Reading Life: Books for the Ages

The relationship between a book and it's reader is quite a personal matter. I wonder if authors consider that the book they write is not necessarily the one the reader reads. We all bring ourselves to the page. Birkerts' has two selves, that of the teen reader and that of the middle-aged man. He discusses them both in this collection of essays about The Catcher in the Rye, Pan, Women in Love, Madame Bovary, Humboldt's Gift, Lolita, The Moviegoer, the Good Soldier, The Ambassadors, To the Lighthouse, and The Beggar Maid. He piqued my curiosity so that I'm making my way through each one of these books myself, eager to have my own experience of them. That a writer makes you hungry for a book is a sign of success, I think. Highly show more recommended reading. show less

Reading about books and the reading of books is one of the joys of my own reading life. In this collection of essays Birkerts, in his own personal and elegant way, shares commentaries on books that are "signposts" of his reading life. A great book for all who enjoy remembering their first readings and later connections with favorite books whether classics or just personal favorites.