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Category Archives: fiction
Ten Years of Writing about Fiction Has Taught Me This
Fiction is the wildest form of writing. It attracts explorers, artists, and fighters. Their goals might be to punch a hole in the wall between the writer and the reader (Knausgaard), or tell us how the idea of equality fell … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
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“Memories are then replaced by different joys and sorrows, and unbelievably . . . you are positive that this is all you’ve ever wanted in the world.”
This novel makes us ask: which versions of our memories are to be believed? Is it really true that the protagonist has all that she’s ever wanted? Is she hiding something? From whom? I disagree with the reviewer who described … Continue reading
“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.”
Because we all make questionable decisions from time to time, it’s only natural to wonder if we are our own worst enemy, or if we are the hero in our life, or something in between. Many memoirs begin with this … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
Tagged a favorite novelist, Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, fictionalized autobiography, hero
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“I expect you to beat the odds. That’s my gift to you, in fact, that gift of expectations.”
At the end of this novel, Peter Sullivan tells the hard-scrabble students in his English class that he believes in them and expects them to succeed, even if no one else has ever had faith in them before. What a … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
Tagged Affirming, Contemporary Charles Dickens, humanity and warmth, Richard Russo, Somebody's Fool
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“I have learned,” said the Philosopher, “that the head does not hear anything until the heart has listened, and that what the heart knows to-day, the head will understand to-morrow.”
Interesting ideas sparkle throughout this novel. Here are two examples: “Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will” and “…for life may not be consecutive, but explosive and variable, else it is a shackled and timorous slave.” It was … Continue reading
“Many years before, Abacus had come to the conclusion that the greatest of heroic stories have the shape of a diamond on its side.”
We are 500 pages into the story when this observation about the ideal structure for stories appears: “Beginning at a fine point, the life of the hero expands outward through youth as he begins to establish his strengths and fallibilities, … Continue reading
“Twelve years after Robin’s death, no one knew any more about how he had ended up hanged from a tree in his own yard than they had on the day it happened.”
Even though I am not normally drawn to murder mysteries, I read this novel because Donna Tartt demonstrates how a writer can successfully break the rules. None of her characters are likeable; instead, they are suffering, or damaged, or limited, … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
Tagged Donna Tart, haunting novel, master class in fiction, The Little Friend
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“This is the story of a crisis in our lives . . . during a journey alone.”
With sequels, come skepticism, and when the first in the series won the Pulitzer Prize, it’s tempting to expect just a replay of what worked well before. One critic called for a better evaluation of American Life; others said it’s … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
Tagged Andrew Sean Greer, journey of self-discovery, Less Is Lost, wonderful novel
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“Mom, I don’t know who to trust!”
Elizabeth Strout’s new novel — a Christmas gift of the first order – is her most enigmatic. Reviewers have drawn wildly different conclusions about the book’s message. For me, the book explores what happens when you don’t know who you … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
Tagged a favorite author, Elizabeth Strout, Lucy by the Sea, Pulitzer Prize, trust
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“I felt there was a lot more I could say about the subject of danger.”
In Half Broke Horses, Lily Smith faces many dangers, from flash floods in rural Texas, to bankruptcy during the Great Depression, to medical emergencies that didn’t always end well. This convincing, unprettified narration doesn’t glorify “grit” – rather, it shows … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, memoir
Tagged Half Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls, True-life novel
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