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High Dive
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
In September 1984, a bomb was planted at the Grand Hotel in the seaside town of Brighton, England, set to explode in twenty-four days when the British prime minister and her entire cabinet would be staying there. High Dive not only takes us inside this audacious assassination attempta decisive act of violence on the world stagebut also imagines its way into a group of unforgettable characters. Nimblyweaving together fact and fiction, comedy and tragedy, the story switches among the perspectives of Dan, a young IRA explosives expert; Moose, a former star athlete gone to seed, who is now the deputy hotel manager; and Freya, his teenage daughter, trying to decide what comes after high school. Over the course of a mere four weeks, as the prime ministers arrival draws closer, each of their lives will be transformed forever. A bold, astonishingly intimate novel of laughter and heartbreak, High Dive is a moving portrait of clashing loyalties, guilt and regret, and how individuals become the grist of history.From the Hardcover edition.
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KarenUK
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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#3books #IDNFed
It‘s REALLY rare for me DNF a book, as my super power seems to be knowing what I‘ll like! 😂
If I DNF it‘s usually for a challenge or a bookclub (but I try and finish those too!)

-Sense and sensibility just didn‘t work as a modern re-telling as it didn‘t ring true for the modern world.
-High Dive I wanted to love, as it‘s set in the 80s in my home town, but I just couldn‘t get into it.
- The Turner House just didn‘t grab me 🤷‍♀️

OriginalCyn620 I DNF‘ed the Trollope retelling too! 4y
merelybookish I finished 2 of these (S&S and High Dive) but disliked them both a lot!! 4y
KarenUK @merelybookish you‘ve made me feel so much better! I hate to DNF but I guess I picked right! 4y
45 likes3 comments
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KarenUK
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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DNF ... this happens so rarely for me... I was reading it for a challenge.... a book set in a place where you are from. Nothing particularly terrible about it, just wasn‘t grabbing me in any way.
Now to find another book set in Brighton/ Sussex...🤔

Megabooks So agree about this book, but I finished it. 7y
KarenUK @Booksandcooks Thanks for making me feel better about bailing 👍💕.. I so rarely bail, and always feel terrible about doing it like somehow I‘m offending the writer! 7y
68 likes2 comments
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Pen_Meets_Paper
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Mehso-so

The IRA sets up a bomb in the Grand Hotel. It literally creates a ticking time bomb hanging over the entire plot.

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Pen_Meets_Paper
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pen_Meets_Paper
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pen_Meets_Paper
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Chapter desigm

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Pen_Meets_Paper
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Up next

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Redheadrambles
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The synopsis of this appealed to me with its promise of "taking us inside one of the twentieth century‘s most ambitious assassination attempts".
I feel, not for the first time this year, to be a victim of a bait and switch. The opening chapter promised a taut novel about early 80s Britain, and some morally compromised characters.
However, it really isn't that book at all.

It's much more a meditation on normal life before a disaster.

AceOnRoam I hate that. I've been going in blind lately so at least I get a nice surprise if I love the book! 8y
Redheadrambles @AceOnRoam yeah I like going in somewhat prepared but I don't know I think my book selection radar is broken this year ! 8y
AceOnRoam I was planning to read this, but couldn't find it for free during TOB.. I'm taking it off my TBR in any case. Thanks for the heads up. 8y
Redheadrambles @AceOnRoam oh no! I always feel bad when someone says this - I think if you come to it knowing it's more "slice of life" than anything else it may go better ? But yes so many books out there it is good to whittle them down ! 8y
16 likes5 comments
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Spiderfelt
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

Knowing nothing about this book before I picked it up for #ToB17, I was surprised by how quickly the story drew me in. The characters were utterly human, flawed and simultaneously sympathetic. I was drawn in to both sides of the story. The narration of this #audiobook was engaging, transporting me from one grey, wet landscape easily into that of Northern Ireland and the English coast.

Spiderfelt For those following the #ToB17 coverage, I couldn't disagree more with Judge Callahan's pick. I gave up on The Mothers less than halfway through the book. The story did nothing for me, and the characters left me flat. 8y
Mindyrecycles I agree. The Mothers was okay but I loved High Dive. 8y
DocBrown I've never heard of High Dive but I have to say that I enjoyed The Mothers. It was fresh and honest. 8y
Spiderfelt @mdhughes72 The Mothers was the first book in recent memory that dealt with abortion in such an honest way. 8y
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PlannerGirlBookClub
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Goes in the #GreatLifeAdvice category. Reading for #ToB2017

Spiderfelt Great line 8y
Spiderfelt This book is full of it so far. 8y
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Kristelh
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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First book finished in March.

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she_barks
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
Panpan

I was really looking forward to this one, but it was excruciatingly detailed and dreary. It felt like the author was more interested in setting a scene than telling a story. If I can fall asleep when a bomb's going off (in the book!), that's a pretty good sign I'm bored. #TOB2017

Megabooks It's a hard one. 8y
outis I didn't love this one either 8y
64 likes2 comments
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BkClubCare
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

I have to say that this was an excellent read. I was very distracted while reading by things in the book (had to google words, history, places, names) and by life -- life was incredibly distracting, too, lately. Finally?! I thought this an excellent read. #tob17
Esther assisting. #dogsoflitsy

MrBook 😻 8y
Suzze 🐶💕 8y
Laalaleighh Did you read the part after the end about the real life people? 8y
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BkClubCare @Laalaleighh - TBH, it didn't say much. One little paragraph abt a daughter who now works with Patrick Magee. I expected more, actually. It was a short statement. Maybe I should check out the website. 😊 8y
Laalaleighh @BkClubCare you should! The girl lost her father in the bombing, and Patrick Magee was one of the bombers. She went to visit him in prison to try and understand why he did what he did and eventually they somehow became friends and now they work together to try and build bridges between opposing groups and foster peace and understanding. It's kind of amazing. 8y
Redheadrambles Finally getting to this one and it's really good so far 8y
BkClubCare @Redheadrambles - yay! TOB inspired or did you come to it another way? 8y
Redheadrambles @BkClubCare totally ToB inspired, not sure I would have found it otherwise. Still catching up on the some books I didn't get to pre-tournament. Probably Version Control is the other I will try and track down. 8y
BkClubCare @Redheadrambles - Version Control is worth it. I have Sport of Kings on audio and can't wait for it now - when I was only meh about it before TOB. Lucy Barton still my favorite (edited) 8y
Redheadrambles @BkClubCare yeah I was worried going into SoK and it is pretty intense but I liked it a lot 8y
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Mindyrecycles
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

#tob17 progress. 13/18 and I'm really hoping to have these 16 read by the tournament's start.

Beckys_Books Every year I tell myself I want to read all the TOB books, yet it never happens.😣 8y
mhillis That's awesome! 8y
outis Wow! 8y
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Reviewsbylola I've only read three so you're blowing me out of the water! 8y
Mindyrecycles @Beckys_Books The last couple of years I forgot until it was too late. This year I finally was on the alert for the first sign of the shortlist and I pounced on it. It's been fun! Put it on your calendar for next year. 🙂 8y
Spiderfelt Impressive accomplishment 8y
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BkClubCare
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Still trying to get through this - it's me not the book. Or the book mentions something I have to go look up, or it reminds me sadly of the violence in the world and I have to distract myself. Then I find myself on Twitter and lose track of time but then also realize how much violence is in the world. "I should be reading; get off Soc Med" ... this paragraph amused me. But the book saddens me mostly. #tob17

Laalaleighh This book 💔 its one of those that seeps on more and more after you read it instead of hitting you all at once. I'm seriously considering upgrading my Goodreads review. 8y
BkClubCare @Laalaleighh - am finally spending quality time with it and am quite impressed. 8y
Spiderfelt This paragraph shows how skillful Dan is at understanding people and finding ways to find compromise. He seems in radical opposition to Dawson. These characters are two kinds of manipulators, with different methods. 8y
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ReadingEnvy
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Hoopla has quite a few of the #TOB titles but only in audio...trying this one today

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BkClubCare
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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From the back of the book: "In fluent, agile prose...", "...so smart and compassionate and beautifully written", "with wry wit and profound tenderness..."
(None of these words would be used to describe my last read.) #tob17
I know nothing about this one - diving into it today!

Laalaleighh Ohh I enjoyed this one, but it was the notes in the back about what became of the real life people the book was based on that blew me away! Don't look yet though! 8y
BkClubCare @Laalaleighh - LOL. Thanks. I did do a bad thing after posting this and I read a few reviews. So... I am going to keep reading. 😊 I am visiting Ireland in a few weeks AND I have been to Brighton so I am rather excited abt this book, tbh. 8y
Laalaleighh @BkClubCare I hope you enjoy it! Have fun in Ireland!! 8y
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Mindyrecycles
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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This narrator, Doyle Gerard, is outstanding.

#LoveToListen #17booklove #tob17

Laalaleighh I read this in book form. I thought it was an interesting look into a subject I knew very little about. 8y
Spiderfelt I love Doyle's voice too. 8y
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Well-ReadNeck
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

#ToB2017

I was worried after seeing some of the reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalized account of what may have happened in the lead up to a 1984 bombing of a hotel in the UK. Definitely a slow burn of a book. I thought the character development was fabulous. Looking forward to seeing what the Tournament of Books match ups will be for this one.

merelybookish It's up against The Mothers in first round. I'm rooting for Mothers!! (I found HD just painfully dull.) 8y
Well-ReadNeck @merelybookish Can you post a link to the brackets? I can't find it anywhere and am excited to see it!!! 8y
merelybookish @Well-ReadNeck www.themorningnews.org/p/here-are-your--2017-tournament-of-books-brackets 8y
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merelybookish @Well-ReadNeck also @outis has them posted on her page. 😃 8y
she_barks Just starting this one on audio. 8y
Spiderfelt The character development is fantastic, in stark contrast to some other recent reads where the book was more about advancing a storyline. I am loving it. 8y
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susanw
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

An pretty interesting set up: we know a bomb is set to go off as we follow the characters lives of the hotel employees before it happens. This is the second 'bomb' book I read this month and while this was quite good, I have to give the edge to Association of small bombs.

Cinfhen I bailed on this one and wasn't crazy about 8y
Cinfhen I think it was the timing on both of them, I was on vacation and these books were downers 8y
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susanw @Cinfhen Neither of these of these are vacation reads! both are kinda depressing and heavy in theme. Sorry you didn't come to them at a better time. 8y
Laalaleighh Did you read the bit at the end about how the guy who did the bombing and the woman who's father died now work together in a non profit they started called "bridges for peace" ? 8y
susanw @Laalaleighh I did! I always read acknowledgements, sometimes you find a gem, like here! 8y
Laalaleighh @susanw I thought that was so awesome! I looked it up and started following it. 8y
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susanw
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Tonight...who am I kidding, most nights. 😜 #wildfridaynight

Alfoster I like the way you think!📚📚🍷🍷 8y
LeahBergen 👍🏼👍🏼 8y
Coleen We're all in good company! 😋📚🍷 8y
Zelma I heard that was a great book! 8y
79 likes4 comments
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Sharpeipup
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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#readjanuary #book&favesnack #readresponsibly Being from Texas, I love me some chips and salsa or guacamole.

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merelybookish
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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OMG this book is killing me. I usually can hang in there with a slow build-up, but man there has to be SOME building. Serious yawnfest. 😪😪😴😴😴😴 #TOB17

Megabooks Yeah, it kind of is. The last 10% is the only exciting part. 8y
merelybookish @Ebooksandcooks That's what I wondered. But I expect it will be too little too late. I feel like the blurbs misrepresent the book since it really isn't *about* the attempted bombing. 8y
Donna_sBookMinute @Ebooksandcooks -- I just finished a book where the ending was much better than the first 3/4 of the book. @merelybookish, I hope it's worth it if you decide to hang in. 🤞🏽 8y
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outis Uh-oh. My ToB reading is scheduled to kick into gear this weekend. Maybe I'll read this one right before Sport of Kings.... 8y
merelybookish @Donna_sBookMinute Thanks for the encouragement. I will hang on. And occasionally an ending does salvage a book. 8y
merelybookish @outis I'm doing this one on audio which makes it slower. I could probably burn through is faster in print. 8y
Cinfhen I tried this summer and bailed after the 50 page mark ☹️ 8y
merelybookish @Cinfhen probably a wise decision! 8y
she_barks I'm dying - I had to wade through so many glowing reviews to finally find someone else who feels the way I do. I'm not quite done yet, but I am so bored. And the audio everyone loves? I hate hate hate it. Ugh! 8y
merelybookish @she_barks yeah, I did not like. And also found the audio tedious. Ill be angry if it goes far in the #ToB17. 8y
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merelybookish
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Time for a new audiobook. A #TOB17 contender. Don't know a thing about it.

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TeR
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Tying to read this in a spare moment here and there but not sure long it will take! Getting ready for Ireland!!!!!!🍀🍀🍀🍀

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Schuhbox
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Bailedbailed

This is another book I bailed on this week. It sounded fascinating with the IRA and the real historical event. I literally fell asleep while listening to it and then couldn't bring myself to listen it again.

Cinfhen Same, I bailed on this one too 😬My #TBR is too long to be held captive to a boring book 8y
Schuhbox Agreed! I'm glad I'm not the only one! 8y
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Thekelburrows
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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This image has absolutely zero to do with the new book I am starting today. HOWEVER it makes me insanely happy and there are no rules on the internet.

kdwinchester Lol!! 😂😂😂 8y
britt_brooke 😂 8y
51 likes2 comments
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booksrockcal
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Reading this fantastic book on the train - it's a page turner weaving together the lives of three people who were at the Grand Hotel in Brighton the day it was bombed in 1984 during a visit by Margaret Thatcher. Recommended by Book Riot in a podcast- finally got it from the San Diego PL.

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dylanisreading
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

This brought me out of a reading slump, even though I wasn't sure I'd like it. To paraphrase the novel, sometimes the before is more interesting, no? Heading toward the moment of impact. Fantastic writing, wonderfully drawn characters, and perfect narration here. Highly recommend.

Spiderfelt Not quite halfway through the audiobook, but that's exactly how I feel too. 8y
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Cinfhen
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Bailedbailed

I'm currently experiencing reading A.D.D. I just can't focus on one book🤓 tried getting into this one but I bailed after 22 pages

Jennifer3 That happens to me and sometimes I try again later when my reading mojo as I. All it comes back. 8y
Cinfhen @Jennifer3 I ❤️ that...reading mojo! 😀it's sooo true 8y
Jennifer3 Cinfhen we should great some book fetish (love this term from @book riot) stuff with different phrases and ideas about Reading Mojo! 8y
4 likes3 comments
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jennifercecile
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

A wonderful read- following both the bomber who plans to assassinate Margaret Thatcher and the manager of the hotel (and his daughter) where the bomb will go off. Beautiful writing makes all the characters sympathetic- no mean feat. As the tension builds it's impossible to put down.

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KiskyLuella
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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"Because sometimes the before is more interesting than the after, no? Heading towards the impact. What is beautiful about a dive? It isn't the splash, is it?" (181)

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bookshopsc
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
Pickpick

Using brief, beautiful prose and crisp wit, Lee intermingles three lives in a series of poignant moments that ultimately culminate in a violently life-altering event. —Sairsha

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Megabooks
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Pickpick

4🌟 If you're looking for an exciting thriller about a bombing, this isn't it. However, if you like delving deep into characters' inner lives, this is a fantastic, very well-written novel. The three fictional bit players are interesting, but I would've liked more historical context.

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Megabooks
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Quote of the day. The front desk receptionist trying to write a novel about her mother! 😂 I'm going to try and finish High Dive tonight, but it's slow going.

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Megabooks
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Quote of the night. 💜💙❤️💚

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Megabooks
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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Going to try to start a little of this even though it's late. I tend to love historical novels about events I don't know much about. Looking forward to it.

My review of The Great American Whatever will go up here tomorrow with a longer review on my website Saturday!

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Jakovitz
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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In this week's New Yorker, an essay on Jonathan Lee's "achingly good new novel." ???

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RunningnReading
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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"One of the great understated tragedies of humankind was that people were always thinking about something."

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RunningnReading
High Dive: A novel | Jonathan Lee
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"History clears away the blood, records the results, but that doesn't mean the blood wasn't there."