“Allah’s Angels: Chechen Women in War” by Paul J. Murphy

The Chechen wars (1994-6 and 1999-2009, sort of) were brutal for everyone involved. But for Chechen women, they were particularly devastating. “Allah’s Angels” documents their participation and their suffering. Getting hard data about almost any aspect of the Chechen wars can be an exercise in frustration–even things that are supposedly monitored carefully by the government, […]

“The Former Chief Executive” by Kate Vane

Recently widowed, Deborah signs up for a garden share scheme so that someone will take care of her late husband’s garden. The person assigned to share her garden is Luca, a stunningly handsome young man with a criminal past. Although seeming to have nothing in common, Deborah and Luca develop an understanding and are able […]

“Between Darkness and Light” by Susan Schachterle

Maggie O’Hara is an unhappy teenager with boring, unsympathetic parents. Then her grandmother arrives from Ireland to stay with them, and gives Maggie a new name–Kate–and a new view on life. Through her grandmother’s stories, Kate find out about their ancestor Caitlyn Murphy, with whom they both feel a strange kinship. When tragedy strikes, Kate […]

“A Winter’s Love” by Madeleine L’Engle

I read this book with conflicted feelings: on the one hand, I was impressed by what a talented and insightful writer L’Engle was even so early in her career, and on the other, compared with her later works, it’s clear here that L’Engle hadn’t quite hit her stride. What for another writer would be a […]

“The H Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness” by Jill Filipovic

In “The H Spot,” Jill Filipovic focuses on the (not very) complex problem of “What do women want?” Combining personal anecdotes with a review of the available research and interviews with a diverse group of women on their lives and what would make them better, Filipovic provides an engaging and compelling examination of the feminist […]

E. P. Clark: Author, Book Reviewer, and All-Around Literary Handiwoman

Women’s lives