John Leonard

Book critic John Leonard reviews the new novel "The Call of the Toad," which explores the idea of homelands in postwar Europe.

John Leonard reviews "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors," the new book by husband-and-wife team Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, about the origin of life on our planet, and the similarity between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "African Laughter," Lessing's memoir of the four times she visited the country of her birth--now called Zimbabwe--and her impressions of its changing social and political climate.

John Leonard reviews Ellroy's "White Jazz," the final installment of his tetralogy of crime novels. The story reveals the darkest elements of Los Angeles life in the 1950s.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "The Secret History," by Donna Tart. She's associated with the young crop of writers from Bennington, including Bret Easton Ellis, to whom her novel is dedicated.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "When Nietzsche Wept," which he says is both high-minded and deeply entertaining with its use of real historical figures.

John Leonard reviews "The Emperor's Last Island," by Julia Blackburn, a history of Napoleon with frequent digressions about why that narrative is relevant to the author's life. Leonard says it's a compelling read because Blackburn herself is compelling.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Susan Sontag's newest book, a long awaited return to fiction. It deals with historical figures and is written in a 19th century style. Leonard calls the novel both brilliant and surprisingly commercial.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Vaclav Havel's latest essay collection, which Leonard says is a depressing and often evasive take on the current political climate of Czechoslovakia.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Nobel Prize-winning writer Joseph Brodsky's new book of essays, "Watermark," which use Venice as a jumping-off point for a series of reflections on life.