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...Divine Comedy.” Martel evidently hopes to draw a parallel between Dante’s experiences in the afterlife with the sometimes-agonizing human experience of life on Earth. Beyond that obvious reference, “Beatrice and Virgil” is full of literary allusions. Martel borrows heavily from the mood of manic stasis in Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” and as Henry himself notes, his “flip-book” would have two doors, “but no exit.” This conceit...
That doesn't change even when Beard is invited on a trip to the Norwegian Arctic with a boat full of self-important artists and scientists going north to see global warming in action. The journey is hilarious: Beard suffers frostbite in a rather uncomfortable place and is very nearly eaten by a polar bear. But even better is the way McEwan deftly contrasts the high ideals of the travelers - who call for a new, greener way of life - with their unacknowledged selfishness. The ship's boot room, where people load and unload their polar gear, and which steadily descends...
...Beard's dismissal of global warming changes when his unhappy home - his current wife is cheating on him in response to his half-dozen extramarital affairs - and his stalled work collide on the full-length polar-bear rug in his living room. (Updating Chekhov: If the author of a climate-change novel shows you a polar-bear rug in the first act, you can be sure it will bare its teeth in the next one.) Quite suddenly, Beard discovers what he believes is the solution to the problem of climate change: artificial photosynthesis, harnessing sunlight to split water and yield...
...investigating the different concepts of eternity held by the world's most prominent religions and talking to religious scholars, pastors, monks and common folk alike to get a better idea of what heaven might be. For some, it's "a place that embodies the best of everything" and is full of "green, green pastures," while for others it is simply "the home of God." Naturally, Miller doesn't come to a neat conclusion about what to expect when our last breath arrives. But she does offer a lot of faith for thought in this thorough and intelligent look at life...
...Pawlenty, who plans to leave his governor's seat after November's election and run full-time for the Republican nomination, faces an even tougher test. Romney may have some trouble with his national image, but Pawlenty, in comparison, is nearly anonymous. Even among donors, some leading Republican officeholders and the media - let alone the general public - he is a virtual unknown. See YouTube's 50 Best Videos...