“Julia Child,” by Laura Shapiro (Viking. $19.95). A slim, elegant account of Child’s journey from a file clerk on the verge of spinsterhood, to housewife, to French chef and beloved American cultural figure. Shapiro, a former NEWSWEEK staffer, writes in clear, fluid prose and doesn’t shy away from Child’s flaws and (only occasional) failures.
“The Master Bedroom,” by Tessa Hadley (Henry Holt. $26). A Russian-lit professor comes home to Wales to care for her aging mother and winds up choosing between two suitors. The plot is classic soap, but the writing is literary and gorgeous.
“The Fabric of America,” by Andro Linklater (Walker & Co. $25.95). State lines, property lines, surveyors’ markers—these are the things that define us as Americans, argues Link-later, a smart historian and a very good storyteller who brings this book to life by focusing on great characters such as surveyor Andrew Ellicott, who, with chain and spirit level, gave shape to the infant nation.
“The Tenderness of Wolves,” by Stef Penney (Simon & Schuster. $25). In the middle of the 19th century, a French Canadian trapper is found murdered in his cabin. Neighbors and investigators take turns narrating the search for the murderer, and in no time these narrators and their stories are what captivate us. This is not just a very good mystery—this is a terrific novel, period.
“The Exception,” by Christian Jungersen (Nan A. Talese. $26). In his English-language debut, this best-selling Danish novelist weaves a psychological thriller around the lives of four female genocide researchers. When two of them receive death threats, an office witch hunt ensues.
