For six decades, writer and editor Robert A. Parker has followed up each book he reads, mainly novels, with an evaluation of that book. His comments are informed by his Jesuit upbringing but also by an independent critical view that balances a moral and literary sensibility.

In this second of six volumes, the authors covered range from Daniel-Rops to Gironella. They include Robertson Davies, DeLillo, Dexter, Dostoevsky, Durrell, Endo, Erdrich, Eugenides, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Fuentes, Garcia Marquez, and Gide, as well as a few mystery authors and historians.

The commentaries are listed alphabetically by author, and the books by the date of publication for each author. There are at least 85 authors included in this volume, some represented by one book, some by five or more. Future volumes will cover additional authors alphabetically.

The writers here represent a broad range of writing styles, cultural influences, and moral philosophies. And all are rated on their literary achievement, the effectiveness of plot, character, and setting, plus their recognition of the moral, ethical, and spiritual values of mankind.

Here is a unique critical perspective that measures the meaning of literature against the meaning of life.