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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
My Neighbour Osama Bin Laden – Yslar Tatuky
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned What happens when one puts Osama bin Laden and Salman Rushdie at the same dinner table? Yslar Tatuky is such a person as he has grand, though idealistic, hopes for humanity in his novel, My … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Humor & Satire, Philosophical reads, Politics and Social Justice, Slavic Literature, World Issues, World Literature
Tagged Georgia, Marx, Osama bin Laden, philosophy, Salman Rushdie, Soviet Union
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The 6:41 to Paris – Jean-Philippe Blondel, (Translated from the French by Alison Anderson)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “What I feel now is pure hatred. And that surprises me—because I’m not like that, particularly toward someone I haven’t seen in what must be at least twentyfive years…I can’t help but sneak looks at him.” … Continue reading
Posted in French Literature, Modern Literary Fiction, World Literature
Tagged French literature
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Sleepless Night – Margriet de Moor (Translated from the Dutch by David Doherty)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The love, the hatred, the fascination with everything he had or had not done, fascination that spiraled into fervid curiosity. Into obsession. Into madness.” A teacher combats her insomnia by baking cakes in the middle of … Continue reading
Posted in World Literature
Tagged death, Dutch literature, marriage, short books
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Broken Humanity – Karine Vivier (Author), Kirsty Catriona Olivant (Translator)
(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan) Reader beware: this story is about people involved in child kidnapping and child deaths. Wanting to turn away from such a topic, I was lured inside, like a child promised treats which can only be … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, World Literature
Tagged abduction, book reviews. fiction, thrillers
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House of Beauty- Melba Escobar (Author), Elizabeth Bryer (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I also hate the ladies of Bogotá among whom I count myself, though I do all I can to stand apart. I hate their habit of using the term “Indians” to refer to people they consider … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Latin American Literature, World Issues, World Literature
Tagged Bogota, Colombia, crime fiction, mysogeny, racism
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Death in Shangri-La (A Dotan Naor Thriller Book 1) – Yigal Zur (translated from Hebrew by Sara Kitai
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Would I have taken the bet if I’d known that as a result Israelis would be murdered, innocent people would die, the popular Israeli image would be shattered, India and Pakistan would be on the verge … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Middle Eastern Literature, World Literature
Tagged Israel, translated world literature
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Baby Blue (Stratos Gazis Series) – Pol Koutsakis (Author), Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The kind of work I do defines who I am. Who I am defines the kind of work that I do. I am my work. It gives my life meaning. I clear the world of filth … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, World Literature
Tagged Athens, Crime, Greece, thrillers
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