I purchased this book on Amazon. It was actually something I had to read for one of my Education courses, but I ended up loving it so I've decided to review it here!
Publication Date: April 10, 2007
In her entertaining and edifying New York Times bestseller, acclaimed author Francine Prose invites you to sit by her side and take a guided tour of the tools and the tricks of the masters to discover why their work has endured. Written with passion, humor, and wisdom, Reading Like a Writer will inspire readers to return to literature with a fresh eye and an eager heart - to take pleasure in the long and magnificent sentences of Philip Roth and the breathtaking paragraphs of Isaac Babel; she is deeply moved by the brilliant characterization in George Eliot's Middlemarch. She looks to John Le Carré for a lesson in how to advance plot through dialogue and to Flannery O'Connor for the cunning use of the telling detail. And, most important, Prose cautions readers to slow down and pay attention to words, the raw material out of which all literature is crafted.
My Thoughts:
In Reading Like a Writer Francine Prose suggests that all great writers are readers of great literature. She contends that one need not pursue an advanced degree or attend writer's workshops in order to improve their writing - rather, all they need to do is become avid readers. This is a book that teaches readers how to be good readers. It also serves as a great writer's manual because it offers both inspiration and concrete, practical ways to improve one's writing. This is definitely a book that aspiring writers will read again and again.
Early on in the book, Prose shares her dismay that so few people today seem to read great literature. She talks about her frustration teaching literature to graduate students who have never read Pride and Prejudice or A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Prose seems determined to tackle this problem with Reading Like a Writer. The book is peppered with citations from various great works of literature, used to show examples of truly skillful writing. Prose talks about how to write good dialogue, and then shows an example of it. She expounds on the importance of efficient but beautiful sentences, and then shares several examples. The result is that this book is, in part, a collection of some of the juiciest, most compelling snippets of some wonderful works of literature. At the back of the book, Prose includes a list of recommended reading that includes these texts. The inevitable result is that the reader will find himself eager to discover these stories for themselves. I know that I added several books to my "to read" list over the course of reading this book!
From a writer's perspective, one of the things I loved best about this book was that Prose repeatedly reinforced the idea that “literature not only breaks the rules, but makes us realize that there are none”. For every suggestion she makes, she offers examples of great works of literature that did just the opposite with great success. This is one reason she does not place too much stock in writer’s workshops, which might encourage a writer to change some aspect of his work to follow an utterly arbitrary rule of writing, when in fact his work correctly ignored said rule in the first place. As Prose points out, the beauty of literature is that it is all so different.
Reading this book and reflecting on Prose’s advice to aspiring writers has affected me in a profound way. After reading this book I feel more inspired than ever to make a serious attempt at writing a novel of my own. Prose has encouraged me to worry less about what others write, and instead to forge ahead with my own writing secure in the knowledge that of course my work will be different than that of the authors I so admire, and that is in fact a good thing. The irony is that Prose has made me feel this way while at the same time filling me with the irrepressible desire to read as many of these great books as I possibly can, in hopes of improving my own writing.
In short: if you love books - reading them, or writing them - this needs to be on your bookshelf!
Have you read Reading Like a Writer? What did you think of it? What other writer's manuals do you recommend?
I was hoping you'd review this on your blog! I like books that are written for readers/writers, so I'll definitely be picking this one up. As far as recommendations, I enjoyed Stephen King's memoir, "On Writing". It's more anecdoctal than workshop-ish, but it made for an easy read. Great post!
Posted by: A Bookworm Belle | 10/17/2012 at 01:12 PM
I have to pick this up! I was also going to mention ON WRITING but looks like I got beaten to the punch...
I think the "great writers read great literature" is probably the best advice I could ever give to any writer. Reading--a LOT--is so key. Thanks for the review!
Posted by: Kiersi | 10/17/2012 at 01:56 PM
I really loved it... and I read it just in time for NaNoWriMo! I'm sure I will reread it many times. I actually have On Writing but haven't read it yet!
Posted by: The Avid Reader | 10/17/2012 at 03:30 PM
I really need to make the time for On Writing, it's on my bookshelf!
Re: "great writers are good readers", I was thrilled to read that particular piece of advice - I will take any excuse to keep reading everything I can get my hands on!
There are a few other writer's manuals that I love, maybe I will do a post of mini reviews for them. Hmmm.
Posted by: The Avid Reader | 10/17/2012 at 03:33 PM