Book cover of The Quincunx

Book description

An extraordinary modern novel in the Victorian tradition, Charles Palliser has created something extraordinary—a plot within a plot within a plot of family secrets, mysterious clues, low-born birth, high-reaching immorality, and, always, always the fog-enshrouded, enigmatic character of 19th century—London itself.

“So compulsively absorbing that reality disappears . . .…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Quincunx as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I like tours-de-force. I like when authors pull out all the stops to write something mind-boggling. The Quincunx is a tour-de-force of Victoriana. Time and again, I thought I was reading Charles Dickens. Palliser's literary style is so accurate, I could not detect a single anachronism. And I also love the recreation of past cultures. I found this book to be a field guide to the lifestyles of the 19th-century

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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