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Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love
by
Anne Fadiman
Is a book the same book-or a reader the same reader-the second time around? The seventeen authors in this witty and poignant collection of essays all agree on the answer: Never.
The editor of "Rereadings" is Anne Fadiman, and readers of her bestselling book "Ex Libris" (FSG, 1998) will find this volume especially satisfying. Her chosen authors include S...more
The editor of "Rereadings" is Anne Fadiman, and readers of her bestselling book "Ex Libris" (FSG, 1998) will find this volume especially satisfying. Her chosen authors include S...more
Hardcover, 244 pages
Published
September 14th 2005
by Farrar Straus Giroux
(first published 2005)
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Tony Blair (thumbing through the contents): Hey, this one could be interesting. It's a series of essays about the delicate question of what it actually means to have read a book. Do you know what I mean?
A talking donkey : Wow, Tony Blair! What are you doing in one of PB's reviews?
Tony Blair: Er - haven't you seen the news lately? Don't donkeys watch TV any more? I'm supposed to be the middle east peace envoy and look at the place - look at it!
(Tony turns tv ...more
A talking donkey : Wow, Tony Blair! What are you doing in one of PB's reviews?
Tony Blair: Er - haven't you seen the news lately? Don't donkeys watch TV any more? I'm supposed to be the middle east peace envoy and look at the place - look at it!
(Tony turns tv ...more
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An interesting conceit: at the invitation of the editor, the wonderful Anne Fadiman, seventeen writers revisit books they had read in their youth and describe the results.
Unfortunately, the results are mixed, at best. Perhaps one would need to have read all 17 books in question to derive full value from this book. But that seems a little much to expect. Overall, I think I was disappointed in how poorly some of the authors managed to convey the original passion they had felt for thei...more
Unfortunately, the results are mixed, at best. Perhaps one would need to have read all 17 books in question to derive full value from this book. But that seems a little much to expect. Overall, I think I was disappointed in how poorly some of the authors managed to convey the original passion they had felt for thei...more
This book had a lot of promise: seventeen writers read a book that they had loved when they first read it, either in their teens or twenties, and then discuss whether the way they felt about it had changed. I thought it would be fun to read re-reviews of books I've read by authors I've read. Unfortunately, I really hadn't heard of any of the writers who wrote the reviews (okay, I've heard of Luc Sante but haven't read anything by him), and I had only read one of the books that was reviewed (two,...more
A great premise--revisiting books that you read when you were younger and comparing your reactions then and now--but many of the essays come across as heavy-duty literary criticism rather than anecdotal. I felt like I was in over my head most of the time, but I kept on reading anyway. In the end, I wasn't sorry. It's always enriching to read about why others love to read and what they've learned from their reading.
Some of the authors whose work is represented are: Jane Austen, Colett...more
Some of the authors whose work is represented are: Jane Austen, Colett...more
Like Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading but for people who were reading Jane Austen and DH Lawrence as kids instead of Judy Blume. Even though I have read very few of the books discussed, what I really liked was the writers' relationships with the books. I love rereading books, and don't do it very often, though I'm looking forward to revisiting some of my childhood favorites with Maddy. My favorite essays were the ones on Pride & Prejudice, Peterson's Field guide to pla...more
A wonderful collection of essays about rereading favorite books. Each essay is written by a different author, and the essays (and their subject matter) vary as much as the authors do.
Do you have a book (or more) that you've enjoyed rereading? If so, you'll probably find something recognizable here.
I haven't read most of the books that were described in the essays (some of them are pretty obscure, so it isn't a surprise), but I really enjoyed them vicariously, and enjoyed re...more
Do you have a book (or more) that you've enjoyed rereading? If so, you'll probably find something recognizable here.
I haven't read most of the books that were described in the essays (some of them are pretty obscure, so it isn't a surprise), but I really enjoyed them vicariously, and enjoyed re...more
This collection of essays culled from The Atlantic column Fadiman edited was chock full of musings by people I'd never heard of but completely enjoyed. I had to pause this book because life took over, but that was no fault of the book or the essays. As I read, I was torn between the desire to find a highlighter to mark some particularly delicious or poignant passage and the desire to just keep reading. Inevitably I will read this book again. So many of my own thoughts, experiences, and ponde...more
I think it is extremely important to note that Anne Fadiman is the editor of this book, not the author, and her preface/introduction was by far the best part of the book. There is something about her writing when she talks about books (reading, rereading, treasuring or otherwise) that is completely lacking in pretension and just comes across as an honest story about her and the book. The rest of the authors included in this book do not share her talent and are prone to egotistical romps through ...more
A collection of essays in which various authors and essayists discuss rereading their favorite works, from The Charterhouse of Parma to the back of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I haven't read most of the works discussed in this book, so while I enjoyed all of the essays, some of them lost some resonance for me. I actually thought Fadiman's introduction, in which she discusses reading The Horse and His Boy with her son was one of the most effective, perhaps because I feel a personal c...more
These pieces are taken from a feature in "The American Scholar" in which various writers were asked to revisit a book that had been important to them when they were younger. A lot of good writing here and worthwhile meditations not only on the selected books but on the joys of reading. Many of the essays made we want to read the subject works and other works by the "reviewers". You can't ask for more than that from a "book about books".
I have read what I choose to of this book of essays. This is a collection of essays written by professional writers who re-read books that had impact on them when they were young. Pretty much the same theme pops up. Re-reading brings back memories of themselves at an earlier time and reminds them how they've changed since. The essay on "Franny and Zooey" and "Brideshead Revisited" touched me as these two books resonated with me when I was young.
I loved Fadiman's Ex Libris ages ago. This book has a nice intro, but the first essay is a little pretentious...as are most of the rest...and the book gets progressively duller. To be fair, I was reacting to the English-major-taking-himself-too-seriously aspect of these essays; if that won't turn you off, give'em a try. I have to say, though, that for me the best part of the book is the introduction by Fadiman.
Dry. How may times can you read how rereading a book in adult life gives a new perception on your take of that same book when you first read it? (well, 17 times more, according this book). Heh. I enjoyed Fadiman's Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. This one? Heh.
A collection of essays chronicling author's reactions when they reread childhood favorites or pivotal books from the past. Reactions run the gamut from finding the book enchanting to being disappointed. My favorite was the author who reread Hans Christian Andersen's the Snow Queen while staying at the Ice Hotel in the Arctic Circle.
I am always in a quandary as to reading a new book or rereading a favorite. (or finishing Rememberance of Things Past). This book make the arguments for rereading a favorite. I don't know how many times I have read Pride and Prejudice or Gone With the Wind. I know I read War and Peace three times, Lord of the Rings four times and the Holy Bible cover to cover three times. How about you?
A book of essays. Each author rereads a book that he or she really liked as a younger person. But people's life experiences and perceptions change. Some of the essays were very interesting. The book would be much more interesting to a literature major than it was to me.
i LOVED this book. each author has their own unique spin and yet i felt always as though i could have written their thoughts...i felt comforted to know that there are other people in the world who feel this way about their books.
This is a sweet collection of writings from people going back to a once read and loved book and reading it again with age and experience behind them. Some of the books they revisit are classics, but the more interesting essays are about those books that critics wouldn't place much value on to begin with--for instance, a series of books about a nurse in the 1950s that offered a role model for a career woman, or a nature guide to spotting and naming plants that started one woman's obsession with k...more
Ann Fadiman's introductory essay is the best of offerings. The other essays are unevenly engaging; some are great, some are good, some I can't relate to. Overall, books resonate differently when read at different points in your life sometimes for the better and sometimes for worse.
This was a wonderful collection of essays, but I wished Fadiman herself had written more in it, rather than just editing it. Overall, though, there were some really nice pieces here.
the writing is really good since it's writers doing the writing. i came across some cool new books to read. i love essays and these are great essays and borderline memoir which i also love. recommend.
Some essays are a little pompous, but for the most part this was perfect for the fan of reading about reading. These kinds of essay collections always inspire me.
Not as fun as Fadiman's Ex Libris, but enlightening and possessed of it's own pleasures. I will reread it, though piecemeal, not all of it. The introduction by Fadiman was my favorite.
Hit and miss. I really liked a few of the essays in there though... I'd say it's worth checking out and skimming for the ones you like.
Reading about other people's experiences with favorite books is never quite as satisfying if you haven't read the books yourself.
MCL.
I am a fan of Anne, but she refers to C.S. Lewis as a racist and sexist. Thus, some of my affection for her is lost.
I am a fan of Anne, but she refers to C.S. Lewis as a racist and sexist. Thus, some of my affection for her is lost.
I find myself rereading books I have loved in the past and getting new ideas and insights because of my additional age and life experiences.
Am enjoying this book because I have read some of the lit. that is being reviewed by the authors. In particular, I enjoyed the insights into "Sue Barton, Nurse" because I loved and read the entire series as a young girl. Looking at these books from a grown woman's perspective is very instructive not only of the era they were published ...more
Am enjoying this book because I have read some of the lit. that is being reviewed by the authors. In particular, I enjoyed the insights into "Sue Barton, Nurse" because I loved and read the entire series as a young girl. Looking at these books from a grown woman's perspective is very instructive not only of the era they were published ...more
Interesting collection of essays about the various authors experiences reading a book and then revisiting the literature later in life. The essays provided a peek into the personal life of strangers -- some good, some not-so-good. Several of the essays were very enjoyable to read (usually those which reference material I had read myself). I think the more literary minded would enjoy this book more but it was a good read regardless (although I did not relish each story like I did Anne Fadiman'...more
I love books about reading! For example, I loved reading Fadiamn's own series of essays on reading, Ex Libris. And, at times, I loved this book, too. But since it's a series of essays written by different people, you can anticipate some uneven quality. Some essays made me want to read the book in question, and some made me question why a particular book had even evoked enough passion for the essayist to begin writing in the first place.
This book wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be though I should have known better. I find that my taste in reading does not generally coincide with anyone else's. Besides which, reflecting on rereading a book often follows a path back to the reader's earlier self rather than through the book itself. I am, however, encouraged to do some rereading of my own - to discover who I was.
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Anne Fadiman, the daughter of Annalee Whitmore Jacoby Fadiman, a screenwriter and foreign correspondent, and Clifton Fadiman, an essayist and critic, was born in New York City in 1953. She graduated in 1975 from Harvard College, where she began her writing career as the undergraduate columnist at Harvard Magazine. For many years, she was a writer and columnist for Life, and later an Editor-at-Lar...more
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“...the reader who plucks a book from her shelf only once is as deprived as the listener who, after attending a single performance of a Beethoven symphony, never hears it again.”
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“A dark imagination is, perhaps, more appealing before you know anything about darkness.”
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