Knopf Review by David Starkey Emily St. John Mandel is one of those increasingly uncommon writers whose work appeals both to a popular and a literary audience. She’s a dab…
Author: David Starkey
Varieties of Artistic Experience: Three Swiss Exhibition Catalogs: Marisol, Helen Frankenthaler, Swiss Art Brut
Hirmer | Deutscher Kuntsverlag | 5 Continents Review by David Starkey It was a hot summer in Switzerland this year, as it was almost everywhere on our beleaguered planet Earth,…
Harper Perennial’s 2026 Olive Editions
Harper Perennial Review by David Starkey Olive Editions is an annual series of small-format publications of eight of top science fiction and fantasy titles on Harper Perennial’s list. For mass…
Almost Grown: A New York Memoir by Jesse Malin
Akashic Review by David Starkey As someone who has been listening to rock and roll radio almost as long as he was old enough to switch it on, and who…
Wounded Boarders: Stories by George Singleton
Dzanc Review by David Starkey I knew George Singleton for a couple of years back in the early nineties. We were both untenured instructors at a small state university in…
Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old by Mary Beard
Chicago Review by David Starkey If you thought the Greek and Roman classics were stuffy but serious and timeless guides to the Good, the Beautiful, and the Wise, Mary Beard…
Python’s Kiss: Stories by Louise Erdrich
Harper Review by David Starkey Louise Erdrich occupies one of those rare and coveted positions among contemporary authors: like Ann Patchett, Colson Whitehead, Jonathan Franzen, the late Hilary Mantel, and…
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Knopf Review by David Starkey When I finished reading Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel Land, I thought of an Aboriginal Australian proverb that roughly translates as “Land is the story of…
White River Crossing by Ian McGuire
Crown Review by David Starkey If you were thinking it would be a good idea to send a group of mismatched and underprepared people to Canada’s far north in search…
Into the Weeds by Lydia Davis
Yale Review by David Starkey Anyone familiar with the wry and tricksy stories of Lydia Davis will not be surprised that in Into the Weeds—her book-length response to the question…