Category: Writing
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Review of John Updike’s ‘Rabbit, Run’
I finished reading John Updike’s ‘Rabbit, Run’. I disliked it more every page. ‘Dumb’, thinks Harry Angstrom, Rabbit, of his wife Janice. But Harry is dumb. As are all of the characters. They are inarticulate uneducated lumps. Is this how Updike sees Americans, or are they really like this? Everything Harry does is driven by…
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Writers Review of Tolstoys’ ‘War and Peace’
Writers Review of Tolstoys’ ‘War and Peace’Continuing series of book reviews for writers.How does one possibly criticize Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’? Well, treat it like a modern book appearing today for the first time, and what might someone think? First, there are too many characters. Even with a printed list I kept beside the…
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Review of ‘How Do You Live?’ by Genzaburo Yoshino
This book was originally written as part of a series of essays on ethics and culture for young people, especially boys. I admire that goal, but am ambivalent about a book that feels more like a didactic essay masquerading as a novel. It is almost pedantic in its approach. Although all novels reflect the beliefs…
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Book Reviews for Writers: John Vaillant’s ‘Fire Weather’
After reading ‘Fire Weather’ I was depressed and demoralized. I think of walking through Angkor Wat in Siem Reap Cambodia, impressed by the temples and stone buildings surrounded by huge stone walls miles out, that would have been the city limits centuries ago, and while marveling at the immense wonders, the craftsmanship, and the stories…
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Review of ‘The Writer’s Process’ by Anne H. Janzer.
Sometimes writers need affirmation that we are on the right track. Although we are climbing a mountain, alone, we need to hear that others have done it before and that it can be done. The trail is poorly marked, or we wander off on what seems interesting tracks (and maybe easier), so we are often…
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Review of ‘My Brilliant Friend’ by Elena Ferrante
On September 1, 2024, the New York Times printed a list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. I had only read eight of them, nine now with ‘My Brilliant Friend’. So I made a commitment to read more new fiction, and why not start at the top? Number one. That I am…
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Review of James Joyce’s ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’.
Continuing my series of book reviews for writers, I finished reading James Joyce’s ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’. My critique here is not about the craft of the writer. It is a good book, but I think I disagree with some of what Joyce believes. The harshness of the Catholic vision…
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Review of Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement’
Continuing series of book reviews for Writers.As I read Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement’ I realized why I initially disliked it.In previous book reviews for writers, I wrote of how am developing a theory of the novel and what makes a great novel. A brilliant novel is like a three-legged stool, and great novels get all three…
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Review of ‘The Almanack of Naval Ravikant’ by Eric Jorgenson
I just finished reading ‘The Almanack of Naval Ravikant’. It was a chore to finish it. I nearly quit during the first section on wealth. It is trite, cliche, and boring. A book by a man who admits he doesn’t read. If reading an author’s book is the equivalent of spending an hour or two…
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Book reviews for Writers. ‘The Fraud’ by Zadie Smith
I had listened to a NY Times book review podcast where they spoke highly of Zadie Smith and this book. I know she is one of the ‘in’ writers, so I thought I should read some and see why. Reading ‘The Fraud’ by Zadie Smith, I think it could be great, but isn’t. It is…