In "Shelf-Love," Ben Dolnick recounts his feverish, hilarious, occasionally mortifying love for the writing of Alice Munro; an essay for everyone who has ever truly loved a book, and for anyone who has ever thought about writing one.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Remember the feeling of being hopelessly in love...with an author? Novelist Ben Dolnick's Shelf-Love celebrates his unbridled affair with prolific short story writer Alice Munro. He deftly dissects everything about Munro's work--from its Chekhovian realism to its Roth-like autobiographically-based characters--and this approach may give Shelf-Love a narrow appeal. Dolnick's enthusiasm can be a bit unfocused at times, dwelling on things like the differences between novel and short story readers. ("Life, I've come to believe, is not a novel at all. It's a waist-high stack of Alice Munro stories.") Yet Shelf-Love is not just an ode to Munro. It is also a tribute to anyone who has ever had a rapturous literary crush. At one point, Dolnick shares his favorite passages from Munro's fiction; it becomes clear that this isn't so much a love letter addressed to Munro, but a letter to all readers who have ever found themselves underlining or reading aloud sentences from their favorite authors. --Kevin Nguyen
From AudioFile
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
It feels like Alice Munro has never quite gotten her dues as an author. Her work is both intimately specific and remarkably universal. In 2009, she won the Man Booker International Prize for her literary work, but she's still conspicuously (and notoriously) absent from the Nobel. The gist of Ben Dolnick's essay SHELF-LOVE is that he is in love with the Canadian author. Through the essay, Dolnick explains what it is about Munro's work that makes her such a compelling artist; name-checking Roth and Chekhov, he writes about why he originally dismissed Munro, why he fell in love with her work, and how he feels he can honor her.
Sound too myopic?
Luckily, the real joy that SHELF-LOVE brings is in the same conceits that make Munro a great author: Dolnick's commentary is both specific to his individual situation but universal to anyone who has ever followed an artist. The best insight occurs in the final passages when Dolnick reflects on how we (as fans of artists) can honor their work. The answer? By simply by enjoying it.
SHELF-LOVE is a brief read, but it is reflective, thoughtful, and humorous. I would recommend this Kindle Single to anyone who is a fan of Dolnick's prose (ZOOLOGY) or Munro's work. Even for readers unfamiliar with Munro or Dolnick, the truths revealed here will probably hit close to home. For anyone still on the fence, the Amazon's "Look Inside!" features about a page of Dolnick's writing. Highly recommended.
Sound too myopic?
Luckily, the real joy that SHELF-LOVE brings is in the same conceits that make Munro a great author: Dolnick's commentary is both specific to his individual situation but universal to anyone who has ever followed an artist. The best insight occurs in the final passages when Dolnick reflects on how we (as fans of artists) can honor their work. The answer? By simply by enjoying it.
SHELF-LOVE is a brief read, but it is reflective, thoughtful, and humorous. I would recommend this Kindle Single to anyone who is a fan of Dolnick's prose (ZOOLOGY) or Munro's work. Even for readers unfamiliar with Munro or Dolnick, the truths revealed here will probably hit close to home. For anyone still on the fence, the Amazon's "Look Inside!" features about a page of Dolnick's writing. Highly recommended.
Amazon Verified Purchase
What a funny, thoughtful, smart and entertaining book. Ben Dolnick is the real deal: a graceful writer with a keen intellect and a generous heart. This book is a terrifically engaging account of fandom, writing, and how (and why) we inhabit the stories we read, the good ones at least. I read it in one sitting and remembered why reading is pure bliss. I would highly recommend this book to every writer and reader on the planet.
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