2010 January 09

Book Review: A Good Talk by Daniel Menaker

Title: A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation
Author: Daniel Menaker
Publisher: Twelve (A Division of Hachette)
Publication Date: January 4, 2010
Hardcover: 240 pages
ISBN: 9780446540025
Genre: Social Science

About the Book:

A GOOD TALK is an analysis of and guide to that most exclusively human of all activities– conversation.

Drawing on over forty years of experience in American letters, Menaker pinpoints the factors that drive and enliven every good conversation: the vagaries (and joys) of subtext; the deeper structure and meaning of conversational flow; the subliminal signals that guide our disclosures and confessions; and the countless other hurdles we must clear along the way. Moving beyond self-help musings and “how to” advice, he has created a stylish, funny, and surprising book: a celebration of “the most excusively human of all activities.”

In a time when conversation remains deeply important– for building relationships, for relaxing, even for figuring out who we are– and also increasingly imperiled (with Blackberries and texting increasingly in vogue), A GOOD TALK is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation.

My Review:

For anyone who has ever struggled with idle chitchat at a social gathering, for those more verbose who needs to get his or her point across in a more effective manner, or for anyone merely fascinated with language, A Good Talk is an excellent place to start. Written with wit and charm, Daniel Menaker keeps the reader engaged, informed, and amused. Beginning with the art of language, Menaker masterfully pares together scientific information with anecdotes, in this manner Menaker begins to discuss the various forms of communication and how to actively engage a meaningful, pleasurable conversation. Menaker writes a quick yet thorough section on the history of language and how, as a society, have we descended from the formal speech beginning with Socrates to the casual speech that currently occupies a vast part of American society, moving us further from formal speech to the extremely informal speech. Worry not, the reader is next instructed in the same gentle and witty manner on how to engage in meaningful conversation, all beginning with the handshake. Menaker takes the reader through a series of example conversations with Fred and Ginger to help the reader see the positives and negatives of conversation. FAQS (Frequently Arising Quandaries) including, but not limited to boredom, insults, the need to change the topic, and sarcasm are addressed and the reader is given resources to use should any of these FAQS arise. With splendid solutions to some of life’s most common communication quandaries, the reader is left feeling, if not better prepared to properly communicate, at least well versed in the history of communication. Menaker does not fail to point out in this age of numerous means of communication, as a populous, our communication rate is at an alarming low. An altogether well rounded book, A Good Talk is witty as well as extremely informative and excellent for those interested in the history and evolution of speech as well as those looking to communicate more effectively. This deceptively short novel delivers a tremendous amount of verbal history and effective communication techniques.

About the Author:

Daniel Menaker has been a part of America’s life of letters for almost forty years. As a writer, he has met and talked to thousands of people about their work and their lives. He is widely read and well versed in psychological literature and practices and, as an editor at Random House, has had countless meetings and other exchanges with writers, agents, public figures, and ordinary people. His own writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Slate; he lives in New York with his wife and their two children.

Visit TitlePage.tv where Daniel Menaker hosts episodes of The Title Page and posts blogs about literary works, authors, and issues.
Daniel Menaker is also a contributor on the BarnesandNobleReview.com

I received a free copy of A Good Talk by Daniel Menaker from Hachette as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Book Review: Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes

Title: Angel and Apostle
Author: Deborah Noyes
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Publication Date: September 10, 2006
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1-932961-29-4
Genre: Fiction

About the Book:

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, we know that Pearl, the elf-child daughter of Hester Prynne, is somewhere in Europe, comfortable, well set, a mother herself now. But it could not have been easy for her to arrive at such a place, when she begins life as the bastard child of a woman publicly humiliated, again and again, in an unrelentingly judgmental Puritan world.

With a brilliant and authentic sense of that time and place, Deborah Noyes envisions the path Pearl takes to make herself whole and to carve her place in the New World. Beautifully written with boundless compassion, Angel and Apostle is a heart-rending and imaginative debut in which Noyes masterfully makes Hawthorne’s character her own.

My Review:

As a reader I find it amazing how such a beautifully complex and multi-layered story can be Deborah Noyes’ first novel. Noyes takes up the story of The Scarlet Letter seamlessly where Nathaniel Hawthorne left off, with the story of Hester Prynne’s daughter Pearl. Angel and Apostle is told from the perspective of Pearl, beginning with her childhood memories in Boston and her mother’s Scarlet A, which she still must wear and the burden it carries for them both. Most of Pearl’s memories are not fond ones as she recounts her early years in Puritan New England as well as her and her mother’s rushed departure to London. Sadly London does not bring much more joy to Pearl as she recounts her and her mother’s lives in London, her inheritance and marriage and with sadness her own mother’s choice to return to the only place she feels she belongs although still not accepted, New England. Pearl’s life as a wife and mother in many ways reflect those of Hester’s leaving the reader to wonder if Pearl will head Hester’s advice to never leave her daughter Abigail’s side or if history is doomed to repeat itself. With vibrant descriptions one feels as though one is living amongst the Puritans of New England, seeing, hearing and smelling as they do. Noyes captured the art of the speech and so richly has her narrator described Pearl’s life as a feared outcast, a lonely child and woman desperate for attention and love. Abandoned time and again and forced to grow up far too quickly, Pearl’s story makes such a compelling read I was loath to put the book down and quite saddened when the story ended, as I would like to know what happens next. Angel and Apostle is a brilliant novel in its own right or a wonderful and creative continuation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Angel and Apostle can easily be enjoyed without any knowledge of Hawthorne’s work, however, it is such a brilliant tale in its own right, and I would be rather remiss not to recommend his book as well. Angel and Apostle is so beautifully written I look forward to re-reading it time and again and cannot give enough praise to this remarkable novel.

About the Author:

Angel and Apostle is Deborah Noyes’ first novel. Her short fiction and reviews have appeared in The Threepenny Review, The Boston Sunday Globe, Seventeen, The Washington Post Book World, The Chicago Sun-Times, Stories, The Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, The Bloomsbury Review, Boston Review, and other publications. She has also written and edited numerous books for children and young adults, including the award-winning teen anthology Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales.

I received a free copy of Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes from Unbridled Books. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.