Small island, small world… lonely place
I loved Small Island when I read it the first time in 2004, the year it was published. I loved it again rereading it this summer, when even its happy ending — orchestrated beautifully by Levy to be both a gain and a loss — does not dim the power of the tremendously painful record of the […]
Contemplating the title
As I read, I am struck again and again by the meaning of “small island.” I think it springs up all over in different ways and suggests different interpretations. At first I was thinking that it simply referred to their place of origin, and then I began to see how it is also the island […]
New titles for Summer 2011
Greetings, all: Welcome back to the Sweet Briar Summer Book Club and our community of readers and writers. I’ve chosen three novels for this summer’s reading: 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton (who will be on campus in November; more on that in a minute); Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; and Small Island by […]