The Book Review

• 'The Interview': Isabel Allende Understands How Fear Changes a Society

  At 82, Isabel Allende is one of the world’s most beloved and best-selling Spanish-language authors. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages, and 80 million copies of her books have been sold around the world. That’s a lot of books.Allende’s newest novel, “My Name Is Emilia del Valle” is about a dark period in Chilean history: the 1891 Chilean civil war. Like so much of Allende’s work, it’s a story about women in tough spots who figure out a way through. Thematically, it’s not that far off from Allende’s own story. She was raised in Chile, but in 1973, when she was 31, raising two small children and working as a journalist, her life was upended forever. That year a military coup pushed out the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, who was her father’s cousin. She fled to Venezuela, where she wrote “The House of the Spirits,” which evolved from a letter she had begun writing to her dying grandfather. That book became a runaway best seller and it remains one of her best-known.Allende and Book Review editor Gilbert Cruz spoke about her life and career. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

  --------  

  42:01
• Book Club: Let’s Talk About Adam Ross’s ‘Playworld’

  Set in New York in the 1980s, Adam Ross’s new novel, “Playworld,” tells the story of a young actor named Griffin as he navigates the chaos of the city, of his family and of being a teenager, and the dangers that swirl around each. Although “Playworld” grapples with bleak material, it sparkles with Ross’s vivid eye and sardonic sense of humor. The result is a dark, off-kilter bildungsroman about one overextended teenager trying to figure himself out while being failed, continually, by every adult around him.On this week’s episode, the Book Club host MJ Franklin discusses “Playworld” with his colleagues Dave Kim and Sadie Stein. Here are the books discussed in this week’s episode:“Playworld,” by Adam Ross“Mr. Peanut,” by Adam Ross“The Catcher in the Rye,” “Nine Stories,” “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction,” and “Franny and Zooey,” by J.D. Salinger“Long Island Compromise,” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner“How Little Lori Visited Times Square,” by Amos Vogel, illustrated by Maurice Sendak“The Squid and the Whale,” directed by Noah Baumbach“The Goldfinch,” by Donna Tartt“Headshot,” by Rita Bullwinkel“The Copenhagen Trilogy,” by Tove Ditlevsen“Jakob von Gunten,” by Robert Walser Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

  --------  

  43:55

Meer Kunst podcasts

Trending Kunst -podcasts

Over The Book Review

The Book Review: Podcasts in familie