—Chris Bohjalian, author of MIDWIVES and THE DOUBLE BIND
Editorial Content for State of Wonder
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Norah Piehl
It's probably impossible to avoid making comparisons between Ann Patchett's new novel STATE OF WONDER and Joseph Conrad's classic novella "Heart of Darkness," so I'm not even going to try. The bones of the stories are the same: a young protégé heads into the heart of the jungle, charged with finding a powerful, elusive figure whose activities seem vaguely menacing and whose ties to civilization appear to have been severed on purpose. Read More
Teaser
Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be a valuable new drug. She also hopes to find answers to questions about another friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.
Promo
Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be a valuable new drug. She also hopes to find answers to questions about another friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.
About the Book
Ann Patchett has dazzled readers with her award-winning books, including The Magician's Assistant and the New York Times bestselling Bel Canto. Now she raises the bar with State of Wonder, a provocative and ambitious novel set deep in the Amazon jungle.
Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug, the development of which has already cost the company a fortune. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.
Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her seventies, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days of Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations.
In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows us what lies on the other side.
Pull Quote
Readers will likely share Marina's impatience as she languishes in hot, bug-infested Manaus, waiting for Dr. Swenson's gatekeepers (a young bohemian couple who seem better suited to surfing and sunbathing than to security) to allow her access to Dr. Swenson's whereabouts.
Bobbie Ann Mason is the author of several acclaimed books and short stories --- her next novel, THE GIRL IN THE BLUE BERET, will be published on June 28th. Bobbie Ann turned to her father-in-law, who served in WWII, as inspiration for this unforgettable story of love and courage.
Jerry Seinfeld
According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.
Attribution
Jerry Seinfeld
Editorial Content for The Ridge
Reviewer (text)
Joe Hartlaub
Here, in a hundred words or more, is the problem that I face with reviewing THE RIDGE by Michael Koryta. It was easy to run out of superlatives in the course of reviewing his previous titles, whether it was his earlier Lincoln Perry series or his subsequent stand-alone works, his standout rural crime fiction novels, or his more recent, intermittent forays into the supernatural. Read More
Promo
In an isolated stretch of eastern Kentucky, on a hilltop known as Blade Ridge, stands a lighthouse that illuminates nothing but the surrounding woods. For years the lighthouse has been considered no more than an eccentric local landmark --- until its builder is found dead at the top of the light, and his belongings reveal a troubling local history.
Pull Quote
Stephen King. Manly Wade Wellman. August Derleth. Ambrose Bierce. Edgar Allan Poe. And yes, darn it, Michael Koryta. If he never writes another word, he deserves to sit on the shelf next to those authors on the strength of this book alone.
Author Talia Carner takes readers on a behind-the-scenes look at her research for her latest novel, Jerusalem Maiden. Visit her website, www.TaliaCarner.com to learn more and learn how your group could win some special prizes from the author. The book is in stores now!
Tom McAllister’s debut, Bury Me in My Jersey: A Memoir of My Father, Football, and Philly, is pretty self-explanatory.
Robert Bloch
The man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone else he can blame it on.
Attribution
Robert Bloch
In Mary Doria Russell’s latest novel, DOC, she seamlessly blends fact with fiction to recreate one of the most infamous gunfights in history, and to redefine two major icons of the American West: Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp.
