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ATALANTA

This contemporary rendition of Greek mythology gives the heroine’s journey its due.

A baby girl is left to die on a mountainside but survives under the goddess Artemis’ protection.

Deep in the Arcadian forest, secluded from Greek society, Atalanta grows into a formidable huntress. She’s faster than any mortal, independent, and confident. In other words, she’s made in Artemis’ image, and the goddess has plans for her. She sends Atalanta to join the quest for the Golden Fleece to bring glory to her name. Atalanta, who has never been among other people, let alone a group of men—some the sons of gods, others the greatest heroes and adventurers in the land—must prove herself worthy of her place in history. Most of the crew of the Argo, her fellow Argonauts, don’t make it easy, but she does find allies, including the famed Orpheus and an uncharacteristically egalitarian fellow named Meleager who becomes her lover as they journey for the legendary fleece. While all the Argonauts encounter tests of their strengths, Atalanta alone faces constant disdain. How can a woman be among the world’s best warriors, a hero poets will sing about for all time? To most minds, it’s impossible. And even when she proves them wrong, they find ways to diminish her. It’s not just people Atalanta has to worry about, either. Like most other gods and goddesses, Artemis is a demanding and punishing champion. Author Saint—author of Elektra (2022) and Ariadne (2021)—has written another captivating protagonist who challenges the status quo to demonstrate the power of women when the odds stack against them. While the story sags here and there, the ending is so beautiful it makes every moment leading up to it worth the wait. In her acknowledgements, Saint says she hopes the novel will make readers fall as in love with Atalanta as she did—and her quest has been fulfilled.

This contemporary rendition of Greek mythology gives the heroine’s journey its due.

Pub Date: May 9, 2023

ISBN: 9781250855572

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023

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THE WOMEN

A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

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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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IT STARTS WITH US

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

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The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.

Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

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