In Aciman’s sensitive portrait of a young man’s awakening, 17-year-old Elio’s family hosts a young scholar for six weeks to help Elio’s father, a professor, with his research. When 24-year-old Oliver, a charming American with “cruelly good looks,” arrives at their summer home on the Mediterranean, Elio goes into a “swoon.” Armie Hammer’s intimate whisper makes each beautiful, erotic, or painful moment bittersweet. Oliver’s scholarly research centers on Heraclitus, but that doesn’t stop him from doing some extracurricular research with the Italian locals and with his host’s eager son. Hammer is convincing as Oliver, and while his voice is somewhat mature for 17-year-old Elio, his emotional tone is impeccable. When the men meet again years later, Hammer captures the moment, which is both ordinary and devastating. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Love is in the air…but that doesn’t mean you have to drink the Kool-Aid. If you’re not feeling all the lovey-dovey stuff this year, that’s cool. Sometimes other people being happy is the worst. So here’s a list of tragedies, thrillers, and romances that do not end well for you to relish instead. Misery does […]
And the award goes to…books! At least, it does in our world. But if you’re a film fan and looking to broaden your literary horizons, here are two dozen books to read now that awards season is over (and you’re probably tired of movies).
There’s nothing rougher than listening to friends, family, or co-workers (maybe especially co-workers) chatter on about their amazing summer vacation plans if you yourself have none. Whether due to finances, work responsibilities, or simple bad luck, not everyone can plan a great trip every year, and that can make the hot summer months seem longer, […]
It’s almost Valentine’s Day—and the perfect time to year to read a love story. But our tastes in romantic tales vary as much as our dating profiles: sometimes we want our literary lovers to make us laugh, and just as often, we need a really good cry. Whether your tastes tend toward the lighthearted or […]
Every once in a while when I need a break from reading YA (sacrilege, I know), I turn to an adult novel for escapism. The adult New York Times bestseller list has been filled with great writing lately, from Celeste Ng’s quiet suburban drama in Little Fires Everywhere to A. J. Finn’s thriller The Woman in the Window. Once […]