The layers of bookishness are dizzying: from the micro (one employee’s name is Pen) to the macro (the central mystery: Was Flora killed by a book?). (.) As its title suggests, The Sentence is an incredibly bookish book. '(A) bewitching novel that begins with a crime that would seem to defy “relatability” but becomes a practical metaphor for whatever moral felonies lurk unresolved in your guilty heart.'The joy of Erdrich’s novels lies in the way her characters live so richly, and are as present to the reader as our own friends and relatives are.' - Erica Wagner, The Guardian.(.) There may be several good novels buried somewhere in The Sentence, but all of them are still struggling to get out.' - Jon Day, Financial Times (.) The biggest problem with The Sentence is that it’s a ghost story that is not in the least bit scary. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel which mentions so many living writers (all approvingly). (.) There’s a great deal of literary name-checking too. (.) What I found more annoying was the reverential and slightly puritanical defence of literature and bookshops which runs throughout the novel. But it also shows just how difficult it is for art to respond to the world in real time. 'Its shortcomings are mainly the result of its scattergun lack of focus - you feel it simply doesn’t know what kind of a book it wants to be.Erdrich's fictional account of Tookie's pandemic experience, as singular and as universal as anyone's, resonates with strange and familiar detail (.) but doesn't blend consistently with her tale of the phantom Flora.' - Mary Sollosi, Entertainment Weekly 'Tookie's voice is genuine and humorous, her perspective rich with history, literacy, and quietly simmering fury.General information | review summaries | our review | links | about the authorī : enjoyable bookish novel of our recent times Trying to meet all your book preview and review needs.

Life after life book review guardian