Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Best Fiction of 2012 (page 7)


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Cover art for BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2012

"War is hell in this novel of inspired absurdity. "
Hailed as heroes on a stateside tour before returning to Iraq, Bravo Squad discovers just what it has been fighting for. Read full book review >
Cover art for HAPPINESS IS A CHEMICAL IN THE BRAIN
FICTION
Released: May 7, 2012

"Emotionally unflinching stories of considerable power, wonder and humor."
A prize-winning poet (and MacArthur Fellow grant recipient) extends her literary mastery with a debut story collection. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY
FICTION
Released: May 8, 2012

"A gripping thrill ride that's also a thoughtful coming-of-age story. "
Journalist Miller (Inheriting the Holy Land, 2005) makes her fiction debut with a smoldering mystery set in a New England prep school. Read full book review >
Cover art for MY FIRST SUICIDE
FICTION
Released: May 15, 2012
by Jerzy Pilch, translated by David Frick

"It's hard to do justice to the outré and eccentric but gorgeous quality of Pilch's prose. Here he manages to pull off some neat literary tricks, frequently and self-consciously undermining the seriousness of his subjects with pricks of irony. "
A set of loosely concatenated stories that don't quite add up to a novel but are nonetheless rich in character and in the exploration of contemporary urban life in Poland. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE UNDERTOW
FICTION
Released: May 15, 2012

"Immediate, poignant and rarely predictable, this searchingly observant work captures a huge terrain of personal aspiration against a shifting historical and social background. Impressive. "
The architecture of a family, constructed over decades, through relationships, wars and secrets, is assembled with fine detail and insight in an exceptional 20th-century saga. Read full book review >
Cover art for BRING UP THE BODIES
FICTION
Released: May 22, 2012

"The inventiveness of Mantel's language is the chief draw here; the plot, as such, will engage only the most determined of Tudor enthusiasts."
Second in Mantel's trilogy charting the Machiavellian trajectory of Thomas Cromwell. Read full book review >