calhoun`s booktalks

Book Talks

Novels of Literary Merit—Genres and Reviews

Magical Realism Magical elements blend with the real world Plots focus on family, relationships, and often love, violence, and war Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Laura Esquivel, Rudolfo Anaya, Toni Morrison

Dystopian Future Imagines totalitarian, degraded society—the antithesis of utopia Serve as commentary on social, political, economic, and environmental issues

Aldous Huxley, Ayn Rand, Margaret Atwood

Period Dramas Likely to be made into Masterpiece Theatre miniseries or Merchant-Ivory films Romance, relationships, social roles and other character-driven complications

Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, E.M. Forster

Epic Novels Feature large casts of characters and sweeping spans of time, adventure Often VERY long—1000+ pages! Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Alexandre Dumas, Walter Scott

Small Town/Salt of the Earth Focus on relationships, setting Turn of the century American drama Willa Cather, Sinclair Lewis, John Steinbeck

War & Politics Strategy, action, social commentary and personal drama Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Heller, Robert Penn Warren, Erich Remarque

Race, Ethnicity, Cultural Studies Sherman Alexie, Rudolfo Anaya, Zora Neale Hurston, David Guterson, Helena Maria Viramontes, Change-rae Lee, Joy Kogawa

Exile, Journeys, Self Discovery Vikram Chandra, Isak Dinesen, James Fenimore Cooper, Cormac McCarthy, Yann Martel, Khaled Hosseini

Personal Recommendations Mine: TC Boyle, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Ralph Ellison, Ian McEwan Yours?