Novel(la) Pairings-Chapter Two

A novella is that sweet spot that rests between a short novel or a long short story.  Think of it as a tasting menu, or better still, an appetizer.

When done well, as the ones I am sharing with you in this special summer series are, they can keep you company just long enough for a good walk and give you a sense of as yet unexplored authors.

These are all on audio which only amplifies the experience.  Get what I did there…

THE DIDOMENICO FRAGMENT – AMOR TOWLES

RATING: 9/10

An exquisite piece of writing that brilliantly captures character and plot in every single word.  Not a one is wasted, and the reader will not be left wanting in any way.

The story follows an older gentleman who attempts to broker the purchase of a piece of a painting with an unusual history.  Decades earlier the original owner had cut the painting into four quadrants so each of his children had a fragment, and then they in turn bequeathed it to their own children in a similar fashion.  Now a collector is willing to pay handsomely for the last remaining piece, and our main character is in need of money.

The author flays both the upper class and millennials with droll asides so casually dropped, you will almost miss them, but trust me, you don’t want to! A teaser: he describes his nephew’s generation as bearing the distinction of caring about the opinions of their children, while they are still children.  Well, he tells it better!

Narrated by John Lithgow (an absolute perfect choice!)

EVIDENCE OF THE AFFAIR – Taylor Jenkins Reid

RATING: 7/10

A woman writes a letter to a stranger that will forever change both of their lives. As the correspondence between them commences, their letters reveal the devasting details of an affair between their spouses. They not only commiserate but form a deep bond of their own.

A gem of a story that tells of how our hearts can betray us and more importantly, how they can liberate us. 

Narrated by Julia Whelan, George Newbern, James Daniels & Dara Rosenberg