Where To Buy The Fit by Philip Hensher At The Lowest Price?

Why Buy A The Fit by Philip Hensher?
From the author of The Mulberry Empire comes a short, delicious, rather disorienting novel about an indexer who wakes up one morning to find out that he has just been left by his wife! My wife had gone and I didnt know where she had gone. It would have been terrible if I had liked her but I only loved her. John is an indexer, and a bloody good one at that. He lives in a beautiful house with a beautiful garden, and has a beautiful wife, Janet. (Yes, yes, they are called Janet and John. They know.) But lately, things have begun to go wrong. Thanks to his flawless index for Haddock: The Story of the Fish Which Changed the World, John has become typecast, and a commission for an index for Squid Through the Ages in Poetry and Prose swiftly followed. And to cap it all, hes woken up with a terrible case of the hiccups, and Janet has left him! Wonderfully funny and light, but ultimately very moving, The Fit is English comic writing at its best, from one of the most talented novelists at work today.

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On Moral Fiction A Harper Torchbook- TB 5069 by John Gardner – Save 10% Today!

Why Buy A On Moral Fiction A Harper Torchbook- TB 5069 by John Gardner?
A genuine classic of literary criticism, On Moral Fiction argues that true art is by its nature moral.

Over 11 Five Star Customer Reviews On Amazon!

John Gardner did us a service.
Serious musicians should listen to Beethoven. Serious thinkers should study Kant. Serious writers should read this book.

If creative writers read only this book and Aristotle’s Poetics, the uneven morass that comprises most literature sections of even good bookstores would be cleared. If literary editors and agents read this book instead of trying to shallowly anticipate the market trends, the entire world would be better. Thank you, John Gardner, may you rest in peace, and please Random House, please do not stop publishing this book. And for everyone paying attention at home, buy it or order it from your local independent bookstore.

Obligatory Reading for All Novelists
Gardner defines the mission of the visionary novelist in a way that underlines the essential importance of storytellers to humanity’s hopes and dreams–an approach as relevant in today’s global village as it was when he first wrote it.

Culture bad, Gardner good.
See, it’s not just you. Others, too, have long believed much of the world’s culture to be shoe-scrapingly disgusting, at best. In On Moral Fiction, Gardner explicates the rationale for your judgment. Gardner commands our respect for another reason: He openly heaped contempt upon the literary gods and other poseurs of his time. A man who truly lived. (Why couldn’t I have had teachers like him while at university?)

Look beyond the title
It’s a sad thing that anyone who has read and treasured Gardner’s “On Fiction” should be put off by “On Moral Fiction” thinking it could be a lectionary of sorts. The book deals with the responsibility a writer takes on in being both honest with facts, true to details, and clever with words. This does not diminish when the author’s work is fictional – there must be a seasoning of verisimilitude in every scene for a novel to function at all. We might excuse some light reading if the grammar isn’t appropo, but heaven help us if we come across a period piece where a knight approaches a damsel and croons, “whassssup?”
Anyone who’s published a novel soon learns it’s not about glamor and gold. This book is a keeper – to read again and again – it reminds me of the higher sense of purpose in writing, the reason behind the process. Highly recommended.

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On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner – Save 32% Today!

Why Buy A On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner?
Picture the poor, young, serious-fiction writer. He toils alone at a pace not so different from that of Lincoln Tunnel traffic at rush hour in New York. His spouse has a real job, or perhaps he has a trust fund. His college friends are cashing in on their dot-coms and wondering if hes ever going to join the real world. He is not hell-bent on publication; he is trying to write serious, honest fiction, the kind of novel that readers will find they enjoy reading more than once, the kind of fiction likely to survive. Hes likely to have no idea whether hes succeeding. Nobody understands him.

Well, almost nobody. John Gardner understands him. Gardners sympathetic On Becoming a Novelist is the novelists ultimate comfort food–better than macaroni and cheese, better than chocolate. Gardner, a fiction writer himself (Grendel), knows in his bones the desperate questioning of a writer whos not sure hes up to the task. He recognizes the validation that comes with being published, just as he believes that for a true novel there is generally no substitute for slow, slow baking. Gardner also has strong feelings about what kinds of workshops help (and whom they help), and what kinds hinder. But a full half of Gardners book is devoted to an exploration of the writers nature. The storytellers intelligence, he says, is composed of several qualities, most of which, in normal people, are signs of either immaturity or incivility. In addition, a writer needs verbal sensitivity, accuracy of eye, and an almost demonic compulsiveness. But wait–theres more. A writer needs to be driven, and to be driven, he says insightfully, a psychological wound is helpful. –Jane Steinberg

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• ISBN13: 9780393320039

Over 30 Five Star Customer Reviews On Amazon!

The One Book Novelists Need to Read
Gardner’s “Becoming a Novelist” is a career advice book for authors who are serious about writing novels. (Short story writers need not apply.) John Gardner was not a man to pull his punches, so expect brutal honesty–especially regarding his dim views of most science-fiction, horror, and other genre writing. While I can’t say that I agree with every word that he wrote, “Becoming a Novelist” provides more food for thought for aspiring novelists than a dozen “how-to” writing books. It’s short enough to read in an afternoon–and, believe me, I’ve read it many times on many afternoons when I needed a good life coach to help me with my writing.

Perhaps the best book on writing
I’ve read and re-read this book over the years as a fiction writer of novels and short stories. It’s served me very well. Enough that I’ve committed a lot of it to memory. Any serious writer will find a great amount of truth in this book – his suspicions, his ideas, and his beliefs are sure to be answered by Gardner. On Becoming a Novelist is written in a clear, concise style. It is not full of hints and tips or strategies for plotting, rather it is about the full conciousness of the writer. I believe it to be invaluable for the literary writer – it discusses some extremely important aspects of writing, the writing life, and the writing career. Remember, Gardner was a seasoned pro at both teaching and writing. This book shows his wisdom, his experience, and reaffirms many notions the writer has. Follow this book. Carry it with you. Even if it’s thirty years old, it still holds valid today. As Gardner says, “the pains the writer takes must be his own”. This book belongs in every writer’s collection.

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Where To Buy Get That Novel Written by Donna Levin At The Lowest Price?

Why Buy A Get That Novel Written by Donna Levin?
Levin shows beginning as well as experienced novelists what makes the juiciest conflicts, how to use point of view, and how to get to know the characters. Levin also divdes topics into The Basics and The Finer Points, offering writers two levels of instruction.

Over 6 Five Star Customer Reviews On Amazon!

Excellent Book for Beginning Writers!!!
I purchased this book for my husband who found it to be extremely informative and positive. Unfortunately, I purchased “An Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published” as well, and he read that one first. He almost put down his pencil right then and there. However, I encouraged him to read “Get That Novel Written” and he was renewed, felt inspired, and back on track! The book answers so many questions new novel writers have, and gives clear examples of how to get out of a jam! We would highly recommend this book to anyone writing a novel for the first time, or even the second or third time. A great addition to any writer’s reference material.

Could be better called how to get your act together
I have had a story evolving in my mind for the past few years. When I gave a brief explaination of the story to a friend of mine, she insisted that I write the book. My problem is that I have no idea where to start…until now. This book is extremely useful in providing aspiring writers with a way to organize your thoughts and put that story together right. The concepts are even broken down into Basics for us beginners, then into more complex concepts in a seperate sub-chapter called The Finer Points for when you are feeling a little more confident. Then the last sub-chapter is designed to be read after you have started to give you an ever more refined end product. A must have for those that have never tried to write a novel before.

One of my favorites
I love this book.

Donna Levin really understands the craft, not just as an art, but also as a trade. I couldn’t put the book down because every page gave wonderful advice on how to improve your writing and make it more marketable. Lots of books will tell you the how’s and what’s of good writing, but this book really takes the time to explain the why’s. And best of all it is inspirational and fun to read.

I highly recommend this book, and I’ve bought copies as gifts for my writer friends.

comprehensive
Donna Levin’s wonderfully nitty-gritty manual covers characterization, dialog, plots, sub-plots, point of view, voice, etc. She takes the novice fiction writer through these topics, giving numerous examples from simple to advanced. She includes practical writing exercises incorporating her lessons after each chapter.

When Levin is done revealing the intricacies of novel creation, readers have learned how to write a book of their own. Get That Novel Written! will benefit those with a serious interest in writing fiction.

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Blue Angel A Novel PS by Francine Prose – Save 15% Today!

Why Buy A Blue Angel A Novel PS by Francine Prose?
Francine Prose may never surpass Joyce Carol Oates in the Prolific Olympics, but she is one of those omnipresent writers whom failed writers hate. And surely shell make new enemies with her hilarious and cruel 10th novel, Blue Angel, a satire of academia, specifically of English and writing departments. The setting is Euston College in rural Vermont, a place kids go to if they dont get into Bennington; a place where desperate novelists teach creative writing to rich kids who dont seem to read. Prose, who has taught at all the hotshot workshops, skewers both teachers and students in the way only a true insider could.

Swenson, her writing-teacher protagonist, once published a well-received novel but is now consumed by neuroses and repressed lust, and instead of writing tends to get drunk or morose, or both. But when a gifted student named Angela Argo enters his class, he feels like he is coming back to life. His resurrection into believing in writing again, and his eventual disappointment, form the core of the novel.

Proses gift for satire is stunning as she directs her caustic wit at all the current academic debates: sexual-harassment policies warning against all manner of touching; deconstructionists versus Old School fuddy-duddies; womens studies teachers who bring everything back to the phallocentric Man killing us all. But Blue Angels best passages come when the author is describing truly rotten writers. Heres a Connecticut rich girl, a member of Swensons workshop, who likes to write about all those poor unfortunate nonwhite people. Her story is called First Kiss–Inner City Blues and is written from the point of view of a Latino woman who lives in a trash-strewn neighborhood full of gunfire and bad people. Heres the opening line: The summer heat sat on the hot city street, making it hard for it to breathe, especially for Lydia Sanchez. Its a sentence so bad, its almost a revelation. –Emily White

Over 137 Five Star Customer Reviews On Amazon!

I Fell in Love with a Blue Angel
Francine Prose’s Blue Angel was an assigned book for my modern literature class this passed semester. This was my second taste of Prose, having read Reading Like a Writer the month before. I found Blue Angel to be irresistable and could not put it down. I found Prose’s writing to be incredibly smart and readible. The words flow from the first sentence to the last. Her characters are appropriately developed and either likeable or delightfully infuriating. Our main character, Swenson, becomes like a buddy who you are constantly wanting to slap in the back of the head and urge him to think about his actions for a second. Angela Argo is an anti-heroine I will never forget for the reactions I felt from reading about her.

One thing about Blue Angel is, from the start, you know what is going to happen. In this satire of academia and political correctness, you know exactly what will happen. If you want a bit of mystery, this book might not be for you, but I will say that Prose builds up the whole event in fine fashion. This is the sort of book that one could love for the writing but hate for the story.

If you’re looking for a fun, quick read, Blue Angel is for you.

Takes on the Shallow Politically Correct Atmosphere of Academia
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is an interesting and fun satire on the ‘politically correct’ atmosphere that exists in academia, especially in English Departments.

The novel is told from the point of view of a male English professor who has followed all the rules ’till now’. He finds himself getting royally screwed by a pathologic personality disordered colleague, what is known in the therapy world as a ‘borderline personality’.

I appreciated the comic aspect of the professor’s own perceptions and rationalizations for his behaviors as he decides he no longer wants to follow the rules he’d always adhered to, the unspoken behaviors that a good professor must incorporate into his life. I also laughed out loud at the rhetoric of all the ‘politically correct’ mandates of academia. Ms. Prose makes academia sound like the Gulag. I agree with her 100%.

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