When I’m posting about books, I always think back to Phoebe-Lou Adams from The Atlantic Monthly. Phoebe-Lou is no longer with us, sadly. I did not know her very well, as I was at the magazine quite late in her career, and I was (frankly) a bit intimidated by someone 60 years my elder.
Yet, in three to five sentences, Phoebe-Lou could distill the essence of a book and give you a point of view which left you shaking your head at her tartness or admiration…or sometimes both. And she did this month after month, decade after decade, for maybe a dozen books each issue. I can only aspire to be so eloquent and brief all at once.
In the April, 2006 issue, The Atlantic seems to have returned to the concept of Brief Reviews, with Cover to Cover. However, while it’s useful to have summaries of a few dozen new books, there is no opinion in these precis.