West Coast Review Of Books

This absorbing study is the first full-length treatment of Orson Scott Card, the only writer to thus far receive the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards two years in a row. Collings examines the unique vision and literary achievements of this writer, a consummate storyteller who uses the medium of science fiction and fantasy to give shape to his deepest religious beliefs and moral convictions. His major novels, including Seventh Son, Songmaster, and Wyrms, are discussed, together with many of his short stories and his critical articles, poetry, and plays.

America and the catastrophic world of twentieth-century war, mass murder, and horror are the backdrop of this story of Annie Gianfala, a young woman who finds herself cast adrift in Hollywood with World War II looming. Defending herself with despairing stubbornness against personal catastrophe, she is able to save her life and escape. "Enormously touching and wholly believable."—Washington Post Book World

The first full-length study of Erich Segal's fiction, exploring the development of his art and analyzing all of his novels.

Drawing on personal interviews, manuscript collections, and the author's unpublished writings, Judie Newman offers a comprehensive study of the work of Alison Lurie from her early involvement in the Poets' Theatre to the AIDS comedy of her most recent novel, The Last Resort (1988). In her profound social and intellectual engagement with American Utopianism, from its historical origins through such contemporary manifestations as Walter Benjamin's Hollywood, the American University, feminist theorisations, the religious cult and the gay heterotopia, and in her intertextual reworkings of folk and fairy tale, biography, diary novel, the 'International Theme' and the classic ghost story, Lurie maintains an uncanny ability to serve critical aesthetic purposes within a popular fictional form. Semiotic comedies - comedies of the sign - rather than novels of manners, Lurie's fictions place her squarely within a radical American tradition.

This first biography of novelist Anne Tyler includes a discussion of her early childhood, high school and college years, adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. It incorporates source materials from the Anne Tyler Papers at Duke University and letters from Tyler to the author. The volume lists all of Tyler's novels, short stories, articles, and book reviews and provides an annotated bibliography of books, articles, dissertations, and theses on her fiction.

The first study of the life and novels of Robert Ludlum, master of the espionage thriller.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.

The first book-length study of best-selling writer John Saul's psychological and supernatural thrillers.

Larry McMurtry's award winning novels have redefined not only the literature of the west, but also the essential myths with which the west is associated. Readers were initiated into the world of the modern cowboy with McMurtry's first novel Horseman Pass By. Nearly 35 years later McMurtry revisits his hometown project with his latest update on the characters who populated The Last Picture Show and Texasville in his most recent novel Duane's Depressed. This Critical Companion examines all 22 of McMurtry's works. By considering individual literary elements and overall construction of the novels, this analysis probes how McMurtry has given contemporary relevance to traditional elements of the Western story.

Reflects the rise of literature in modern-day Israel and the problematic reception of literature in America and within the American Jewish community. Israeli literature provides a unique lens for viewing the inner dynamics of this small but critically important society. In addition, its leading writers such as S. Y. Agnon, Yehuda Amichai, Amos Oz, and A. B. Yehoshua, among others, are recognized internationally as major world literary figures. Despite this international recognition, the rich literary tradition of Israeli literature has failed to reverberate and find significant readership or a following in America even among the American Jewish community. Alan L. Mintz traces the reception of Israeli literature in America from the 1970s to the present. He analyzes the influences that have shaped modern Israeli literature and reflects on the cultural differences that have impeded American and American Jewish appreciation of Israeli authors. Mintz then turns his attention to specific writers, examining their reception or lack thereof in America and places them within the emerging unfolding critical dialogue between the Israeli and American literary culture.

In Book Three of BJ Hoff’s bestselling Emerald Ballad saga set near the middle of the 19th century, Irish patriot Morgan Fitzgerald, felled by a gunman’s bullet, strives to restore his life and reclaim his future. But even as he takes steps to provide a home for Belfast orphan Annie Delaney and nurture his love for the beautiful, mute Finola, he finds himself again locked in a fierce battle with the powers of darkness. In America, Morgan’s friends Michael Burke and Nora Whittaker discover that the “Land of Opportunity” also teems with poverty, injustice, and corruption. From the opulence of Fifth Avenue to the squalor of the city’s slums, he fights against not only the evil running riot through the streets, but the immoral schemes of an old enemy bent on destroying Michael, the woman he loves, and his only son. Readers will be mesmerized by a drama that spans an ocean, taking them on a journey of faith and love that encompasses the dreams of an entire people seeking not only survival, but a land of hope where they can live in freedom and peace. About This Series: BJ Hoff’s Emerald Ballad series was one of the most memorable series published in the 1990s. With combined sales of 300,000 copies, these beloved books found a place in the hearts of BJ’s many fans. Now redesigned and freshly covered the saga is available again to a new generation of readers—and BJ’s many new fans due to her highly successful Amish series, The Riverhaven Years—The Emerald Ballad series will once again find an enthusiastic audience.

The Library owns the volumes of the American Jewish Yearbook from 1899 - current.

Authors Shannon Hengen and Ashley Thomson have assembled a reference guide that covers all of the works written by the acclaimed Canadian author Margaret Atwood since 1988, including her novels Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, and the 2000 Booker Prize winner, The Blind Assassin. Rather than just including Atwood's books, this guide includes all of Atwood's works, including articles, short stories, letters, and individual poetry. Adaptations of Atwood's works are also included, as are some of her more public quotations. Secondary entries (i.e. interviews, scholarly resources, and reviews) are first sorted by type, and then arranged alphabetically by author, to allow greater ease of navigation. The individual chapters are organized chronologically, with each subdivided into seven categories: Atwood's Works, Adaptations, Quotations, Interviews, Scholarly Resources, Reviews of Atwood's Works, and Reviews of Adaptations of Atwood's Works. The book also includes a chapter entitled 'Atwood on the Web,' as well as extensive author and subject indexes. This new bibliography significantly enhances access to Atwood material, a feature that will be welcomed by university, public, and school librarians. Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide 1988-2005 will appeal not only to Atwood scholars, but to students and fans of one of Canada's greatest writers.

The first major study of John Jakes, "the people's author" and "godfather of the historical novel."

The first full-length examination of the works of Tony Hillerman, Grand Master of contemporary popular mystery fiction.