Metamorphosis: A Natural and Human History by Oren Harman (Basic Books). Reviewed by Julie Dunlap. “Metamorphosis is steeped in wonderment, equal parts history of science, collective biography, and ‘meditation of a father-to-be.’ It is also hauntingly timely; today, the work of empiricists like Maria Sibylla Merian is again threatened by ideology. Our very planet is transforming, and knowledge un-freighted with dogma is more essential than ever. With Harman’s expansive definition of radical change, here is the most penetrating question he raises: What kind of beings do we want to become? This probing book is for anyone who appreciates the splendor of the scientific enterprise and especially for anyone who doesn’t.”

Our Precious Wars: A Novel by Perrine Tripier; translated by Alison Anderson (Europa Editions). Reviewed by Frances Thomas. “There are books that demand to be devoured, enrapturing readers with fast-burning bacchanalias of drama and conflict. And there are those that can only be savored — slowly, languorously, and with sweeping submission to the long, latent arc of quotidian pleasure. Our Precious Wars, the debut novel of French writer Perrine Tripier, pours plot and atmosphere into the diamantine drop of a lozenge, releasing its sweetness to those who wait.”

The Blood in Winter: England on the Brink of Civil War, 1642 by Jonathan Healey (Knopf). Reviewed by Stephen Case. “The author’s picture of the noblewoman is but one of his many arresting portraits of participants in the intrigue. Brilliantly written, the book recounts numerous sub-dramas in the unfolding road to bloody war. This is not to mention Healey’s many engaging descriptions of London itself and its rowdy crowds of protesters, both royalist and rebel. This reviewer, fascinated by the engrossing detail of Healey’s accounts, wished he had sources describing the Washington, DC, events of Jan. 6, 2021, that were even half as good.”

Canticle: A Novel by Janet Rich Edwards (Spiegel & Grau). Reviewed by Terri Lewis. “Canticle revels in language, both in its prose and as part of the storyline. In early chapters, Aleys struggles to learn Latin, a subject forbidden to lay people and especially to women. She first awakens to love as she and a young boy translate the Song of Songs. Later, at the beguinage, the maistra (or leader) is translating Latin scripture into Dutch so the women can hear the holy text in their own language. This is also forbidden.”

If the Owl Calls: A Novel by Sharon White (Betty Books). Reviewed by Nicole Yurcaba. “As Hans works to unravel the dark mystery surrounding the dead body, he comes to remember his people’s connection to the natural world. Even as he does, the government, fearing an uprising of ‘Sami nationalism,’ is making an even greater push to remove the Sami from their native lands. As Hans uncovers more about his heritage, the case (and his view of it) grows more confusing. What emerges is a lyrical, philosophical exploration of the integrality of landscape to one’s identity and ethos.”

Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor by Christine Kuehn (Celadon Books). Reviewed by David A. Taylor. “The saga of Kuehn’s family is wrenching, and the author deserves credit for her unflinching research and honesty in painting what may be the least flattering portrait ever of one’s own grandparents. She seems aware that she is serving history, so this is not a vanity project (although it does acquit her father — a teenager in 1941 — of playing any role in his Nazi parents’ clandestine activities).”

The Dream Factory: London’s First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare by Daniel Swift (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Reviewed by Bob Duffy. “Viewed from a broad perspective, Professor Swift’s remarkable study is really about the professional milieu of theater people — actors, playwrights, craftsmen, producers, investors, and venues. And this is the paramount contribution of his book. He offers indispensable, focused coverage of this raucous, thriving community and of a journeyman genius’ creative development. In The Dream Factory, he’s given us a comprehensive narrative recounting and an integrated analysis that appears nowhere else in book form. It’s a stellar, ‘unputdownable’ read.”

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