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Banville, John. The
Untouchable. Knopf, 1997.
Based on the duplicitous life of Anthony Blunt, one of the notorious Cambridge spies,
Banville's provocative and fascinating novel fully involves the reader in its analytical
portrayal of those who ultimately betrayed their country.
Berne, Suzanne. A
Crime in the Neighborhood. Algonquin Books, 1997.
The murder of a young boy in a Washington, D. C. suburb is not the only misdeed perceived
by ten-year-old Marsha, and family and neighbors become objects of her scrutiny in this
unconventional and convincing coming-of-age story.
Chamoiseau, Patrick. Texaco.
Pantheon Books, 1997.
A descendant of slaves is the narrator of this complex and powerful chronicle of
Martinque's past 150 years. A helpful glossary of unfamiliar terms is included. A winner
of France's Prix Goncourt prize.
Davies, Peter Ho. The
Ugliest House in the World. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
A remarkable first collection of short stories by this talented Welsh-Chinese writer whose
settings range from a small village in present day Wales to an Africa of the past.
Deane, Seamus. Reading
in the Dark. Knopf, 1997.
Family secrets haunt the childhood of a young boy growing up in Northern Ireland in the
l940s and l950s in this very accomplished first novel. Deane, a poet, skillfully
incorporates Irish folklore and stories into this powerful novel.
DeLillo, Don. Underworld.
Scribner, 1997.
An 800 page plus kalaeidescopic story spanning the last fifty years of American
history--beginning with the winning home run in the Giant-Dodger pennant race. That
baseball becomes a major thread linking the main characters in this epic work.
Dufresne, John. Love
Warps the Mind a Little. W. W. Norton, 1997.
A funny and heartfelt love story with Dufresne's usual eccentric and memorable characters.
Dunmore, Helen. Talking
to the Dead. Little, Brown, 1997.
A gripping and intense story of the rivalrous relationship between two sisters and the
conflicting memories they have involving the death of their baby brother twenty-five years
ago. This is the first work of the British author's to be published in the United States.
Golden, Arthur. Memoirs
of a Geisha. Knopf, 1997.
Story of a young girl from a small Japanese fishing village who becomes a successful
geisha in Kyoto. Golden's meticulous attention to detail transports the reader into the
world of the geisha with fascinating details about this tradition in Japanese culture.
Goldman, Francisco. The
Ordinary Seaman. Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997.
Fifteen men from Central America are hired to make repairs on a decrepit ship docked in
Brooklyn and soon discover that they are stranded aboard the rat-infested ship and legally
prohibited from going ashore.
Hamill, Pete. Snow
in August. Little, Brown, 1997.
An eleven-year-old Irish boy in Brooklyn becomes friends with a rabbi who opens his life
to a world beyond his neighborhood, culminating in a wondrous event. A delightful and
heartwarming read.
Hester, Katherine. Eggs
for Young America. Middlebury College, 1997.
Set in Texas and Georgia, these eight stories present realistic and interesting situations
in the daily lives of hard-working men and women.
Hynes, James. Publish
and Perish: Three Tales of Tenure and Terror. Picador, USA, 1997.
Three witty and spooky novellas that combine academic satire with suspense. A very
entertaining reading experience.
Jennings, Kate. Snake.
Ecco Press, 1997.
An exceedingly short but powerful narrative of a marriage's disintegration. This
Australian writer's depiction of the lives of two mismatched people living on an isolated
farm is stunning.
Just, Ward. Echo
House. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
A strictly political novel of Washington as reflected in the lives of three generations of
a family as they wheel and deal their way to positions of power and prominence.
Mallon, Thomas. Dewey
Defeats Truman. Pantheon Books, 1997.
Set in Dewey's hometown of Owosso, Michigan, this interesting novel perfectly captures the
flavor of that era in our history.
Malouf, David. Conversations
at Curlow Creek. Pantheon Books, 1997.
Set in New South Wales in the 1800s, a man waiting to be hanged in the morning and the
officer in charge talk during the night and discover surprising connections between their
lives.
Petit, Chris. The
Psalm Killer: A Novel. Knopf, 1907.
A complex and suspenseful story of murder and political intrigue in Northern Ireland.
Phillips, Caryl. The
Nature of Blood. Knopf, 1997.
Experiences of racism and prejudice are the main focus of this complex and moving
narrative--from the injustices suffered by Venetian Jews in the sixteenth century to the
atrocities of World War II.
Roth, Philip. American
Pastoral. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
A passionate, intense novel of the unraveling of a seemingly perfect family living the
American dream during the turbulent l960s.
Roy, Arundhati. The
God of Small Things. Random House, 1997.
This first novel by a very gifted Indian writer received the Booker Prize for fiction. Her
prose is abundant with metaphors, similes, and unusual word combinations.
Russo, Richard. Straight Man. Random House, 1997. A wonderful group of characters in this very humorous story of the antics at a second-rate college in Pennsylvania.
Schlink, Bernhard. The
Reader. Pantheon Books, 1997.
A unique story of a love affair between a teenage boy and an older woman in post-war
Germany and how the legacy of the past haunted their relationship.
Westlake, Donald. The
Ax. Mysterious Press, 1997.
After losing his middle management job, a man a devises a no-fail plan to ensure his
future employment.
Williams, Niall. Four
Letters of Love: A Novel. Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1997.
The interweaving stories of two Irish families and how they are linked by choice, fate,
and destiny in this first work by an author best known for his nonfiction books on
Ireland.
Bauby, Jean-Dominque. The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Knopf, 1997.
A devastating stroke in 1995 left the editor of French Elle magazine paralyzed and
only able to blink one eye. By this means, this sublime and heartbreaking book reflecting
his thoughts and feelings was completed. Bauby died two days after its publication in
France.
Bragg, Rick. All
Over But the Shoutin'. Pantheon Books, 1997.
In a conversational, anecdotal style, the prize-winning journalist writes of his dirt-poor
childhood in rural Alabama, paying special tribute to his remarkable mother.
DeBotton, Alain. How
Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel. Pantheon Books, 1997.
DeBotton extracts wise advice from Proust on a variety of topics in this unqiue self-help
type book that is also a clever mix of biography, psychology, and literary criticism.
Fadiman, Clifton. The
New Lifetime Reading Plan. HarperCollins, 1997.
A great introduction to the classics of world literature. This updated version is arranged
chronologically and includes more women writers.
Flitter, Mark. Judith's
Pavilion. Steerforth Press, 1997.
The author, a neurosurgeon, writes eloquently about what his patients and colleagues have
taught him about the human spirit.
France, Peter. Hermits:
The Insight of Solitude. St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Interesting and thoughtful reflections on the lives of famous hermits from ancient times
to the present. Frazier, Ian, Editor.
Best American Essays. Houghton Mifflin, 1997. A selection of outstanding essays from a wide range of periodicals-- both literary and popular.
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Wait
Till Next Year: A Memoir. Simon and Schuster, 1997.
The best-known chronicler of recent presidents tells her own personal story of growing up
in Brooklyn in the l950s with wonderful recollections of that era--especially fond
memories of her passion for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Graham, Katharine. Personal
History. Knopf, 1997.
As owner of the Washington Post, Graham is one of the most influential women in America
and her candid life story reads like a novel.
Hegi, Ursula. Tearing
the Silence: Being German in America. Simon and Schuster, 1997.
The German author of Stones
from the River interviewed fifteen men and women of the post-war generation to
find out how they are dealing with the legacy of World War II, as well as addressing her
own past.
Junger, Sebastian. The
Perfect Storm. W. W. Norton, 1997.
The awesome power of the monstrous storm off the eastern seaboard in October 1991 and the
perils of the fishing industry are vividly described in this gripping narrative.
Krakhauer, Jon. Into
Thin Air. Villard, 1997.
A survivor of the diastrous Mount Everest expedition in which eight people lost their
lives tells his story.
Lukas, J. Anthony. Big
Trouble. Simon and Schuster, 1997.
The killing of a former governor of Idaho in 1905 resulted in the most sensational murder
trial of its time and Lukas' impressive work is a testimony to his meticulous research.
Lyden, Jacki.
Daughter of the Queen of Sheba. Houghton-Mifflin, 1997.
What life was like for Jacki and her sisters when their mother was in one of her
delusionary episodes.
Wolf, Markus. The Man Without a Face. Times Books, 1997. The former head of East German intelligence during the Cold War reveals his secrets.
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