Maureen Corrigan

Was Zadie Smith's Novel 'NW' Worth The Wait?

Maureen Corrigan — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:33:00 +0000

Zadie Smith wrote her last novel On Beauty seven years ago — a long time in the anxious world of publishing. Her new novel NW was released in the U.S. on Monday. Critic Maureen Corrigan asks: Was it worth the wait?

In 'The Brontes,' New Details Of Family's 'Strange World'

Maureen Corrigan — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:30:00 +0000

In the new, updated edition of her landmark biography The Brontes, Juliet Barker tells a sad story about Branwell, the infamous brother of Charlotte, Emily and Anne.

In 1834, Branwell began to study painting under a man named William Robinson, a member of the prestigious Royal Academy of Art.

'Dreamland': Open Your Eyes To The Science Of Sleep

Maureen Corrigan — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Step, if you will, into my bedroom at night. (Don't worry, this is a PG-rated invitation.) At first, all is tranquil: My husband and I, exhausted by our day's labors, slumber, comatose, in our double bed. But, somewhere around 2 a.m., things begin to go bump in the night. My husband's body starts twitching, like Frankenstein's monster receiving his first animating shocks of electricity. Thrashing about, he'll kick me and steal the covers.

A Moody Tale Of Murder In A 'Broken' Dublin Suburb

Maureen Corrigan — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:32:00 +0000

Mid-20th-century mystery master Ross MacDonald is credited with moving hard-boiled crime off the mean streets of American cities and smack into the suburbs. In MacDonald's mythical California town of Santa Teresa, modeled on Santa Barbara, evil noses its way into gated communities, schools and shopping centers that have been built expressly to escape the dirt and danger of the city.