Customer Reviews

The Fiction Class

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE FICTION CLASS by Susan Breen
March 26, 2008

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Here is a book that caught me by surprise. THE FICTION CLASS centered on a frustrated writer who taught a weekly writing class once a week. At the same time, she was also dealing with an aging parent. Arabelle and her mother never got along, and while Arabelle went to visit her every week, it was out of duty and guilt, not love. But because of her writing class, she forms a new bond with her mother and begins to learn more about the woman that raised her.

While Arabelle's relationship with her mother changes, so does her relationship with her students of her weekly fiction writing class. I marveled at the depth of each character, and how real Breen was able to make each character appear. The class goes from strangers to friends, and I enjoyed the parallel experiences that Arabelle had inside the classroom and in the home where her mother now resided. One student in particular strikes a nerve with Arabelle, and he's the one that in a way bridges her life in the classroom with the life she has with her dying mother.

A short and fast read, yet full of depth, THE FICTION CLASS may end up on my list of top books for 2008. The subject matter was what I was able to relate to, a woman coming to terms with the relationship she had with her mother, a relationship that was at best stormy and fragile.

The most interesting parts of this book were the lessons the main character, Arabella, gave to her class on fiction writing. Having said that, give me Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird" or Stephen King's "On Writing" any day of the week if I want to learn more about the craft of writing. Of all the characters in the book, the only ones I really liked were Arabella and her mother. Likewise, the story of the two of them working out their relationship as she approaches death in a nursing home was engaging. I didn't care about any of of the other characters (the students in her fiction class), nor did their attitudes, backgrounds and reasons for coming together in this fiction class ring true. None of the characters were well drawn enough to pull me in and want to know more about them. They were there to create bulk for the book and to make it seem as if there were more to the story than there really was. Ditto on the "love interest." I was never given a reason to believe that these two people would come together, nor did I see any reason why they would stay together. The whole romance seemed contrived, as if the author felt a book solely about a daughter and her dying mother wouldn't sell well. The book was entertaining enough as a quick read, but it's not a keeper.

Susan Breen's novel The Fiction Class (Plume, 2008) is a book that kept my attention from beginning to end. This book interweaves the challenges of writing and teaching writing with the challenges of life itself.

Arabella Hicks, named for the heroine of her mother's favorite romance novel, balances copy editing jobs and weekly visits to her argumentative, hostile mother in a nursing home with teaching fiction writing to a varied adult ed class.

Arabella is 38, single, isolated, unsure of herself, and still grieving for her father, who died after many depressing years in a wheelchair as the result of Multiple Schlerosis. Her mother has advanced Parkinson's Disease.

A further depressing fact is Arabella's inability to conclude the novel she's been working on for seven years, Courting Disaster.

Her Wednesdays form a pattern: teach the class, then visit her mother, Vera Hicks, bringing coveted fast food that may or may not be appreciated. Vera's condition and mood swings are impossible to predict, so Arabella approaches the visits with dread.

Like many writing teachers, Arabella seems to rely on her students' written work to get to know them. Ironically, when her talk about the class inspires Vera to write a story of her own, Arabella learns about her mother as well.

The newly-awakened Arabella learns, in a sense, to believe in miracles as she finally begins to understand her students and her mother and to open her heart to love. and as that happens, she can begin a new novel.

The connections between real life and fiction have always fascinated me. My experiences as a reader, writer, teacher and visitor of my own mother in a nursing home make The Fiction Class ring amazingly true to me. The book also supports my belief in the power of writing for all, something that Arabella and Vera and most of the writing class students seem to discover as well.

The Fiction Class by Susan Breen is a poignant and touching tale a woman who teaches a fiction writing class who is struggling to complete her novel, caring for her ailing mother, and trying to find love.

Each chapter starts with Arabella's fiction writing class and features the lesson for that day, such as theme, voice, and pacing. Each class's writing theme is also a life theme in the novel. The students in Arabella's class are all interesting characters themselves and feature prominently in the novel; especially Chuck, who becomes Arabella's love interest.

The strongest theme in the novel is the mother/daughter relationship that has been a lifelong source of pain between Arabella and her mother, Vera. The two have had a tortured and difficult relationship since Arabella was a child. Through the course of the book, the two women gain insight and understanding into each other's motivations and thoughts through the treasured acts of reading and writing.

Not only is The Fiction Class a good read but it is also a good course in writing instruction for the budding fiction writer wannabe. Breen puts each of Arabella's writing assignments on a separate page before each chapter. I know that I will be doing the exercises to hone my writing skills!

The blurb on the back cover of this novel summarizes this book perfectly, it says: "A heartwarming story for anyone who loves books, or has a difficult mother. And, let's face it, that's practically everybody...."

If you're a frustrated writer, this book is for you. All of us think we have a book 'in us' but few do. Reading this book was not only incredibly enjoyable, it really was like taking a fiction class, with pointers at the end of each chapter. The characters were instantly recognizable as living, breathing beings and I could easily see this as a great film. I was sorry when the book ended. I can only hope that Breen writes a sequel based on events at the end of the book. A "must" read!

The Fiction Class is the perfect present from a daughter to her mother. Or from a mother to her daughter. It can be a way to bridge those awkward relationships, or to build on them. A wonderful read that not only looks the mother/child conundrum straight in the eye without blinking, but gives you hope that you can mend yours. And for any writer, a plethora of useful information in the most enjoyable way. Bravo to Susan Breen.
Martha Frankel Hats & Eyeglasses: A Family Love Affair with Gambling

This is the story of a woman still growing up. Arabella struggles with her self-image, her writing aspirations and taking care of her elderly mother. While teaching a writing class, she learns a few lessons herself - about life, love and the written word.

Susan Breen has written a beautiful and inspiring story with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Read it! There are so many layers to this book, you'll find something that touches you or inspires you.

This is a beautifully written book that I'll be recommending to my book club, because I'm sure it will also make for a wonderful discussion. Some books, while thoroughly enjoyable, don't necessarily lend themselves well to book groups. THE FICTION CLASS deals with perhaps the most complex relationship of all: mothers and daughters, and does so with insight and warmth. As a writer, a side benefit for me was also the fabulous "fiction class" contained within the story. Now, I wish I could actually take one in person from Ms. Breen, but this is a great next-best-thing.

I loved this book! It has romance and sorrow. The characters sound like the people I've known in my UCLA fiction classes with all their quirks and astounding abilities. The protagonist is real in her struggles with her writing, her mother, and her work. I read this book in a day because I couldn't put it down. Enjoy!

This wonderful book had me laughing and crying. What fantastic descriptions of charactors. Reading how the people in the class developed and grew and how the understanding and love between mother and daughter was discovered and finally realized and shared was beautiful. Miracles can happen! Would love to know what happens to all of them in the future so how about another book!!!!!