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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
The Ghosts of Galway – Ken Bruen
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “It’s not that the Irish Are cynical. It’s simply that they have a wonderful Lack of respect For everything and everybody.” Brendan Behan Former ex-guarda , current Jameson- loving PI Jack Taylor loves to quote famous … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Irish Literature
Tagged book, book reviews, crime fiction, Irish literature, thrillers
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Affections: A Novel – Rodrigo Hasbún , Translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Affections is an intriguing work of historical fiction based on true events following the once- close Ertl family. Hans, the patriarch, was a Nazi propaganda cinematographer, and the family fled Munich and arrived in La Paz, … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature
Tagged Bolivia, book reviews, Historical fiction, Latin American Lit, short books
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A Short Border Handbook: A Journey Through the Immigrant’s Labyrinth – Gazmend Kapllani (Author), Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…I may have arrived without an invitation but I work just like the rest of you do, I pay the same taxes as the rest of you do, and most importantly my boss, or rather, … Continue reading
Posted in Immigration, Politics and Social Justice, Slavic Literature
Tagged Albania, book reviews, Greece, immigration, migration, short books, Soviet Union
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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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