After the Fall

July 3, 1995
Bright, witty and brisk, Nagy's (A House in the Hamptons) latest puts a refreshing, thoughtful spin on a Hollywood marriage in turmoil. It's Thanksgiving Day and travel writer Annie Wilder's 45th birthday. Her family is gathering for what she's certain will degenerate into a celebration worthy of a ``Jewish Eugene O'Neill.'' Even worse, her husband, sexy TV detective Mickey Wilder, may be having an affair. Sweethearts since the age of six, Annie and Mickey have two grown kids, a big house outside Santa Barbara, Calif., and a marriage considered invulnerable. But in a matter of days, their comfortable, predictable world begins to crumble. Annie both discovers the unlikely object of Mickey's sexual obsession and has a passionate encounter with Oliver Taylor, an English art dealer; and Leonard Lewis, ``investment advisor to the stars,'' absconds with all of their money. Determined to take control of some aspect of her life, Annie vows to find Leonard and reclaim their savings. Before she can, however, Mickey's TV series is canceled, the family goes on a tension-filled Christmas vacation to a Mexican Club Med and Annie has a rendezvous with Oliver in London. Although Nagy puts a saccharine twist on the tragedy that forces Annie finally to choose between Mickey and Oliver, most readers will find this smart and swiftly enjoyable novel just right for a summer weekend around the pool.

Starred review from September 1, 2011
The instant official narrative for the terrorist attacks of 9/11 involved patriotism, retaliation, and heroism. But the personal stories of New Yorkers directly impacted by the destruction of the World Trade Center towers are far more nuanced. The Columbia University Oral History Research Office quickly began conducting interviews with hundreds of individuals, conversations that continued over the ensuing decade. To mark the tenth anniversary of this world-changing disaster, program director Clark and her fellow editors present a meticulously edited and staggering book of living memory. Here are haunting tales of improbable survival and evolving anguish told by 20 individuals, including an ambulance paramedic, a nearly blind street vendor, office workers, a priest, a taxi-cab driver from Pakistan, and the digital pioneer Jaron Lanier. Artist Brian Conley is exceptionally observant and eloquent in his account of the initial shock, how he learned that his son-in-law was on the first plane, and the horrors of finding his apartment inundated with the papers, family photographs, and remains of people who perished in the towers. As these riveting and revelatory personal narratives move forward in time, many significant issues of guilt, anger, loss, and justice emerge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)