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Full disclosure: I have absolutely no objectivity about this book, because Louis Bayard is a friend. So unfortunately, if I tell you that he’s a brilliant writer, you’ll have to dismiss my opinions as sentiment-raddled ramblings.

That’s why I’m happy to say that there are plenty of other critics out there who can tell you that Louis Bayard is a brilliant writer, and that his latest novel The Black Tower is a terrific read. Don’t believe me? Listen to them!

Sarah Weinman: “To neglect history is to ignore it and suffer the consequences. But to write about it, to take salient points about a particular time and place and character and create both an engaging mystery that provokes the reader, is to ensure a positive feedback loop of remembering that solves the problem posed at the beginning of this review. The make-believe world of The Black Tower succeeds by broadcasting larger truths that might otherwise elude us.”

Marilyn Stasio: “Bayard makes brilliant application of Vidocq in this fanciful adventure…No snatch-and-run researcher, Bayard takes care to capture Vidocq’s roguish voice and grandiose affectations, as well as the melodramatic substance of his published memoirs.”

Ross King: “The Black Tower weaves history and fiction together in the trademark style—linguistic brio, a slickly unfolding plot, a raft of colorful characters—that has propelled Bayard’s work into the upper reaches of the historical-thriller league…In Bayard’s hands, Vidocq becomes an arrogant, bullying, wine-swilling, foul-smelling underworld spy and master of disguise—and an utterly compelling character.”

We’ve got ten copies of The Black Tower to give away to the first ten readers who respond to this post (following our giveaway guidelines, please) and tell me which historical character you think would make a great fictional detective.

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NB: Last week it was photo insertion that was giving me fits; today, it’s link insertion. I beg your indulgence as I figure out what WordPress wants from me! Meanwhile, I’m publishing this so there’s something new to read…

When last I wrote, it was to tell you about a new favorite bookstore…it just so happens that I had another fun bookish encounter while I was in NYC. While arriving at the NY1 studios to tape segments on children’s books for the holidays (BTW, our own Reading Rockets has a very cool list here), I literally ran into dynamic mother-daughter author duo Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, who had just finished an interview. I’d talked with them ages ago when I was AOL Books editrix, but had never met either one of them in person. Why am I telling you this, besides the fact that it was awfully cool to have a drive-by author sighting? Because Mary Higgins Clark told me that they will be here in DC in the spring for book promotion and said she would be happy to consider coming to “Author, Author!” for an interview. That’s not a done deal, but I’m hopeful that with a little planning, our team will be able to bring you interviews with one or both of these extremely popular novelists.

Another snapshot: Yesterday I emailed M.J. Rose to congratulate her on a great review from Patrick Anderson in The Washington Post for her new book The Memorist. She had literally just read the review and said she was “floored.” Since a visitor named Carole yesterday asked if we could interview M.J., the answer is a resounding “Yes!” I’ll be in touch with her publicist this week and will let you know as soon as possible when you’ll be able to read that interview. If you haven’t already read Rose’s previous novel in this series, The Reincarnationist, I highly recommend it — these books are really different, and a great way for historical novel fans to get a dose of romantic fantasy (or is it fantastic romance?).

And now for something completely different…a bit of news that makes me very happy. My colleague John Freeman (until last year president of the National Book Critics Circle, and an extremely talented critic) has been named American editor of Granta magazine. The last time John emailed me, earlier in 2008, he was so exhausted from his tenure as head of the NBCC that he said he was heading into seclusion with a case of Fanta and a complete set of “Knight Rider” DVDs. Either he’s completely recovered, or he’s traded those in for a case of Lilt and a complete set of “AbFab” DVDs. Heck, I’ll raise a can of Lilt in congrats for a job well-won by Freeman. I’m looking forward to some really interesting new Yankee content in my beloved Granta, which is the one litmag I almost always make time to read.

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If you landed here from my Other Blog, thanks for clicking through. If you haven’t read that one, here’s my “prequel” post, which may amuse you. Basically, I waited a while to read Curtis Sittenfeld’s “American Wife,” and tore through it this weekend in one day.

It really is that good.

Here’s the summary: Just before the end of her husband’s second term as President of the United States, Alice Blackwell, nee Lindgren, reflects on and tells the story of her life, beginning with her childhood in Riley, Wisconsin, and finishing with her most recent activities. As many media sources have discussed, the novel is quite clearly an imagined telling of current First Lady Laura Bush’s life and times; in fact, that’s so clearly the case that the novel is prefaced with a note reading: “American Wife is a work of fiction loosely inspired by the life of an American first lady. Her husband, his parents, and certain prominent members of his administration are recognizable. All other characters in the novel are products of the author’s imagination, as are the incidents concerning them.”

However, I think the disclaimer should have read a little differently. Sittenfeld might have warned us all that this work of fiction can cause severe mental dislocation, convincing readers that they are actually sitting and reading in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Each decade of Alice Blackwell’s life is rendered with such exquisite and accurate detail that time travel doesn’t seem out of the question.

This is important, because Sittenfeld has created a strong, consistent voice for her narrator, but without the chronological verisimilitude, Alice Blackwell’s reasoned locutions would fall absolutely flat. That is not a criticism. I believe that part of Sittenfeld’s genius as a novelist lies in her ability to balance tensions. Blackwell’s voice could not and should not be otherwise, but her convictions and actions would make less sense without context.

I would love t say that I savored this novel. Sittenfeld writes beautifully, and the book is full of the kinds of scenes you want to remember and share with other people, including a fascinating subplot reaching all the way to the final page that makes you rethink everything you’ve ever known about the First Lady upon whom the novel is based. However, I couldn’t stop reading.

Let me also say that I found the book terribly, terribly sad. I thought Alice Lindgren Blackwell’s choices were dictated not by wisdom and love, but by circumstance and circumscription. I wish Sittenfeld had been able to put a finer point on that aspect of her title character’s life; she tries to, especially in the early pages, but it gets lost in the examination of Alice and Charlie Blackwell’s marriage.

Here are links to some other reviews of American Wife:

In the New York Times, Joyce Carol Oates says that as a “portraitist in prose,” Sittenfeld is “not Francis Bacon but more Norman Rockwell.”

Meanwhile, Michiko Kakutani actually takes the opposite stance (what a surprise!), concluding that Sittenfeld uses the novel’s end to her own political purposes.

Susan Salter Reynolds of the LA Times thinks that the book has something in it for every American female.

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You’ve probably never heard the book Achtung! Panzer by Heinz Guderian discussed before in a general books blog, but Alan Furst and I were tickled to discover that it’s still in print, since the volume figures in Furst’s new novel, The Spies of Warsaw.

I’ve already told you that this is one of my own favorite reads of 2008, but I have to also tell you that this is one of my favorite interviews of 2008. Furst is engaged, engaging, enthusiastic, and smart. I wish we could post a longer version of the interview, because he didn’t give a dud answer.

Please take a peek, enjoy, and don’t forget: there’s a giveaway in progress!

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This week we’re showcasing one of my favorite books this summer: The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst. I’d only read two of Furst’s books before this one, which is wonderful news for me, because now I have the pleasure of going back and reading his eight others. Goody, goody…

Let me tell you why I enjoyed this book so much: Furst really does live up to his reputation as one of the finest war novelists writing today. I’m sure that there are some critics and readers who would slot Furst as a thriller writer — and don’t get me wrong, some of today’s thriller writers are penning truly fine novels. I’m not shying away from calling Furst a thriller writer from snobbery, but because his books seem to be more about an era and its conflicts than about suspense (although there is some of that, too).

Here’s a synopsis of the plot.

Here’s an excerpt from the book.

And now, here’s my giveaway question of the week: What’s your favorite spy OR detective novel? (Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys count, too!)

The twist: I’m going to randomly select ten giveaway recipients from the first 20 responses I get. Speed counts, but luck does, too! Happy responding, and hope your own summer reading has been delightful.

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Novelist Jo Graham calls her book “an historical fantasy,” but I don’t want that to put off anyone who wouldn’t normally read romances, because Black Ships is really so much more than that. Graham has meticulously researched the Heroic Age, but she is careful where she puts historical details in, spending more time on her characters and their development.

In this interview, Graham also talks about how and why she originally became interested in her protagonist, Gull. She also explains what sets Gull apart. Of course, what sets the character apart for me is that I’d gladly read another book with Gull as narrator…is Graham working on another book? You’ll have to listen to find out.

You might want to check out Orbit Books, too.

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One of the best parts of my job is when someone sends me a book that I would never have picked up on my own — and I read and love it. That’s the case with this week’s title, Black Ships from Orbit Books.

Orbit is a new imprint at Hachette Book Group that deals primarily with science fiction and fantasy. I’m not a big reader of either genre, but I trust my friends at Hachette, and when a publicist there who knows my reading taste quite well sent me a copy of Jo Graham’s Black Ships I knew I should at least take a peek.

Cue the “I didn’t do another thing until I finished” tape. I was hooked from the first page on this rich and moving retelling of Virgil’s epic The Aeneid. Graham’s narrator is not Aeneas, or one of his warriors — it’s Gull, a Trojan girl who is chosen to be trained and to serve as Pythia, Servant to the Lady of the Dead. In her role as Sybil (a priestess), Gull sees the same events that Virgil imagined, but with a decidedly different perspective.

It’s an amazing story, and a great read. We’ve got ten copies to give away to the first ten readers who share their favorite fantasy or sci-fi titles with me so that I have some new titles to consider.

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My apologies to all for taking so long to post the second half of this interview. I’m going to push it live now and then come back with some comments; that way you won’t have to wait any longer. I seem to have some kind of adverse affect on consumer electronics…this time it wasn’t my recording device, but my modem. Thank you for your patience!

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We think Tracy Chevalier is so cool, we’ve decided to publish my interview with her in two parts. You can look forward to another installment on Thursday, April 3. But first, watch this video and learn about why Chevalier decided to write a novel centered around the London of William Blake — and what she thinks is the best way for a novelist to find out about a research topic.

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I guarantee you’ll enjoy this week’s book and this week’s author. On Wednesday we’ll post my interview with Tracy Chevalier; she is one of my favorite subjects ever. Chevalier speaks carefully but easily, and you’ll never, ever guess which historical figure she’s chosen as the protagonist of her next novel (unless, of course, you’ve been reading those other interviews out there… ).

Chevalier’s latest novel, which is now out in paperback, revolves around early 19th-century London and the poet/painter William Blake. We’ve got ten copies of Burning Bright to give to the first ten readers who leave us a message about which historical figure — author, artist, musician, scientist, anyone — you’d most enjoy reading about (preferably someone who has not been featured in a novel before).

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