cover image
LATEST ISSUE OF
Kirkus Reviews
Check out our interview with Rick Yancey, author of the wildly entertaining YA thriller The 5th Wave.
Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS



Outstanding Debuts of 2011

Cover art for TOLSTOY AND THE PURPLE CHAIR
NONFICTION
Released: June 7, 2011
Kirkus Star TOLSTOY AND THE PURPLE CHAIR: MY YEAR OF MAGICAL READING
by Nina Sankovitch
"As a bonus, even the well-read reader will be inspired to explore some of the books from this magical year."
This celebration of the richness of reading will reward anyone who loves to read. Read full book review >
Cover art for MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU
FICTION
Released: May 31, 2011
MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU
by Louisa Young
"A literate, moving wartime tale in which love triumphs over despair."
Innocence, devastation and restored hope cycle through two British couples after the men go to France to fight World War I and the women cope with their absence in very different ways. This is Young's first adult novel to be published in the United States. Read full book review >
Cover art for I'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE
FICTION
Released: May 12, 2011
Kirkus Star I'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE
by Steve Earle
"Already well-respected for both his music and his acting, Earle can now add novelist to an impressive résumé."
A thematically ambitious debut novel that draws from the writer's experience yet isn't simply a memoir in the guise of fiction. Read full book review >
Cover art for SOLACE
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
SOLACE
by Belinda McKeon
"An engrossing, highly rewarding read that marks McKeon as a writer to watch. "
A debut novel of love and loss set in contemporary Ireland, where a family's troubled past cast its shadow over an uncertain future. Read full book review >
Cover art for IN ZANESVILLE
FICTION
Released: April 25, 2011
IN ZANESVILLE
by Jo Ann Beard
"This could be an instruction book for a perceptive teenager. For an adult, it resonates as a bittersweet remembrance of a time when life was more difficult than it should have been."
Angst, and a grudging reconciliation to childhood being left behind, are the heart of this debut novel. Read full book review >
Cover art for GUILT BY ASSOCIATION
FICTION
Released: April 20, 2011
Kirkus Star GUILT BY ASSOCIATION
by Marcia Clark
"That the novel is marked by authenticity is no surprise given Clark's credentials—she was, after all, lead prosecutor in the headline-grabbing O.J. Simpson trial—but what may surprise some readers is the quality of the writing, plus the considerable charm of Rachel and her buddies."
A corker of a debut novel in which a brainy, plucky female prosecutor refuses to rush to judgment. Read full book review >