Skip to main content

Author Talk: Chris Cleave, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven

May 5, 2016

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Cleave’s latest book, is a spellbinding novel about three unforgettable individuals thrown together by war, love and their search for belonging in the ever-changing landscape of WWII London. In this interview, Cleave reveals why he could not have written this book without the illuminating conversations he had with people who lived through the war, the one and only way a love letter can bridge the distance between two people, and why prestigious prizes should be awarded to all the books that remain unpublished.

Tosca Lee, author of The Progeny

Emily Porter is the descendant of a serial killer. Now she’s become the hunted. She’s on a quest that will take her to the secret underground of Europe and the inner circles of three ancient orders --- one determined to kill her, one devoted to keeping her alive, and one she ultimately must save. THE PROGENY is the present-day saga of a 400-year-old war between the uncanny descendants of “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Bathory, the most prolific female serial killer of all time, and a secret society dedicated to erasing every one of her descendants.

Interview: Laura Lippman, author of Wilde Lake

May 5, 2016

Since her debut, Laura Lippman has won multiple awards and critical acclaim for her excellent crime novels, set in her hometown of Baltimore. Her latest book, WILDE LAKE, is as provocative and timely as ever; the New York Times bestselling author challenges our notions of memory, loyalty, responsibility and justice in this psychologically complex story about a long-ago death that still haunts a family. In this interview, Lippman talks to The Book Report Network's Sarah Rachel Egelman about why she prefers to write about strong women (“write what you know”), what she learned about rape culture while thinking about and researching this novel, and how WILDE LAKE parallels the Harper Lee classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD --- while diverging in one key way.

Immanuel Kant

All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.

Attribution

Immanuel Kant

Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us

The one thing that’s certain is they met on a Cambridge street by chance and felt a connection that would last a lifetime. But as for what happened next... They fell wildly in love, or went their separate ways. They kissed, or they thought better of it. They married soon after, or were together for a few weeks before splitting up. They grew distracted and disappointed with their daily lives together, or found solace together only after hard years spent apart.

Where did you get the book that you most recently read with your group? If you are in more than one book group, please respond about just one.

May 4, 2016, 320 voters

For Helen Simonson --- the bestselling author of MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND --- reading was a beloved family ritual, one that included weekly trips to the library and chores done in exchange for an extra hour with a book. Thanks in no small part to her mother, Helen passed on her love of books to her own children…even if they’re not always surprised by the rectangular-shaped gifts she gives. Her latest novel, THE SUMMER BEFORE THE WAR --- a love story set on the eve of World War I --- is now available.

Cecelia Ahern, author of Flawed

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

Kara Thomas, author of The Darkest Corners

"Gripping from start to finish, The Darkest Corners took me into an underbelly I didn't know existed, with twists that left me shocked and racing forward to get to the end." - Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of RED QUEEN.

For fans of Gillian Flynn’s DARK PLACES and Sara Shepard’s PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, THE DARKEST CORNERS is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.

George Lucas

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Attribution

George Lucas