January 30: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
Ken Follett’s magnificent new historical epic begins, as
five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World
War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage.
A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the
mining pits.…An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new
career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House.… A housekeeper for the aristocratic
Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud
Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in
love with a German spy.…And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically
different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war,
conscription, and revolution. From the
dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from
the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us
into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that
we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again.…
February 27: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and
stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose
Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving
among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic,
brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching
them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose
Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing
for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal
that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a
painting that might last forever. As the dysfunction
of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for
themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals
and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.
What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just
that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she
describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story
of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional
love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery
determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
March 27: Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
In this stunning new
novel, Ian McEwan’s first female protagonist since Atonement is about to
learn that espionage is the ultimate seduction. Cambridge student Serena Frome’s beauty and
intelligence make her the ideal recruit for MI5. The year is
1972. The Cold War is far from over. England’s legendary intelligence
agency is determined to manipulate the cultural conversation by funding writers
whose politics align with those of the government. The operation is code
named “Sweet Tooth.” Serena, a
compulsive reader of novels, is the perfect candidate to infiltrate the
literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. At first, she
loves his stories. Then she begins to love the man. How long can she
conceal her undercover life? To answer that question, Serena must abandon
the first rule of espionage: trust no one.
