Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver’s breakout international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin established her as one of the world’s most provocative and intriguing novelists. A dark and uncompromising look at an ambivalent mother and her ‘bad seed’ son, it was the book that launched a thousand dinner table arguments about nature versus nurture.

Her latest book, Big Brother, continues to explore the tension between who we essentially are and what we make of ourselves. And once again, Shriver wades bravely in to murky moral waters, confronting one of our society’s heftiest taboos: weight.

Narrator Pandora is horrified when her beloved big brother, Edison, a washed-up jazz musician, arrives to visit – weighing 300 pounds and submerging his feelings of failure in a torrent of food. She decides to sacrifice her marriage to save her brother’s life, moving in with him and immersing themselves in an extreme diet and exercise regime.

Big Brother is inspired by the death of Shriver’s older brother in 2009, from obesity-related illness. Although the setting and characters are fictional, and Edison is distinctly different from her real brother, Shriver’s dark humour, frank tone and ability to draw on her deeply personal family tragedy makes Big Brother another book that will be discussed for years to come. (rodneyvc)… (mere)

The new novel from the Orange Prize-winning author of We Need To Talk About Kevin.

When Pandora picks up her older brother Edison at her local Iowa airport, she literally doesn’t recognize him. The once slim, hip New York jazz pianist has gained hundreds of pounds. What happened?

Soon Edison’s slovenly habits, appalling diet, and know-it-all monologues are driving Pandora and her fitness-freak husband Fletcher insane. After the brother-in-law has more than overstayed his welcome, Fletcher delivers his wife an ultimatum: it’s him or me.

Rich with Shriver’s distinctive wit and ferocious energy, Big Brother is about fat: why we overeat and whether extreme diets ever really work. It asks just how much sacrifice we’ll make to save single members of our families, and whether it’s ever possible to save loved ones from themselves.

Lionel Shriver's novels include the National Book Award finalist So Much for That, the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World, and the international bestseller We Need To Talk About Kevin. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. She lives in London and Brooklyn, New York.

Location: Street: 4869 Main St Additional: City: Manchester Center, Province: Vermont Postal Code: 05255 Country: United States (tilføjet fra IndieBound)… (mere)

Saturday Adult Book Club

Vernon Branch invites you to read the suggested titles and to join us for a lively, facilitated discussion of the featured title. The book club is open to all interested adults and preregistration is not required. Held the fourth Saturday of every month from 10:30 - 11:30 am in the library meeting room.

Upcoming titles for the 2012 - 2013 session include:
Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber & Life with the Tree Planting Tribe by Charlotte Gill (January 26)
Blindness by Jose Saramago (February 23)
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (March 23)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (April 27)
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (May 25) (starfishian)… (mere)

The new republic Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver is the author of 10 novels and the recipient of the 2005 Orange Prize for her acclaimed book We Need to Talk About Kevin, recently adapted into a major motion picture. With her gift for psychological portraiture and a knack for skewering timely social phenomena, Shriver's work is "tough, complicated, brilliant," according to The new republic's Ruth Franklin. "Shriver isn’t the kind of writer who lets her themes bubble up opaquely; she seizes them and interrogates them for all they’re worth." Shriver is also a respected journalist whose work has appeared in such publications as The Guardian, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. In her new novel, Shriver examines cults of personality and terrorism in an alternate past. The Vanishers Heidi Julavits Heidi Julavits is co-editor of The Believer, a literary magazine she founded with Dave Eggers, which was described by A.O. Scott as part of "a generational struggle against laziness and cynicism, to raise once again the banners of creative enthusiasm and intellectual engagement." Her anti-snark manifesto Rejoice! Believe! Be Strong and Read Hard!, lobbying against mean-spirited book reviews, appeared in the debut issue. She is the author of three novels, including The Uses of Enchantment, about a young girl's faked abduction,and The Mineral Palace, a depression-era story of sexual corruption and infanticide—both New York Times Notable Books. Her new novel, The Vanishers is a meditation on grief, female rivalry, and the power of a daughter’s love. Parkway Central Library 1901 Vine Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway) This is a FREE event; no tickets or reservations are required. For more information, please call 215-567-4341, or click here

Location: Street: Free Library of Philadelphia Additional: 1901 Vine Street City: Philadelphia, Province: Pennsylvania Postal Code: 19103-5207 Country: United States (tilføjet fra IndieBound)… (mere)

Amanda Craig, Hearts and Minds.; Lionel Shriver, So Much For That.

Novels are good at dissecting society, but can fiction ever make a difference? Lionel Shriver's new book, So Much for That, is set in contemporary America and addresses big themes of family illness (against the back-drop of Obama's healthcare bill), money (in the aftermath of the Credit Crunch) and the universal search for happiness. Amanda Craig's Hearts and Minds, a panoramic novel about London, is a gripping murder story told through the intertwined lives of recent immigrants and has the finger on the pulse of the teeming Metropolis. They discuss their books and whether topical literature can make things happen. (DeadGoodBooks)… (mere)

Lionel Shriver , The Post-Birthday World.

Safe or sexy? OK - that's a bit of a simplification of the novel, but haven't we always wondered about that decision we didn't make. How would our lives be different? Would it be better or worse? Lionel Shriver has laid out both scenarios and has come up with a fantastic read. As always, the group is open to all comers. (booksense)… (mere)