Maureen Corrigan appears in the following:
Zadie Smith Ruminates On Brexit, Bieber And Much, Much More In 'Feel Free'
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Smith's massive new essay collection covers a wide assortment of topics, but critic Maureen Corrigan says Feel Free is strongest when it focuses on art and identity.
'Self-Portrait With Boy' Explores The Narcissistic Ambition That Fuels Success
Wednesday, February 07, 2018
An artist's photograph of a young boy's death leads to a terrible dilemma in Rachel Lyon's new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls the book a "striking debut."
3 Harlem Renaissance Novels Deliver An Ingenious Take On Race
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Novelists Nella Larsen, Wallace Thurman and George S. Schuyler forged their art in what W.E.B. Du Bois famously called the "double-consciousness" of African-Americans.
'The Perfect Nanny' Is The Working Mother's Murderous Nightmare
Monday, January 22, 2018
Leila Slimani's taut new novel centers on a nanny who kills her two young charges. Critic Maureen Corrigan says despite its retrograde message, The Perfect Nanny is a guilty pleasure.
Posthumously Published 'Sea Maiden' Affirms Denis Johnson's Eternal Voice
Tuesday, January 09, 2018
A new collection features five stand-alone stories by Johnson, who died in 2017. Critic Maureen Corrigan says The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is "the kind of work every writer would like to go out on."
A Is For Appreciation: How Sue Grafton Helped Transform The Mystery Genre
Tuesday, January 02, 2018
Grafton revolutionized what had become fossilized formula fiction. She tossed out the genre's sexist, racist and nativist clichés and helped make the detective novel matter again.
Maureen Corrigan Picks Books To Close Out A Chaotic 2017
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Fresh Air's book critic says her 2017 list is chaotic in a good way. "These books zing off in all directions: They're fresh, unruly and dismissive of the canned and contrived."
Do Politics Matter In Poetry? New Biography Explores The Case Of Ezra Pound
Monday, December 04, 2017
A central figure in 20th century poetry, Pound was also an outspoken fascist. In The Bughouse, Daniel Swift investigates whether or not the poet's politics and madness matter to his work.
Louise Erdrich Delivers A Dystopian Feminist Thriller In 'Future Home'
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
In Erdrich's new novel, fetuses seem to be randomly devolving and a new religious government is rounding up pregnant women, forcing them to give birth in prison-like hospitals.
Tom Hanks And Matthew Weiner Cross Over Into The World Of Fiction
Monday, October 30, 2017
The actor and the Mad Men creator each recently published a book: Hanks' Uncommon Type is a short story collection and Weiner's Heather, The Totality is a novella about two upper-class New Yorkers.
'Death In The Air' Revisits 5 Days When London Was Choked By Poisonous Smog
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Kate Winkler Dawson's new book chronicles The Great Smog of 1952, when moist air from the Gulf Stream stalled for days over London, mixing with poisonous gases and causing more than 12,000 deaths.
Collection Puts A Playful, Pulpy Twist On Preposterous Stories About Obama
Monday, October 09, 2017
Fifteen writers riff on various wild conspiracy theories generated about President Obama over the years. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the sly short stories in The Obama Inheritance pack a punch.
Jennifer Egan's 'Manhattan Beach' Is A Gorgeous Tribute To NYC And Its Seaport
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Egan's sweeping new historical novel doesn't just draw from the classic catalog of New York stories — it also takes its place among them.
Novel 'Forest Dark' And Dog Book 'Afterglow' Consider The Meaning Of Life
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews two books that use experimental forms to tackle weighty topics. "Both of these odd new books offer something special," she says.
Adolescent Friendship Fades Away In Claire Messud's Gothic 'Burning Girl'
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Messud's novel centers on best friends from different class backgrounds who begin to drift apart in 7th grade. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls The Burning Girl a story of "betrayal and isolation."
'What She Ate' Reveals The Plates And Palates Of 6 Notable Women
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Laura Shapiro has likened her method of biographical research to "standing in line at the supermarket and peering into the other carts." Critic Maureen Corrigan says her resulting book is fascinating.
New Chester Himes Biography Reveals A Life As Wild As Any Detective Story
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Lawrence P. Jackson's biography tracks the writer's course from prison to published novelist. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Himes' life story is well worth reading.
2 Smart New Novels Find Humor In Fantasies Of Escape
Thursday, July 20, 2017
These terrific comic novels — The Last Laugh by Lynn Freed and Who Is Rich? by Matthew Klam — will have you laughing at the many ways we all try to run away from the realities of life.
'Golden Hill' Recalls The Dark Alleys And Twisted Virtue Of 18th-Century NYC
Monday, July 10, 2017
Francis Spufford's historical novel is set in 1746 Lower Manhattan, a world of spies, thieves, card sharks and crooked bankers. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it a "gorgeously crafted" work.
2 Families Cruise Toward Catastrophe In 'Do Not Become Alarmed'
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Maile Meloy's novel centers on two families whose children go missing during an international vacation. Maureen Corrigan read it in two nights and says it's a "very smart work of literary fiction."