The Novel

THE NOVEL has 4 parts: The Writer, The Editor, The Critic, and The Reader. Loosely, it follows the development of what may be the final novel of an esteemed and popular writer who rose through a traditional publishing career. In the first 2 sections, we follow a novel from a professional, workhorse......more

This book is quite a departure from the "standard" Michener novel: it's contemporary instead of historical, and it has an autobiographical feel to it rather than being the usual sweeping epic Michener was famous for. It presents a road map of the birth of a book from concept to manuscript to final p......more

It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything written by an artist. Most everything has been ‘classic’, in other words, outdated bestsellers. In contrast, this was a book by a very hardworking and gifted author. It was fascinating to read the points-of-view of four different, but interrelated chara......more

James Michener era el autor favorito de mi abuelito. Sentía gran pasión por todos sus libros (aunque explícitamente más por Centennial y Chesapeake) y todavía el año pasado le regalé Tales of the South Pacific. Puede que ése haya sido el último libro que haya leído en su vida. En mi caso, nunca hab......more

Debated about rating it higher. Good coverage of books, publishing, and who decides what's a good book. Why should "they" get to decide what everyone else should think is good? That always bugged me as an English major. This book makes you think it through for yourself and decide your criteria and w......more