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binchsensei's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Like a brief overview of my college degree! Helpful lil refresher. Lots of close reading.
emannuelk's review against another edition
4.0
Prose apresenta aqui as principais ideias que transmite nos seus cursos de escrita criativa, inclusive com alguns causos direto das salas de aula. Algumas das ideias são já bastante conhecidas, mas que merecem ser relembradas. O foco da autora em se utilizar de trechos de diversas obras, no entanto, é o que parece haver de mais especial. Alguns desses trechos deixam bem evidentes os pontos que autora tenta fazer, outros, talvez pela limitação da extensão, não conseguem o mesmo sucesso. Ainda assim, a fuga dos chavões da literatura comercial e a busca de inspiração e técnica nos "clássicos", particularmente Tchékov, dão o tom das lições, através das quais mesmo alguém que nunca leu uma obra de ficção de Prose pode ter uma ideia de como devem ser.
hellohannahk's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
For a while I avoided this book because I thought it was geared more toward how to read than how to write. But someone recommended it as the best writing craft book they knew of, so I gave it a chance. It did not disappoint!
It took me a while to get used to the format...jumping in and out of different story worlds in the excerpts she had from different books. It made me want to put the book down and go read all the books she was quoting. But there were enough familiar ones and enough good writing advice in between to keep me going. The writing advice was very good. Made me approach my own writing in new ways and think critically about new things, such as where I break my paragraphs.
I'd recommend this to any writer for sure!
For a while I avoided this book because I thought it was geared more toward how to read than how to write. But someone recommended it as the best writing craft book they knew of, so I gave it a chance. It did not disappoint!
It took me a while to get used to the format...jumping in and out of different story worlds in the excerpts she had from different books. It made me want to put the book down and go read all the books she was quoting. But there were enough familiar ones and enough good writing advice in between to keep me going. The writing advice was very good. Made me approach my own writing in new ways and think critically about new things, such as where I break my paragraphs.
I'd recommend this to any writer for sure!
jackhalfawake's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I think the value and enjoyment that one gets out of this book has a lot to do with what you think of Francine Prose's taste in fiction. She is quite confident in her opinions of the 'great books', and her carefully curated selection gives a clear idea of what she thinks literature is and should be: the higly crafted exploration of character and circumstance, as a lens to look at truth and beauty.
If you are less interested in the minutia of writing, this book will be less than useful. The first chapter is on the art of close reading and, frankly, the rest of the book is on the art of close writing. Prose's chapters each focus on a particular aspect of writing: from words to sentences to paragraphs, then onward to character, dialogue, and gesture; each chapter is endowed with copious examples pulled from literary fiction (classic and contemporary) accompanied by minimal commentary. But the book doesn't really give a clear sense on how to pull things all these disparate parts into a cohesive whole, or how to actually put them into practice. This is a book for becoming a better reader more than it is for becoming a better writer.
Reading this book made me wish I attended a class taught by Francine Prose so I could ask follow-up questions to some of the ideas presented, and so I could actually attempt to put these ideas into practice and get her feedback on how it went.
Anyways, I do not regret reading it, and will certainly check out many of the examples she cites in the next.
If you are less interested in the minutia of writing, this book will be less than useful. The first chapter is on the art of close reading and, frankly, the rest of the book is on the art of close writing. Prose's chapters each focus on a particular aspect of writing: from words to sentences to paragraphs, then onward to character, dialogue, and gesture; each chapter is endowed with copious examples pulled from literary fiction (classic and contemporary) accompanied by minimal commentary. But the book doesn't really give a clear sense on how to pull things all these disparate parts into a cohesive whole, or how to actually put them into practice. This is a book for becoming a better reader more than it is for becoming a better writer.
Reading this book made me wish I attended a class taught by Francine Prose so I could ask follow-up questions to some of the ideas presented, and so I could actually attempt to put these ideas into practice and get her feedback on how it went.
Anyways, I do not regret reading it, and will certainly check out many of the examples she cites in the next.
gailbird's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
d5lefko's review against another edition
2.0
2.5. Wanted it to be a lot more insightful than it was. About 80% of it was just long quotations from the author’s favorite books, which the author would then admire but not dissect. A few good bits, but not many.
sabrinaliterary's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up when I realized what a greedy reader I am-- I swallow my pages whole instead of stopping to savor them. Reading Like a Writer is the perfect cure, and I find that I have been enjoying reading and consciously carving out more time for it in my life since I started this book.
The book begins with a chapter on individual words, then sentences, paragraphs, dialogue, characters, and so on. There are excerpts from well-known works that illustrate masterful command of words, and these passages are delightful to read out loud.
The book ends with a list of Books to Read Immediately, and I am looking forward to re-reading favorites with a discerning eye and enjoying others for the first time. I highly recommend this book for people who love to read, and if you want to write I think you will be inspired.
The book begins with a chapter on individual words, then sentences, paragraphs, dialogue, characters, and so on. There are excerpts from well-known works that illustrate masterful command of words, and these passages are delightful to read out loud.
The book ends with a list of Books to Read Immediately, and I am looking forward to re-reading favorites with a discerning eye and enjoying others for the first time. I highly recommend this book for people who love to read, and if you want to write I think you will be inspired.