Queen Anne Books

I didn't realize how much I didn't know about the recent history of Bangladesh until I read The Golden Age. Set mostly during the time of the 1971 uprising, this debut novel follows a family's struggle between being Pakistani and Bangledeshi. Their personal identity struggles mirror the struggles of the emerging nation of Bangladesh (I admit, I didn't know that prior to the uprising it was East Pakistan). Best of all, the family never feels like a foil for describing the political situation. I was as engaged with their lives and as I was with the country's turmoil. It's fascinating read and I'm glad to hear the it is the first in a planned trilogy about Bangladesh. ~Lillian

As I sat down to write a review for The Last Cowgirl, I just couldn't come up with the right words to explain why I like this book so much. Sure, it's got a compelling and real main character who's just trying to figure out her place in this world. And the story is set in a part of the U.S. that I don't know much about, so I really got a kick out of learning about cowboy life in 1960's Utah. And there's the sweet-natured long-suffering childhood friend, and the angry alcoholic father, and the wacky misunderstood mother. But there is a lot more to the story, of course, and some really wonderful side characters, and it all comes together to make a surprisingly lovely novel that I couldn't put down.

Here's how it begins: Dickie Sinfield is a 52-year old woman, living in Salt Lake City, where she's been a successful columnist with the local paper for the last 25 years. Her brother has just died suddenly (and unpleasantly) and she is about the return to her childhood home for the funeral. This brings up lots of conflicting emotions because she doesn't look back fondly on her upbringing, yet at the same time, there is something pulling her back..... She never wanted to live the cowboy life, and ride horses, and herd cows, and live on an isolated ranch -- this was her father's dream. So when she was 7, her father forcefully uprooted the family from their easy quiet suburban lifestyle and plopped them down on a forty-acre cattle ranch in the Utah wilderness. The Last Cowgirl is Dickie's story of growing up, figuring it out, and making choices. Several months after putting the book down, I still think about this story and the choices the characters decided to make. Hmm.... I think this would be a excellent book club selection!~Hilary