This April and May, author Toni Morrison returns with an emotionally-charged story, while Leslie Parry debuts her first novel. Find out what else is on our reading list.
Celebrated Nobel Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winning author Toni Morrison once again proves her superior ability to convey the human experience through the written word in her newest novel, God Help the Child. The story is constructed around the character of Bride (born Lula Ann), a beautiful and successful black woman whose dark skin was the root of her light-skinned mother’s neglect. As a child, Lula Ann makes an allegation of sexual abuse that will alter the life of an innocent woman. Morrison explores how childhood trauma can reverberate through the lives of those surrounding it and how the construct of race informs the inner and outer struggles of Americans. Within its emotionally charged pages, the book offers up redemption and forgiveness. (Knopf, April 21)
Fans of Windsor Smith will delight that the interior designer is putting out her first book—an ode to her elegant and relaxed style. Windsor Smith Homefront: Design for Modern Living is composed around Smith’s philosophies for creating beautiful and livable modern spaces. The designer is a favorite of shelter publications and design industry leaders and is sought after by many influencers, including Goop founder and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who provides the book’s foreword. Smith guides readers with advice on updating and repurposing the spaces in our homes and making them more functional and reflective of who we are. She employs a genius ability to combine color and texture, masterfully mixing old and new. (Rizzoli, April 7)
Leslie Parry’s debut novel, Church of Marvels, is saturated with enthralling characters making their way through the turbulence of New York City at the end of the nineteenth century. There are the Church sisters, brought up in their mother’s Coney Island sideshow; a young woman, Alphie, who finds herself trapped in an insane asylum; and Sylvan, who finds an abandoned baby while cleaning tenement latrines. The breathtaking story lines converge as the novel unfolds. While Sylvan tries to deduce the mystery of the rescued baby, Odile Church searches for her missing sister Belle, and Alphie struggles to survive inside the asylum. Their connection grows more apparent as the stories move through the fearsome, yet wondrous turn-of-the-century New York. (Ecco, May 5)
Way More Than Luck: Commencement Speeches on Living with Bravery, Empathy and Other Existential Skills releases in time to gift to your favorite student entering the postgraduate world. It is a collection of 14 of the best commencement addresses, many never published before, given by some of the most brilliant minds. Luminaries and their subject matter include Barbara Kingsolver on the power of building community, Nora Ephron on breaking the rules, Khaled Hosseini on refusing to be apathetic, and Madeleine L’Engle on facing challenges with courage. Their words of wisdom are packaged in a handsome hardbound book with smart looking typography on the interior pages. The important ideas from admired thinkers and doers will inspire and motivate readers. (Chronicle, April 14)
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