Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“The Granddaughter,” by Bernhard Schlink, translated by Charlotte Collins (HarperCollins, 2025)
Schlink is best known in the United States for his 1997 novel “The Reader,” or the 2008 film of the same title. The protagonist in Schlink’s latest novel discovers after his wife’s death that she had a daughter before marrying him. And, as you can guess from the title, our hero finds not only the abandoned daughter, but also learns that she now has a daughter, who reminds him in so many ways of his late wife. The rest of the book depicts how he builds a relationship with the granddaughter, while trying to maintain a cordial relationship with her parents, who are right-wing nationalists, back-to-nature activists and Holocaust deniers: in short, everything he, a somewhat refined bookstore owner living in cosmopolitan Berlin, is not. I believe Schlink’s themes of how we define family and how we can bridge cultural identity differences will resonate with most contemporary readers. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Blue Sisters,” by Coco Mellors (Ballantine Books, 2024)
The Blue family consists of three estranged sisters who are grief-stricken over the death of their fourth sister, Nicky. The author does a great job of highlighting the characteristics of each sister while just touching on the parents. Avery is the oldest and feels responsible for the others since she had a major role in raising the younger sisters. Avery has overcome addictions, is a lawyer and is in a complicated lesbian relationship. Bonnie is a boxer who has recently lost an important fight and is secretly in love with her trainer. Lucky is the youngest sister, and has just walked away from a modeling career due to her addictions and undependable behavior. Nicky was a gifted teacher but died from an accidental overdose due to unrelenting pain from endometriosis. All the addictive behavior, casual sex, extramarital affairs, and other destructive behavior early in the story line can be overwhelming. The book does end with the three sisters coming to realize their behaviors and move on to positive relationships with each other. — 2 stars (out of 4); Diana Doner, Lafayette
“The Propagandist,” by Cecile Desprairies, translated by Natasha Lehrer (New Vessel Press, 2024)
This is a little-explored perspective on World War II, that of the fascist, Nazi sympathizers in France. Desprairies humanizes these collaborators, showing us a range of underlying motivations, from the politically attuned opportunists who gravitate to whomever holds power, to the apolitical aesthetes just out to have a good time, to the dyed-in-the-wool, dedicated fascists. She also shows us the varied fates enjoyed or endured by such collaborators in post-World War II France. The bad guys don’t inevitably lose. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Brightly Shining,” by Ingvild Rishøi (Grove Press, 2024)
Narrated by 10-year-old Ronja, this novella set in Oslo is a Christmas fable of two sisters covering for an alcoholic father. When he loses his job selling Christmas trees, they take over. The prose is simple, spare, and sometimes profane. This story is not a happy one, and left me puzzled, but the imagery is vivid and Rishøi has a gift for establishing characters. This little book shines in its own way. — 2 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
