All Book Reviews

Hargrave reads voraciously and diversely — mostly antiquarian and classic books in translation. These are her book reviews.

While she reads more books than she could possibly write about, she does consistently post weekly reviews. New reviews are posted on Mondays.

Looking for one of the books that have been reviewed? Want to find some vintage treasures of your own? Second-hand and used books are unique and eco-friendly, and can be found at your local independent bookseller. If you’re looking for an American bookseller, you can check here. UK booksellers can be found here.

If you’d prefer to buy books online, many vintage and rare editions can be found at ThriftBooks.

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All Book Reviews





Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes


Contemporary

Van Dyke seeks to explore racism as it exists in obvious, vocally expressed prejudice but also how it can be insidiously lurking below the surface of even some acts of seeming kindness. This writer excels at character study and exploration of human relationships, which definitely keeps you turning pages at an astounding rate.







A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali


21st Century

A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali focusses on a group of mostly foreign officials and journalists that are residing at a hotel in Kigali and gathering around the pool. They are aware that some kind of catastrophe is coming and lamenting the lack of care that the world has shown when it comes to Africa in general and Rwanda in specific — even though a lot of the conflicts in the country are due to colonialism and its aftermath.