It's difficult, and possibly heartless, not to feel the emotional tug of this tale of women helping women overcome the inequities and indignities of the Jim Crow South. It's equally difficult, however, not to find fault with the Lifetime-movie tropes of this particular telling, with its cartoonish belles and telegraphed highs and lows, where every magnolia is stainless steel and no green tomato goes un-fried. Grade: B-
Artist: Voxhaul Broadcast. Album: Timing Is Everything.
Artist: Skrillex. Album: More Monsters and Sprites.
Artist: The Strokes. Album: Under Cover of Darkness – Single.
I'm leery of composite novels—their fits, their spurts, their stops and starts—but Jennifer Egan writes with a unifying vision and startling clarity. Even the fabled PowerPoint-presentation chapter transcends gimmickry and packs an emotional wallop. The only real misstep is the cyberpunk-lite epilogue, an overweening codicil where the author does far too much telling and not enough showing.
Artist: Arcade Fire. Album: The Suburbs.
Artist: Ellie Goulding. Album: Lights.
Artist: Amadou & Mariam. Album: Dimanche à Bamako.
Who knew there was a missing link between Spider-Man and I, Robot? Grade: B
Artist: Letters vs. Numbers. Album: My Turn To Evil – Single.
Look up "the narcissism of small differences" on Wikipedia. I just saved two hours of your life. Pay it forward. Grade: D-