‘Escape to Florence’ stays within the bounds of its own story: the intimate and historical particulars of dual love stories, and the rich Italian backdrop against which both are set.
Books
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Review: August Wilson, a playwright of multitudes
In ‘August Wilson: A Life,’ an excellent new biography by Patti Hartigan, we read of the winding path that led Wilson to his ascendance, then delves into the tumults and triumphs of his two decades at the heights of achievement.
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Remembering Thomas Merton—and his book that changed my life
‘The Seven Storey Mountain,’ a book whose 75th anniversary is celebrated this month, is widely considered a spiritual classic, and it continues to find new readers every year.
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Who was S. J. Adamo? This priest-columnist spilled all the tea.
The Rev. S. J. Adamo wrote over 130 columns for America on “The Press,” and seemingly had plenty of fun along the way.
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Review: Is it really possible to transform your life?
Katy Carl’s debut collection of short stories examines how people manage change in their lives—whether they have actively sought what comes next or had it forced upon them.
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The atheist author Jesuits loved: Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch might seem like an unlikely candidate for praise from America reviewers, but her philosophical novels about love and alienation earned many praise-filled reviews over the years.
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Seamus Heaney lost his Catholic faith. But his poetry still sought transcendence.
Ten years after his death, commentators and admirers of Seamus Heaney are still looking for new ways to measure his life and work.
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In the belly of the beast: Daniel Kraus’s novel ‘Whalefall’ considers the power of communion and grief
Sucked into the belly of an 80-foot sperm whale, scuba diver Jay Gardiner reconciles the loss of his father and challenges the power of the creatures of the sea in Daniel Kraus’s novel ‘Whalefall.’
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Review: Daniel Hornsby’s new novel seeks meaning in a world gone mad
Daniel Hornsby’s new page-turning novel ‘Sucker’ is consistently funny, a sobering screengrab of our wealth- and power-obsessed nation.
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Review: How can we fix our hospitals?
In his debut book, ‘The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine,’ Ricardo Nuila presents the conflict between the profit motive of health care and the art of medicine by describing the hospitals that work for people and the hospitals that do not.