Last Call: Phantom Thread's Soundtrack And A Killer New Novel About A Nanny

After reading Lauren Collins' piece abut French author Leila Slimani's Goncourt Prize-winning novel in the New Yorker—"The Killer-Nanny Novel That Conquered France,"—I immediately pre-ordered the book's English translation, released earlier this month. The Perfect Nanny opens with line more reminiscent of The Stranger: "The baby is dead." With that shock out on the table, the rest of the novel works backwards to explain how the horror came to be. It's psychological, pleasantly disturbing, and I read it in just a few days. [Kate Bernot]

I saw Phantom Thread mostly based on A.A. Dowd's lovely review, and I'm sad to say that I didn't like it as much as he did. Honestly, the huge audience I was surrounded by at the Music Box Theatre sat in confused silence for a few moments after it was over. Maybe I need to see it again. That said, it was still captivating to look at (loved the clothes), but it might have been even better to listen to. I had heard about Jonny Greenwood's score before going into the movie, but I was still unprepared for how it seemed to encompass every scene, as a vibrant, almost jazz-esque classical musical line that heightened every one of the many emotional moments in the movie. Now I can't stop listening to it, as it seems to score my day—transforming my regular life into a teal-shaded, misty one, albeit with much better costuming. [Gwen Ihnat]