William Kennedy “Ironweed”

The main hero, Francis Phelan, is a 58 years old bum, but he was not bum his whole life. A history of personal problems has brought him to his present station in life. He left his home twenty- two years ago when he accidently dropped his baby son on the floor and the boy died. Francis is a man who has made too many mistakes… I enjoyed the characters and plot.
This book reveals human kindness, sweetness, love, forgiveness.
A witty and philosophic novel, is one of those books that never leave your memory….
Ann.

Arundhati Roy “The God of Small Things”

If you are looking for something different and interesting you have to read “The God of Small Things”. This is a 'Booker prize' winner book and the debut novel of Indian author Arundhati Roy. The writer is talented, certainly, and her prose is amazing, with wonderful word pictures. The words, the phrases, the structure - all fresh and alive. “The God of Small Things” is a book about what happened to a twins, Estha and Rahel. The story alternates between two time periods: the twins at seven and the twins at thirty-one. It is the story of childhood lost, it is the story of love, it is the story of death…
It was an absolute pleasure to read this book.
Lili.

Anita Shreve “The Pilot's Wife”

I got a great book and I just finished reading it... “The Pilot's Wife” by Anita Shreve. It was beautifully written and it is also a good plot. A pilot’s wife in New England receives a knock on the door in the middle of the night to tell her that her husband has been killed in an air crash. The tragedy becomes the subject of an investigation, which leads her to London and a woman with two children: her husband two children. Jack Lyons has been leading a double life, married to two women in two countries.
This is a story of tragedy, love, betrayal and healing. It is a story of a strong woman who sets out to learn who her husband really was, who works to protect her daughter and at the same time copes with the rumour concerning her husband.
Olena.

Tobias Wolff “The Barrack Thief”

The story is about three young boys: Philip, Hubbard and Lewis. They are from different families, and they have different characters. “The Barrack Thief” places the reader in the last weeks of young soldiers' lives before they are waiting to ship out for Vietnam.
The plot seems so real; it deals with real life situations of a human life.
Writing is really good, I like the way the story develops and this book makes me think….
I absolutely liked it and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read!!
Olga.

Rick Bass “The Hermit’s Story”

Rick Bass is the author of 16 books. ”The Hermit’s Story” is his best fiction.
Every story in this collection is amazing. My favorite stories are “The Hermit’s Story” and “Swans”. Bass explores the mysterious connections between man and nature. In “The Hermit’s Story”, a man and a woman travel across the frozen surface of a dry lake, in "Swans," a woman lights fires along the shore of a freezing pond to warm the five swans living there.
Language is wonderful, characters well developed, every story is remarkable in its own way.
Tanya

Shirley Hazzard “ The Transit of Venus”

"The Transit of Venus" is an extraordinary piece of modern literature. I just finished to read it and enjoyed it so much.
National Book Critics Circle Award-winner Shirley Hazzard tells a story of two sisters, Grace and Caroline Bell. They move from Australia to England to start their lives in a new land. We watch their lives progress through the men they meet. They fall in love, meet their husbands, their lovers.
This book is a story of different place and time. It’s a very good love story.
This is one of my favorite books, which is beautifully written and language is wonderful too.
Lena

Tom Robbins “Skinny Legs And All”

“Skinny Legs and All” deals with so many topics, many of which are classical in nature: love, sex, family, art, compassion, work, religion.
The book is very humorous, but it does have its serious side. The book moves across the USA from the South to the Northwest and out to New York, then to the Middle East as Robbins constantly analyzes the situation between Jews and Arabs there, as well as studies the Christian history. Tom Robbins is a master with words and best thing about his book is his writing.
I thought the story is terrific. It makes me want to live life, and live it in a new and healthy and loving way.
Olga.

Harper Lee “To Kill a Mockingbird”

A classic of modern American literature “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960, it was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize.
I'm so glad I finally picked up “To Kill a Mockingbird”, I heard so many wonderful things about this book. It’s really a wonderful piece of literature, great characters, plot and prose. Every character and every little side story added flavor, color and depth to this wonderful tale. This book seems so simple, but it's about several things at once - racism, injustice, social status, innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” has become a new all-time favorite book for me.
Lili

Boyle T.C. “World’s End”

World's End is a 1987 historical fiction novel by T. C. Boyle, the winner of the 1988 PEN/Faulkner Award for American Fiction. The novel tells the story of several generations of families in the Hudson River Valley from the late seventeenth century to the late 1960s with darkly humor, high seriousness, and beautiful prose. There are lots of characters, and lots of time shifts between chapters, but Boyle is able to tie it all together into a great story, involving wealthy Dutch landowners, Native Americans, poor farmers, and a rebellious youth in the 1970's. The novel is wisely readable, every character is placed with great care in the plot to do something. What I loved about the novel the most is its mix of historical fiction with family drama in the present, it never gets boring.
This book was hard to put down and well worth the read.
Olga.

Larry McMurtry “Lonesome Dove”

Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. This novel goes down as one of the finest examples of Western literature of all time. The story focuses on the relationship of several retired Texas Rangers and their adventures driving a cattle herd from Texas to Montana. I think you really feel you are on the journey with them across the wide open spaces and going through their trials. The characters in this story are more real than in any other book I've read. I came to absolutely love Gus and Clara. Lonesome Dove
is a book to make me dream, laugh….
“If you read only one western novel in your life, read Lonesome Dove…” USA Today
Lena