“Poisonwood Bible,” by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper, 2008)

Chock full of questions about culture, heritage and religion, as well as fascinating characters poised in a controversial time and place, the Belgian Congo in the 1960s. A religious fanatic but well-meaning missionary father pits himself against his four daughters, the local population, even Africa. Each girl displays astounding initiative. Somehow every point of view makes perfect sense as you read and think about them, except the King of Belgium’s. As you turn a page, you wish things could have turned out differently, but there never are easy answers to political dilemmas and emotional passions. A humanist avenue to absorb history. — 4 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune (bonniemccune.com)

“The Street,” by Ann Petry (Mariner, 2020)

Published in 1946, this beautifully written novel charts a single mother’s struggles in Harlem to protect as well as support her son. As the odds seem more and more stacked against her, she comes to see The Street (aka the block where she lives) as an indomitable force, working in every way against her chances of success. Petry fleshes out the novel with a wide cast of unforgettable characters, bringing this familiar story to life in fresh and unforgettable ways. From the Atlantic Monthly’s recent list of the best novels of the past century. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver

“Fire Exit,” by Morgan Talty (Tin House, 2024)

“We are made of stories, and if we don’t know them — the ones that make us — how can we ever be fully realized? How can we ever be who we really are?”

Charles is a middle-aged white man in Maine who lives just outside the Penobscot Reservation, his home as a child. His tiny cabin is just across the river from the house of his once-lover and her family. He feels separated from his aging mother by a secret he is keeping, even as he cares for her through her mental illness. And he is estranged from his one childhood friend. What will happen if Charles releases his secrets? This introspective novel is not a cheerful story, but it is hopeful, and the writing is compelling. I liked it even more than Talty’s notable short story collection, “Night of the Living Rez.” — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker

“Still Life,” by Sarah Winman (Putnam, 2021)

A work of historical fiction containing lyrical moments. This novel starts off with a British soldier in World War II who is dashing around Italy in a Monuments Men type of operation. Soon enough, he is back to his prosaic life in his old neighborhood in England, but after an unexpected inheritance, he heads back to Italy and Florence specifically, where the story and the characters all start to soar. Factor in Winman’s depiction of the historic Florence flood of 1966, with all of its drama, tremendous losses and hard-won recovery, and you start to see similar arcs, both large and small, throughout this book, illuminating themes of chosen family, late-in-life love, acceptance and found community. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver