The Bibliophile's Compass

Title : How to Be Both Author : Ali Smith Publication Year : 2014 Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pages : 372 Source : physical book Genre : literary fiction, historical fiction, art, postmodern Awards : shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize and the 2015 Folio Prize; winner of the 2014 Goldsmiths Prize, the Novel Award in the 2014 Costa Book Awards, and the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction There are works of art that demand not only your attention, but your humility—those that leave you transfixed, both understanding and uncomprehending in equal measure. Ali Smith’s "How to be Both" is such a creation: a novel that envelops the reader in its mystery and beauty, humbling and mesmerizing all at once. The novel unfolds across two distinct perspectives and timelines: that of Francesco del Cossa, a painter of the Italian Renaissance, and George, a contemporary English teenager whose late mother was enthralled by the artist’s work. Remarkably, "How to be Both" was p...

Title : Academy Street Author : Mary Costello Publication Year : 2014 Rating : ⭐⭐⭐💫 Pages : 179 Source : Book Genre : Literary fiction, Historical fiction Awards : Winner of the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year Award; The Irish Book of the Year in 2014. Opening Sentence : It is evening and the window is open a little. Academy Street follows the life of Tess, an Irish woman, from her childhood in the 1940s through her immigration to the United States and eventual return to Ireland in the 2010s. The novel chronicles her journey through decades marked by loss, displacement, and quiet endurance. Told in a series of brief vignettes, the story traces Tess’s life with a restrained, unsentimental voice that avoids embellishment or melodrama. As a reader, I found myself appreciating the understated tone and brevity of Costello’s writing. Tess’s passive approach to life, while at times frustrating, felt tragically authentic. The narrative’s simplicity allows for moments of genuine ...

1844 The Oblong Box by Edgar Allan Poe published It is about a sea voyage and a mysterious box. 2014 Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood is published Atwood describes the pieces in the collection as "tales" rather than short stories, as they draw from the mythical and fantastical aspects associated with fables and fairy tales, rather than from conventional literary realism. 2014 How to Be Both by Ali Smith is published The story is told from two perspectives: those of George, a pedantic 16-year-old girl living in contemporary Cambridge, and Francesco del Cossa, an Italian renaissance artist responsible for painting a series of frescoes in the 'Hall of the Months' at the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, Italy. 2014 Man Booker Prize (shortlisted) 2014 Goldsmiths Prize (won) 2014 Costa Book Awards (won) 2015 Folio Prize shortlisted 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (won) 2014 Standi...

1691  Charles Perrault's poem "The Marquise of Salusses or the Patience of Griselidis" read aloud at the French Academy, later attached to his "Tales of Mother Goose" (1697) 2014 The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton is published Set in Amsterdam in 1686–87, the novel was inspired by Petronella Oortman's doll's house on display at the Rijksmuseum. It does not otherwise attempt to be a biographical novel. 2014 Specsavers National Book Awards: Book of the Year 2014 Specsavers National Book Awards: New Writer of the Year 2014 Waterstones Book of the Year (won) 2015 Desmond Elliott Prize (nominated)

🔴 1674 Jean Racine's dramatic tragedy "Iphigénie" premieres in Versailles 🔴 1958 Novel "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov is published 🔴 2014 After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones published 🔴 2020 When These Mountains Burn by David Joy is published