A Writer's Commonplace Book

by Rosemary Friedman

In effect the personal notebook of a distinguished and highly individualistic novelist and writer, this is an eclectic collection of more than 1,000 short quotations that have struck a chord with the author in the course of her life and work. Drawing on the works of writers and commentators from many eras, this beautifully designed book displays not only its author's wide reading, but also great sensibility, profound good sense, and fine, if understated, wit. A writer's book for anyone who wishes to live a fulfilling life.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2007

Reviews

[Luke Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over the next year, I want to read some commonplace books. A commonplace book is just a personalized encyclopedia. It's a way for you to capture and organize quotes, thoughts, and ideas, especially from your reading.

To start out, I wanted to read a commonplace book from an author I did not know anything about, because I wanted to see what the contents would tell me about them. In this case, it told me that we don't share the same worldview... or literary tastes. There are good quotes scattered throughout, but they were crammed into a very confused worldview. And there was one C.S. Lewis quote, but I had to read nine Freud quotes to get to it.

[Juleen Brantingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writer should tell "Source Unknown" to write her own book. In English.

[Malcolm Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of authors quotes...

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this type of books.

Short paragraphs, precise pov and straight to the point. You can start reading at any page, stop at any page, and when you come back, you don’t have to remember what you read before.

I list it under best books I read in the year 2010