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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.
Tag Archives: short books
January – Sara Gallardo, translated by Frances Riddle
(reviewed by JD Jung) January (Enero) first published in Spanish in 1958, follows the daily life and thoughts of sixteen-year-old Nefer, who finds she is pregnant after a rape. Nefer works on the family farm, and lives in the shadow … Continue reading
Posted in Latin American Literature, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged abortion, Argentina, class, culture, rape, short books
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Naked Came the Detective – Glendall C. Jackson III
(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Washington D.C. journalist “Chris” was always thinking about what happened to a high-end call girl he was obsessed with. One day he received an envelope from her, the contents in memoir form. He shares it … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged murder, prostitution, short books
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The Flowers of Buffoonery – Os Amu Dazai, (translated by Sam Bett)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “A man crushed by reality puts on a show of endurance.” This is exactly the case with twenty-five-year-old Yozo Oba, who is sent to a seaside sanitarium to recover from injuries due to failed suicide … Continue reading
Posted in Far Eastern Literature, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged Japan, mental illness, short books, suicide
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The Book of Morfeo – Stefano Benni
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “What you do is supposed to be sacred. It’s supposed to be about healing. You should be taking it seriously, as seriously as death.” Italian writer, Stefano Benni addresses a serious issue that is prevalent … Continue reading
Posted in Humor & Satire, Italian Literature, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged angels, dark humor, death, God, greed, healthcare, magical realism, profits, Religion, short books
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Rose Royal: A Love Story- Nicolas Mathieu (Translated from the French by Sam Taylor)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Looking back over all those men, all those failed relationships, she came to one conclusion. She should never have loved them as much as she … Continue reading
Posted in French Literature
Tagged French literature, noir, short books
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The Proud & the Dumb – Bob Freville
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Buy the book! “Don’t get all bogged down in so-called facts. That’s the whole problem.” A gang of racist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynistic (I could go on and on), white nationalists regularly hang out at the … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged hate, mysogeny, novella, short books, Social satire, White-nationalism
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Law of the Jungle – Christina Hoag
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Rowena Aldus is an Oxford scholar whose passion is researching the venom in spiders to use for medicinal purposes in humans. Though she finds this fascinating, she struggles to get funding. Author Christina Hoag details the … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged Amazon jungle, crime fiction, short books
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The Professor’s Wife – Marina DelVecchio
Reviewed by JD Jung) “She was not what she had promised, what she had led him to believe. And he couldn’t help but feel deceived. Tricked, somehow. Bitterness coursed through his bloodstream like an invisible worm consuming him from the … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged mental illness, Romance, sex, short books
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The Delivery – K.M. Halpern
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Was it better to be sad in a world that made sense or happy in a world that did not.” When forty-six-year-old Wilbur came home from work one day, his grumpy, over-bearing wife Sarah informed him … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged 1950's, book reviews, humor, short books
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