Emily's review
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.) by Francine Prose
Emily's review
rating:
recommended for: people who wish they'd taken more undergraduate english courses
status: Read in December, 2006
rating:
recommended for: people who wish they'd taken more undergraduate english courses
status: Read in December, 2006
Before I start, my full disclosure is that I haven't read all of this book, which makes me a little hesitant to rate it. I'd also like to say I've deeply admired all the Francine Prose fiction I've read. But I'm going through books to sell, and this may be one of them, so I wanted to make a few notes about what I did read. (The first 1/3, I think.)
The biggest problem with this book, and it's not Prose's fault, is that people who care about reading and writing have likely already thought about many of the practices that lead to both good reading and writing. Because of its title and a few recommendations, I thought the book would offer more advice on writing. Instead, as far as what I read, it was basically "Reading like Someone who has Earned a BA in Literature at an Institution where Primary Texts are Most Valued." For example, at the very beginning of "Reading Like a Writer," Prose devotes several pages to explaining how to read slowly and why one should...more
The biggest problem with this book, and it's not Prose's fault, is that people who care about reading and writing have likely already thought about many of the practices that lead to both good reading and writing. Because of its title and a few recommendations, I thought the book would offer more advice on writing. Instead, as far as what I read, it was basically "Reading like Someone who has Earned a BA in Literature at an Institution where Primary Texts are Most Valued." For example, at the very beginning of "Reading Like a Writer," Prose devotes several pages to explaining how to read slowly and why one should...more
I...ummm...just read this review and totally thought you were talking about Francine Pascal, creator of the Sweet Valley High series, the whole time. I'm kinda dumb.
Heh heh. I'd like to read that book.
