Genre Fiction
![Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B0B1HJ8976.jpg)
![Helen Schulman - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B001IQXN1I.jpg)
This Beautiful Life
"ThisBeautiful Life is a gripping, potent and blisteringly well-written story offamily, dilemma, and consequence. . . . I read this book with white-knuckledurgency, and I finished it in tears. Helen Schulman is an absolutely brilliantnovelist." -Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
Theevents of a single night shatter one family's sense of security and identity inthis provocative and deeply affecting domestic drama from Helen Schulman, theacclaimed author of A Day at the Beach and Out of Time. In thetradition of Lionel Shriver, Sue Miller, and Laura Moriarty, Schulman crafts abrilliantly observed portrait of parenting and modern life, cunningly exploringour most deeply-held convictions and revealing the enduring strengths thatemerge in the face of crisis.
Theevents of a single night shatter one family's sense of security and identity inthis provocative and deeply affecting domestic drama from Helen Schulman, theacclaimed author of A Day at the Beach and Out of Time. In thetradition of Lionel Shriver, Sue Miller, and Laura Moriarty, Schulman crafts abrilliantly observed portrait of parenting and modern life, cunningly exploringour most deeply-held convictions and revealing the enduring strengths thatemerge in the face of crisis.
Editorial Reviews
"Riveting. . . . As much as this book fiercely inhabits our shared online reality, it operates most powerfully on a deeper level, posing an enduring question about American values." - Maria Russo, New York Times Book Review
"This Beautiful Life is as much a bracing novel as a timely cautionary tale…. Schulman has managed to capture this bizarre of-the-moment tragedy in a novel that remains deeply humane and sensitive…. This Beautiful Life is a powerful story of a good family in crisis." - Mary McGarry Morris, Washington Post
"Schulman's topical, unsettling new novel [is] set in Manhattan's world of private-school privilege but chillingly relatable for parents anywhere…. Raising tough questions about child rearing, morality and the way the Internet both frees and imprisons, Schulman's story resonates." - People (3 ½ out of 4 stars)
"A rich, engrossing, and surprisingly nuanced novel exploring timeless questions of guilt and responsiblity." - O, The Oprah Magazine
"This Beautiful Life isn't just an intimate look at family breaking down under intense pressure; it's also a sharp and unsparing indictment of a culture in search of scapegoats. In this timely and provocative novel, Helen Schulman maps out the contours of a contemporary American nightmare." - Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers and Little Children
"A gripping, potent, and blisteringly well-written story of family, dilemma, and consequence. While the setting is thoroughly modern, the drama feels as ancient and inevitable as a Greek myth. I read this book with white-knuckled urgency, and finished it in tears. Helen Schulman is an absolutely brilliant novelist." - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Committed and Eat, Pray, Love
"In the hands of a lesser writer, this might have been simply a book about a scandal; Helen Schulman, though, has a long enough view, and a large enough heart, to have found in that scandal's outlines a mournful and affecting portrait of our brave new social world." - Jonathan Dee, Author of The Privileges
"Helen Schulman's trenchant social observations and precise, lucid writing are brought to bear on the timely story of a crisis in the life of the Bergamot family…. Schulman takes on a controversial topic with depth, evenhandedness, and warmth. Spare and focused, This Beautiful Life packs a wallop." - Kate Christensen, author of The Epicure's Lament and The Great Man
"This Beautiful Life is as much a bracing novel as a timely cautionary tale…. Schulman has managed to capture this bizarre of-the-moment tragedy in a novel that remains deeply humane and sensitive…. This Beautiful Life is a powerful story of a good family in crisis." - Mary McGarry Morris, Washington Post
"Schulman's topical, unsettling new novel [is] set in Manhattan's world of private-school privilege but chillingly relatable for parents anywhere…. Raising tough questions about child rearing, morality and the way the Internet both frees and imprisons, Schulman's story resonates." - People (3 ½ out of 4 stars)
"A rich, engrossing, and surprisingly nuanced novel exploring timeless questions of guilt and responsiblity." - O, The Oprah Magazine
"This Beautiful Life isn't just an intimate look at family breaking down under intense pressure; it's also a sharp and unsparing indictment of a culture in search of scapegoats. In this timely and provocative novel, Helen Schulman maps out the contours of a contemporary American nightmare." - Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers and Little Children
"A gripping, potent, and blisteringly well-written story of family, dilemma, and consequence. While the setting is thoroughly modern, the drama feels as ancient and inevitable as a Greek myth. I read this book with white-knuckled urgency, and finished it in tears. Helen Schulman is an absolutely brilliant novelist." - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Committed and Eat, Pray, Love
"In the hands of a lesser writer, this might have been simply a book about a scandal; Helen Schulman, though, has a long enough view, and a large enough heart, to have found in that scandal's outlines a mournful and affecting portrait of our brave new social world." - Jonathan Dee, Author of The Privileges
"Helen Schulman's trenchant social observations and precise, lucid writing are brought to bear on the timely story of a crisis in the life of the Bergamot family…. Schulman takes on a controversial topic with depth, evenhandedness, and warmth. Spare and focused, This Beautiful Life packs a wallop." - Kate Christensen, author of The Epicure's Lament and The Great Man
Readers Top Reviews
Mother of ScottiesNu
Three young girls bond during their time at school. As they grow up and move on, their lives move in their own directions. While this is more a compilation of short stories, it tells the lives of the women they have become and how their lives interconnect and weave through the years. I have recommended this book to everyone I know that is a reader and I still can’t sing it’s praises enough. You MUST read this one!
Robert B. Lamm
I'm not a fan of short stories; I prefer to be totally immersed in a book rather than jump in for a quick dip and move on. However, I was intrigued by the concept of "a novel in interlocking stories" and by the praise that this book received. It is beautifully written and fascinating for most of its admittedly short length. The author does a fine job of mise-en-scène, placing the stories in Africa, the US, and London, and she also does a good job of interlocking the stories without hitting you over the head. However, the last two stories lost me. The penultimate story was written in a mix of English and another language (Igbo? I don't know) that I found difficult to figure out. And the last story takes place in 2050, was a little too far out for me. But Ms. Ogunyemi is definitely talented, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.
Alejandro Diaz
Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions takes you to unexpected worlds and into the lives of riveting but very human characters. It is a unique experience that will stay with you long after you’ve read its very last word.
Dorothy Winsor
With four interesting women characters, and a long time-span, the linked stories allow us to see a wide range of possible lives for them, both in Uganda and elsewhere, including the United States. For me, the most interesting part was how Uganda changed over those years. Given what's happening in the US right now, I was particularly interested in the rise of evangelicalism.
Quinton Zondervan
I must confess a bias as I personally know the author. That being said I enjoyed every word of this book. Her beautiful stories remind us that all humans are of course fully human. We shouldn’t need such reminders, but America does. Please read this book!
