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13 Ways of Looking at the Novel [Paperback]

Jane Smiley (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engaging. . . . Down-to-earth. . . . Smiley’s unmediated voice–blunt, uncompromising and witty–rings from every page. . . . She inspires wicked delight.” –Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A massive victory. . . . Awfully smart. . . . Always a pleasure.” –The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Provocative. . . . Wise and humane. . . . It reminds readers of the novel why they love their avocation. . . . I most heartily recommend it.” –Marjorie Kehe, The Christian Science Monitor

“Thorough, insightful. . . . Sure to inspire delicious debate and excite interest in undiscovered works. . . . Her critiques are shrewd, artful and unflinching. . . . Thirteen Ways continues to whisper its profundities long after the last page is turned.” –Rocky Mountain News

Product Description

Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling novelist Jane Smiley celebrates the novel–and takes us on an exhilarating tour through one hundred of them–in this seductive and immensely rewarding literary tribute.

In her inimitable style–exuberant, candid, opinionated–Smiley explores the power of the novel, looking at its history and variety, its cultural impact, and just how it works its magic. She invites us behind the scenes of novel-writing, sharing her own habits and spilling the secrets of her craft. And she offers priceless advice to aspiring authors. As she works her way through one hundred novels–from classics such as the thousand-year-old Tale of Genji to recent fiction by Zadie Smith and Alice Munro–she infects us anew with the passion for reading that is the governing spirit of this gift to book lovers everywhere.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Anchor (September 12, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1400033187
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400033188
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #307,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars On the contrary, April 28, 2007
By Tommy Barban (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel (Paperback)
Contrary to the opinion expressed by the previous reviewer, I found the first section of the book, a detailed and personable analysis of the structure and development of the novel as a literary form over time, to be informative, provocative and amusing, while the second section, a compilation of far too brief and schematic reviews of 101 novels, seemed trite and unhelpful (in fact, the comments and quotations about those novels that Ms. Smiley intersperses in the first section to illustrate her arguments are often more stimulating and insightful than the specific reviews). As a result, I would recommend this book highly to anyone keen on becoming a writer or learning more about the inner workings of the novel, but not to those who are looking simply for reading lists or book-club suggestions.

Ps. The title refers to the beautiful poem by Wallace Stevens, "Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird."
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What non-fiction readers should know about the novel, July 17, 2007
By Max Rottersman (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel (Paperback)
I read mostly non-fiction and view novels as overly descriptive pieces for people who believe in storytelling as an Art with a capital A. After reading over 100 pages of this book I realize I've been sitting on a high horse of my own. My opinion of the novel was narrow and simplistic. Smiley makes a place for every sort of novel and author at her table, without negative judgment, and it makes for interesting talk. Her ideas are lively and interesting. She really opened my eyes and could have easily titled the book "Infinite Ways of Looking At the Novel". This book is going to get me back to reading more novels. I never expected to have that reaction to this book. Indeed, I probably started it looking to bolster my low opinion of novelists.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Some might enjoy only half of this book, April 12, 2007
By ostawookiee "ostawookiee" (Winston-Salem, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel (Paperback)
The first half of the book is a philosophical/intellectual discussion of different aspects of a novel (point of view, plot, story type, etc) along with some historical consideration of how the "novel" format has developed over time. Smiley seems to get off-track in parts of this section, and I found myself getting bored from time to time as she expounded too much on a chapter's thesis.

The second half of the book is really awesome. A compendium of 101 novels, with a 1-3 page synopsis of why the novel is important. It's a nice reference for choosing a "great" book to read without resorting to a high school curriculum list. Beware, Smiley goes into detail about plot, so there are spoilers in her descriptions of the novels.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but idiosyncratic
In assigning three stars to this book I may be misleading the reader. For those attuned to Jane Smiley's sensibility, this will be a five-star book; for those who are not it will... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Richard B. Schwartz

3.0 out of 5 stars Scattered thoughts of an author in search of her muse? Buy it anyway?
My sense is that this book is best suited to precisely no one. The literary elite can find much more sophisticated and scholarly analyses of what a novel is. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Quickhappy

4.0 out of 5 stars Thirteen plus ways to look at a novel
"13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" by Jane Smiley was very informative to me as an avid reader. It provided in-depth information on how to read a novel more closely, in addition... Read more
Published on February 15, 2008 by LATH

4.0 out of 5 stars The beauty of inflections or the beauty of innuendoes
Very interesting. Smiley has refreshing opinions on how novels are written and how they achieve their effects -- such as the relative entertainment value of the first-person... Read more
Published on September 24, 2007 by Susan W

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