{"id":96144,"date":"2025-07-27T07:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T07:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/96144\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T07:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T07:22:11","slug":"an-oprah-selection-a-nobel-winner-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/96144\/","title":{"rendered":"An Oprah selection, a Nobel winner and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com. \u2013 Barbara Ellis<\/p>\n

\u2018The River is Waiting,\u2019 by Wally Lamb (Marysue Rucci Books, 2025)
\n\""The“The River Is Waiting,” by Wally Lamb. (Marysue Rucci Books\/TNS)<\/p>\n

(Note: Spoilers ahead.) Corby Ledbetter\u2019s life is unraveling. He\u2019s lost his job, his marriage is on the rocks, and the stress of being a stay-at-home dad to twin toddlers is sometimes a bit much for him. So, he starts his day with a secret splash of 100-proof Captain Morgan to wash down a tranquilizer (or two, but who\u2019s counting; after all, they were prescribed by a doctor!).\u00a0 One morning, as he prepares to drive the children to their grandmother\u2019s house for the day, a momentary lapse in judgment causes an unthinkable tragedy.\u00a0 He is given three long years in the penitentiary as punishment for his crime, where he grieves and seeks forgiveness from others and, especially, himself. In prison, he experiences brutality at the hands of certain guards and inmates, but also some small acts of kindness and camaraderie. Corby resolves never to give up hope that someday he will be reconciled with his wife and become the father and husband that he once was, and return to a life that could have been happy and fulfilling but for one devastating error. (Note: Oprah Winfrey chose this for her 115th Book Club pick, the third time she has chosen Lamb for her coveted list.) \u2014 4 stars (out of 4); Karen Goldie Hartman, Westminster<\/p>\n

\u2018Theft,\u2019 by Abdulrazak Gurnah (Riverhead, 2020)<\/p>\n

Life in Zanzibar is rough for those who stayed on after the official end of colonialism. Long-held grudges, family secrets and attempts to right wrongs all result in misunderstandings, intertwined relationships and disappointments. The lives of Gurnah\u2019s richly drawn characters are dramatically upended by the whimsical dabblings of a short-term European aid worker, signaling that colonialism never really ended. Gurnah delivers a powerful message in his understated writing style. (Winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature.)\u00a0 \u2014 3 1\/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver<\/p>\n

\u2018The Original Daughter,\u2019 by Jemimah Weh (Doubleday, 2025)<\/p>\n

\u201cAn existence animated by anger is not the same thing as living a life.\u201d When she is 8 years old, Genevieve suddenly gets a 7-year-old sister, Erin. The girls eventually bond \u2014 perhaps too tightly \u2014 as they grow up together in Singapore. Erin becomes a media star and Genevieve \u2014 well, read the book to see what she becomes. Written well enough to keep my interest, I was still annoyed at times with the characters and the arc of the story. Genevieve is often petty and vindictive. Will she redeem herself?\u00a0\u00a0Weh establishes time and place adroitly; the cultural elements add authenticity. This contemporary novel would make for a good book club discussion. \u2014 2 1\/2 stars (out of 4);\u00a0Neva Gronert,\u00a0Parker<\/p>\n

\u2018There, There,\u2019 by Tommy Orange (Knopf, 2018)
\n\"ThereThere There by Tommy Orange (Knopf)<\/p>\n

Can a debut novel convey the depth and sensitivity of a tour de force? Yes, if it\u2019s \u201cThere, There,\u201d in which we meet 12 characters as detailed as an MRI. All are from urban Native American communities and attend a major pow-wow gathering in Oakland, Calif. Broken families, romance, violence, native history, destructive forces on indigenous culture, a kaleidoscope of personal narratives and emotions and, finally, mass violence perform like traditional Native American dances. The author comes from Cheyenne and Arapaho heritages, and its mesmerizing cast of characters struggle with every challenge stereotyped on our indigenous peoples \u2014 heavy drinking, poverty, fetal alcohol syndrome \u2014 juxtaposed with an array of their many talents and gifts. The story stands as a major example of the wealth our land loses if we disregard diverse voices. (A 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist.) \u2014 4 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":67353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[33973,1022,171,1370,33974,1072,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-96144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-book-reviews","9":"tag-books","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-the-know","13":"tag-things-to-do","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114923998157759959","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}