Lofi Press

In an intriguing and edgy style, author Charles Blackstone tells the story of Hunter Flanagan, a philosophical writer in search of love. Hunter is obsessed with the details of his own life and narrates his experience without concern for the rules and regulations of grammar: the reader passes through the tunnels of the narrator's mind. As we learn of loves lost and found, we empathisize with this young man's need for love and his seeming inability to find one that will satisfy.  Blackstone is an interesting and quirky writer for whom some may find too difficult to read. For those of you who can find the humor in the narrative, this will be worthwhile read.

Bloomsbury, 2007

I happen to hate math - that's why I became a writer. So when I was handed an advance copy of David Leavitt's new book, The Indian Clerk, and was told it was about two famous mathematicians, I put off reading the book. Leavitt had impressed me before with his beautifully written works but I couldn't see how a story about math in 1900s England would be of interest. Having just finished the book, I can say that this work is about much more than mathematics.

Leavitt's main character is G.H. Hardy, a famed British mathematician and member of The Apostles, a secret club with members such as Bertrand Russell and D.H. Lawrence. Hardy's life is simple - he teaches and lives at Cambridge, his companion is his cat and he is secretly homosexual. When he receives a letter from a young Indian clerk, Ramanujan, who claims to have solved certain difficult math problems, Hardy and his friend, Littlewood, become determined to bring the young clerk to England.  Ramanujan's journey and life in England, told within the historical context of the times and the lives of thes great men, is a story of identity both sexually and ethnically.  The world, on the brink of change and war, becomes a place that these men must find their way in.

This book is a brilliant examination of the nature of relationships, the notion of identity and the nature of intelligence. Leavitt's obvious historical research (the book is filled with facts and alas, math problems) is astonishing - the fact that he is then able to take such and interweave it into a book that has emotion, import and lyrical style is nothing short of a miracle. Do yourself a favor and put aside the math problems, read The Indian Clerk.

Here at Literature Chick, we are all about helping the author who self-publishes. Below you'll find a few books by friends of Literature Chick - check them out and support authors!

Happy Something by Evangelina Cifligance

Maura's Trunk by Susan Eileen Walker

101 Borden Street by Susan Eileen Walker

Giants by John Evans

 From our Friends at Triad Publishing
Escape to Live  by S.L. Berg
ISBN: 978-0-9796994-7-4 Price: $15.95

Marcus Feldman, the heir to a successful department chain in pre-war Berlin is an eager young man looking forward to his marriage to Gretchen who was an employee at the store. The rise of Hitler and anti-Semitism quickly encroaches on their plans. When the Gestapo demands access to the company documents, Marcus understands that disaster will soon befall him, his fiancée, and his mother, Elena. An escape plan is devised. Marcus will impersonate a German Army officer; a pregnant Gretchen will travel to America; Elena will stay with relatives in Poland and everyone will soon reunite in America. Tragically, war breaks out and three lives are changed forever. The years pass. Marcus and Gretchen settle into separate lives with spouses and children, but they never forget the love they once shared. When they are reunited we are reminded that love is more than a joining of the heart; it requires tenacity and the willingness to survive all life sends our way. Also includes "The Great Escape", SL Berg's Personal Story.

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