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claredragonfly's review against another edition
4.0
Solid and interesting, if a bit light on the actual writing advice, and not too long. I'm pretty sure some of the ideas will stick with me, and I'll certainly be paying attention to how time is handled in fiction I read!
featherbooks's review against another edition
4.0
[b:The Art of Time in Fiction: As Long as It Takes|6478867|The Art of Time in Fiction As Long as It Takes|Joan Silber|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312028907s/6478867.jpg|6670083]is a craft book for authors, but Silber also has a stellar book list with descriptions of the use of time in fiction. Even without concern for how to use time in a novel or short story, you could read the titles in her bibliography and know what good writing is all about. What a list! From Chekhov's "The Darling" to Henry James ("The Beast in the Jungle"), some Proust and deMaupassant, all the way to Denis Johnson and Alice Munro and Arundhati Roy. Many short stories are included but novels as well. There are translations from Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French and Italian. There are books I have never heard of (Ya Hua's To Live) and short stories I've missed, even a challenge or two such as [b:The Diary Of Soren Kierkegaard|281664|The Diary Of Soren Kierkegaard|Søren Kierkegaard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347742527s/281664.jpg|273239]The Diary of Soren Kierkegaard. I want to jump into a hammock with this list and forget my current fiction pickups at the library. Her clarity and love of literature underlies an informative and helpful discussion of time as it is handled in story, how it is slowed down or speeded up, or circular or fabulously upended but, quoting Kierkegaard, "life can only be understood backward but has to be lived forward." Any which way it moves in time, read Silber's succinct thoughts and explore her bibliography.
coffeeandink's review against another edition
4.0
Novels and stories discussed:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Anton Chekhov, "The Darling"
Flaubert, "A Simple Heart"
Arnold Bennett, The Old Wives' Tale
Guy de Maupassant, A Woman's Life
Yu Hua, To Live
Mentioned in passing:
Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Katherine Mansfield, "Bliss"
James Joyce, Ulysses
V.S. Naipul, A House for Mr. Biswas
Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
Carol Shield, The Stone Diaries
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Anton Chekhov, "The Darling"
Flaubert, "A Simple Heart"
Arnold Bennett, The Old Wives' Tale
Guy de Maupassant, A Woman's Life
Yu Hua, To Live
Mentioned in passing:
Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Katherine Mansfield, "Bliss"
James Joyce, Ulysses
V.S. Naipul, A House for Mr. Biswas
Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
Carol Shield, The Stone Diaries
More...