Love, Death & Rare Books - Hardcover

Robert Hellenga was educated at the University of Michigan and Princeton University. He is a professor emeritus at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and the author of the novels The Confessions of Frances Godwin, Snakewoman of Little Egypt, The Sixteen Pleasures, The Fall of a Sparrow, Blues Lessons, Philosophy Made Simple, The Italian Lover, and the short story collection, The Truth About Death. He lives in Galesburg, Illinois.

“Elegantly moving... Everything about the narrator and the heroine of this novel is appealing right from the first paragraph... Like her, the book is modest, resourceful, and without malice—it is high-minded and fine.” (New Yorker on The Sixteen Pleasures)

“Conveys a sense of certainty and ultimate truth that only the finest writing can achieve. It is an extraordinary novel.” (Washington Post on The Fall of a Sparrow)

“Let’s add Robert Hellenga to the lists of American’s most admired fiction writers... he once again has produced a novel that adds immeasurably to the pleasures of reading contemporary fiction.” (Alan Cheuse, The Chicago Tribune, on Philosophy Made Simple)

“Sweet and lovely. A charmingly picaresque tale.” (The New York Times on Philosophy Made Simple)

“Don’t start reading this book if you’ve got a dinner party coming up in the next few days, or a committee meeting or a golf game. You’ll be calling people up with fake excuses and feeling bad about yourself—at least that’s what happened to me... A masterpiece.” (The Washington Post on Snakewoman of Little Egypt)

“The beauty of this novel and, in fact, of all of Hellenga’s work, lies in the scrupulous attention he pays to those different shapes that life takes.” (Booklist on The Confessions of Frances Godwin)