I bought Smiley's book when it first came out and now, four years later, I find I still return to the pages and reread the essays on writing whenever I'm in need of a little conversation on the writing process. Each time more pencil marks are added, particular passages are emphasized yet again. Smiley's essays are thoughtful and present views seldom discussed in other books on writing. I particularly enjoy the chapters titled Psychology and the Novel and Morality and the Novel. My copy sits on self reserved for my most frequented books on writing. Obviously, I highly recommend this book. ( )

Interesting book, focuses much on the history and how the novel has been perceived throughout time from its birth through present. The author uses an expansive vocabulary and thick paragraphs which makes reading slow going. Though not an easy read, a worthwhile one for having a well rounded understanding of how the novel has been shaped. ( )

Excellent advice for writers. Biased toward mainstream, realistic novels. Summaries of 100 novels she read in 2 years, no system or list. Admits that "literature" is biased toward secular worldviews. Considers the "woman problem" and "bad marriages" to be central to novels. Believes novelists trained readers to move toward relaxed moral standards and to shun marriage as an "unfixable institution". ( )

Successful, critically acclaimed novelist Jane Smiley got stuck while writing a novel in 2001. As a way to get unstuck, she took a year off to read 100 novels. The result is this fascinating look at 100 novels through history from Murasaki Shikibu's eleventh century The Tale of Genji to a 2001 "chick-lit" novel by Jennifer Egan, Look at Me. Smiley classified them into 13 basic styles: travel, history, biography, tale, joke, gossip, diary/letter, confession, polemic, essay, epic and romance. She was smart enough, though, to avoid organizing her book in a pat way with a chapter for each style. Instead, she explores the art of the novel in great depth, using examples from the different novel types throughout. I enjoyed this book tremendously. And a few years later, when I got stuck myself and took a year off to create www.HistoricalNovels.info, I found it wonderfully consoling to realize I was doing something very similar to what Smiley did in her year off from writing. I am unstuck now, and whether or not Smiley helped unstick me, I am grateful for the consolation of her example.

Rating: A. Read my full review here: http://literaturecrazy.blogspot.com/2... ( )