A breezy, engaging tale with a bright, tropical terrain and intriguing insights.
In this novella, a journalist’s story on a famous, elusive surfer becomes a journey of self-discovery.
Michael Winston is understandably worried he’ll no longer be a staff writer for a New York City magazine when his boss and mentor exits. Luckily, the search for a replacement editor has the publication’s new owners torn between Michael and veteran sports journalist Sam Buell. The owners make it a contest—whoever writes the most “epic” story wins the job. Michael flies to Costa Rica to interview professional surfer Louis Giroux. He’s a two-time world champion who hasn’t competed in three years; he hasn’t even shown his face outside of endorsements in ads. Michael has a series of questions to fling at Louis, who’s laid back but initially evasive. But the two find common ground, and it’s not long before Michael basks in the sun on the sandy beaches and tries his hand at surfing. Ultimately, the journalist must decide if the editor gig is what he truly wants or if his future lies elsewhere. McGlothlin shines a bright light on equally appealing Michael and Louis. Michael wonders if he’s got a shot against Sam, who’s shadowing Tiger Woods at the Masters, and readers eventually learn why Louis transformed from a celebrity into a recluse. While most of the enjoyable narrative is as easygoing as Louis, his manager, Nick Cecil, who’s in Costa Rica, is a villain of sorts. Nick tries to dictate how Michael conducts his interview, and his negativity clashes with the otherwise good vibes. But Nick can’t overwhelm the serenity of the beach scenes and the surfers catching waves. At one point, Michael muses: “Far below the porch was a completely uninhabited beach and a picture-perfect surf break. It was the same gentle sound of lapping waves that last night had dipped me into a deep sleep.” The novella’s closing, though predictable, beautifully suits its prevailing mood.
A breezy, engaging tale with a bright, tropical terrain and intriguing insights.Pub Date: March 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781736573037
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Bituminous Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.
A recently divorced writer juggles a chaotic full house, a struggling career, and a confusing romantic life.
Lila Kennedy thought she had the perfect family—a loving mother, a doting stepfather, two wonderful daughters, and a great husband. She even wrote a self-help book about repairing a marriage, which was published a mere two weeks before her husband left her. After her own mother’s sudden death, Lila finds herself an unexpected single mom with her health-nut stepfather, Bill, for a roommate. When her long-absent actor father, Gene, moves in, things go from crowded to chaotic. When Gene isn’t talking about his memories of starring on a Star Trek–like television show, he’s starting fights with Bill. Perhaps the worst part is that Lila’s supposed to produce a new book about the unexpected direction her life has taken. She quickly finds that writing about her real-life romantic exploits (including the kind gardener Bill hired and the sexy single dad she lusts after at school pick-up) and the actual heartbreak that upended her family is easier said than done. Moyes creates a world that is believable and funny. It’s hilarious to read about the distinct characters in Lila’s life—such as her lentil-loving stepfather and egocentric biological father—interacting with each other. There’s plenty of drama here, but none of it feels forced. It all comes from flawed people doing their best to coexist and making plenty of mistakes along the way. Moyes combines the warmth of an Annabel Monaghan rom-com with the humanity of a Catherine Newman novel, creating a story that will provoke tears and laughter.
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781984879325
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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