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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Category Archives: World Literature
Fall – Candice Fox
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “How to explain it all to him, a normal human man, someone with all his faculties, with a soul. How to explain that at the core of her being Eden killed people the way she breathed, … Continue reading
Red-handed in Romanée-Conti – Jean-Pierre Alaux , Noël Balen (Translated from the French by Sally Pane)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Benjamin knew that sometimes people were like wine. If they sat and breathed for a while, their full complexity could be revealed, even more so in the right environment and with the right people.” Benjamin Cooker, … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, World Literature
Tagged crime fiction, French literature, wine
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Late Fame (NYRB Classics) – Arthur Schnitzler (Author), Alexander Starritt (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Around him was an atmosphere of hope, youth, self-confidence, and he breathed it in deeply. …some of the words they were using began to sound familiar to him…words he had thought of from time to … Continue reading
Posted in Lost and almost forgotten, World Literature
Tagged Austria, classics, fame, poetry, short books, Vienna
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The Hideout – Egon Hostovsky (Translated from the Czech by Fern Long)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I keep having the feeling that a good half of the human race got drunk in a kind of gigantic space where the air is all breathed out. The born fighters and brawlers started to … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Lost and almost forgotten, Slavic Literature
Tagged adultery, Czech, France, introspection, loyalty, short books, WWII
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The End – Fernanda Torres (Translated from the Portuguese by Alison Entrekin)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “There’s something a bit queer in every male friendship. Fucking the same women is a roundabout way of fucking each other. And in the same physical space, it’s a fine line. But there’s no way—not joking, … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, World Literature
Tagged aging, Brazil, Copacabana, hedonism, orgies, Rio de Janeiro, sex
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Autopsy of a Father- Pascale Kramer (translated from the French by Robert Bononno)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “A kind of bottomless fear wrapped her in herself, and she wished she had never set foot in her father’s world again.” Ania and her son Théo came by train to her childhood home of Les … Continue reading
Posted in French Literature, World Literature
Tagged family dysfunction, immigration, racism, Xenophobia
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Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows – Balli Kaur Jaswal
(Reviewed by Ishita RC) Everyone sees Nikki as the wayward daughter without any responsibility, but the truth is far from it. With visions of emancipating the women of the Sikh community she left behind as a self-important teenager, Nikki is … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Indian Literature, World Literature
Tagged book reviews. fiction, women's fiction
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Adua – Igiaba Scego (Translated from the Italian by Jamie Richards)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “In Somalia I was a young girl who was full of dreams and wanted to see the world. In just a few months they’ve manipulated, abused, used, transformed me. It feels like years, not months, have … Continue reading
Posted in African Literature, Historical Fiction, Immigration, Italian Literature, Reviewers' Top Picks, World Literature
Tagged Africa, colonialism, Ethiopia, fiction, Somalia
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Elle – Philippe Djian
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “It’s this other me coming out, though I fight it tooth and nail. It’s a me that invites confusion, flux, unexplored territories. I don’t know. I can’t screw open my head and take a look inside.” … Continue reading
Posted in French Literature, Modern Literary Fiction, World Literature
Tagged family dysfunction, French literature, infidelity, women's fiction
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