A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
Book description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Tenth of December comes a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today.
LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD • ONE OF THE…
Why read it?
2 authors picked A Swim in a Pond in the Rain as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Shows the hidden writing techniques of well-known Russian authors and their placement of subtle clues—how they speak to the reader as a conversational equal.
In this way the reader feels welcomed, or initiated, into the creative process of different great writers such as Turgenev, Chekhov, and Tolstoy. This approach enhances the reader’s appreciation and understanding of six Russian classics that the book includes. As a writer myself, though not of fiction, this book had great educational value.
Whether you’re a writer or just curious to understand what makes a short story great, this is the book for you.
Saunders deftly illuminates what makes powerful writing by deconstructing short stories by four masters of Russian literature: Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, and Chekhov. Each story is read in its entirety by a different, excellent narrator, and then Saunders guides you in exploring why the author chose his choices in tone, setting, dialogue, tempo, and, of course, metaphor and plot.
His careful analysis is astute, and his style is conversational. With his guidance, you gradually understand the genius of each writer…
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