel is bursting with vivid characters, many plot points, much talk, family life, social and cultural themes, and yes, love, as well as various infidelities and other complications. In other words, the novel is bursting with life. The writing is excellent and generous, the novel is thought-provoking but at the same time great fun to read.

"Search," by Michelle Huneven

As an academic who has been on many faculty search committees, I loved the idea of a novel all about a search, albeit in this case, a Unitarian Universalist church’s search for a new minister. There are definitely similarities between the two types of searches! The novel, titled “Search,” by Michelle Huneven, is a wonderful examination of characters in a group (the search committee) as we get to know the committee members and other church members separately and as they interact with each other and with the candidates for the position. The main character, Dana, is a member of the church and a food writer; the other committee members are also members of the church, with various backgrounds, attributes, and agendas. Although they are progressive and idealistic, and are generally civil with each other, differences of opinion, personalities, and values provide much of the conflict (and interest!) in the story. I found the novel fascinating, insightful, and a joy to read. I have read other novels by Huneven, notably “Round Rock,” “Jamesland,” and “Off Course,” and find her an intriguing writer with great understanding of human nature, and with a subversive sense of humor.

"The Wedding," by Dorothy West

Until very recently, I didn’t know as much as I should have about the author Dorothy West (1907-1998). She was a member of a group of Black writers (including Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes), artists, and musicians in New York City’s Harlem, during what was known as the Harlem Renaissance. Her second novel, “The Wedding” (Doubleday, 1995), which she worked on for many years, portrays the lives of the Black elite families who lived in an exclusive African American area of Martha’s Vineyard. These upper middle class families were Black doctors, lawyers, and ministers, and were very conscious of their place in society, and of what was due to them. (I use the past tense here, as the story seems to be set in the mid-20th-century, but aspects of this society still exist in one beautiful enclave (which I visited some years ago) of Martha’s Vineyard, as well, of course, as elsewhere in the U.S.) When some characters in the novel do not follow, or threaten not to follow, their parents’ and others’ expectations about whom they will marry (someone of the same class), there are tensions and unexpected events. The story focuses on one planned wedding, as well as all the back stories and uncertainties related to that wedding and its participants, and to their family members and other community members. The story is compelling and even suspenseful. The novel’s contribution from a social perspective is the insights it provides into this specific and influential community of privileged Black people in the U.S.