This was a terrifically fun book to read. I was only sorry that there were not more tales included in it. The puzzle that faces Auslander in the first story is one that I have put to friends ever since I read it. This has produced some fascinating discussions! The other stories are just as interesting and the entire book is wonderful, insightful and intriguing. I have given several as gifts and I always get rave reviews from the recipients.

In A New and Glorious Life Michelle Herman responds in her own inimical way to the via negativa. Through three novellas she explores the ethical dilemmas of existence. When Auslander (the main character in the first) sees in her mind "the bundle of poems secured by a rubber band, surrounded by the accumulated clutter of years: stacks of letters; shoeboxes full of photographs, postcards, canceled checks; spiral-bound notebooks dating back to graduate school," she is considering the honor that must be paid to the poet whose work she is considering translating, to the testament the poet has left behind. Auslander (a stranger to the poet and her work) weighs her obligation to that testament of life and work. In "A New and Glorious Life," the central novella of the book, Herman explores the nature of creativity and sexuality, the integral tie between the two and the pull on each of our lives of Logos and Eros. In "Hope Among Men" Herman explores the relationship of love and hope with insights into the dark side of both.Herman does not assert that we will be successful in our attempts to counter the via negativa. But, oh, her characters seem to say, how we try, how we must. As she has said elsewhere, "I am interested in the conflicts that arise between responsibility to oneself and to those one loves."

Through the three novellas in this collection she explores the interior process that ultimately lies at the core of what matters. It is the way we wend our way through the actions of our lives with an awareness of the ethical dilemmas that life presents us. It is how we move toward understanding--and what more could we hope for as we move forward, one would hope, ultimately with wisdom. It is that wisdom that Herman offers.

--Mary L. Tabor

A New and Glorious Life is three novellas all about love and life, and contemporary relationships. The collection is a delicious feast leaving the reader wanting more more more... Each novella provokes the mind and stirs the heart; each is written superbly with depth and warmth, insight and humor. The characters and their stories come alive and stay with you long after the book is finished.

What can I saw about this book that has not already been said? I am just a normal average everyday college student, okay, so I am a non traditional student. I see this book not only as heart warming and realistic, but as SUPERB! Michelle Herman does a fantastic job in her expressions with the grandmother as well as with the granddaughter. I felt as if I knew these people and that these people were a part of my family. Michelle has a collection of novellas out as well that I think you should read! A New Glorious Life, and be sure to check out her husband's paintings at Fischbach Galleries in New York or at glenholland.com. Wonderful. These two are truly talented. And yes, I am a bit biast--He's my brother and she is his wife, but I do know what I like to read and what I don't like to read. My parents taught me to always be honest, and I am being honest. I give Michelle's book at 4 star rating!!

This is the story of Rivke Vasilevsky who is eighty nine years old. Rivke has lost a possession she values highly and she is concerned because she believes that it has been stolen. She cannot understand her family's indifference to her loss and, as she continues her searching inquiry, she reveals as much as she discovers. A wonderful story told with great delicacy and compassion.