A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

from brenzi

Excuse me if I appear to be dazed and incoherent. I just emerged from wallowing in the trough of stunning prose that filled the 400 pages of Anthony Marra's debut novel. Did I say "debut"? I'm sorry, the publisher may have described it as such, but it can't possibly be accurate. What debut noveli...

from katiekrug

I almost resent reading really good books because I can never find the right words to describe them, much less convey my personal feelings about them. This is not a perfect book. It is overwritten in places, the kind of overwritten where you can see the author putting to good use all the clever t...

from jnwelch

This story, based on Russia's war with the breakaway Chechneya, feels like it is set during the 1940s or 50s. It features impoverished conditions, scant supplies, a deplorably under-equipped hospital with few people to run it, a totalitarian-based military with no limits on abuse, and informers t...

from chrisblocker

If you're one of those readers who likes to read award-winners, a reader who reads all the books on the Best of... lists at the end of the year, a member of a book club that will likely read this book in the distant future, or just someone who wants to read great fiction before anyone else knows ...

from DeltaQueen50

All I can say is wow, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra was definitely worth the four and a half months library wait. I don't know where to start, the plot, the characters, the subject matter and how the author ties everything together made for an excellent read. During the cour...