The Master

By Colm Toίbίn,

Book cover of The Master

Book description

Nineteenth-century writer Henry James is heartbroken when his first play performs poorly in contrast to Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" and struggles with subsequent doubts about his sexual identity.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

4 authors picked The Master as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This novel is in the POV of Henry James, following him around England and the world during the last years of his life, watching him pick up threads of inspiration for his stories. The reader is privy to his awful, slow awareness of how he had irreparably hurt the women in his life, including his sister.

And yet, he defends the selfishness he needed to do his art. Written in his style, which he referred to as “The Mystery of the Self,” you have to love his writing to love this book, and I did. Some people don’t.

Best quote…

This is not a new book, but after listening to Tobin speak in 2022, I wanted to read his treatment of Henry James, an author who always intrigued me because of his devotion to writing, choice to live as an ex-pat, and highly intelligent, slightly crazy family. Among other things, I learned from Tobin that James’s family wasn’t just slightly crazy.

The book is a beautiful examination of the differences between solitude and loneliness, and I was fascinated to read of the many ways in which the people who mattered to James in his life found their way, reimagined, into…

How much would you be willing to give up for fame and greatness?

By 1895, Henry James had written a number of all-time classics, including Daisy Miller and The Portrait of a Lady, but had never achieved the kind of commercial or popular success he thought he deserved. So in his fifties, he started writing for the theater, hoping to break through.

The Master begins with the London opening of his play Guy Domville, which turns out to be a flop, and follows James as he comes to terms with this failure, and all the other sacrifices he has to…

From Benjamin's list on historical fiction about famous writers.

If you love The Master...

Ad

Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: “Are his love songs closer to heaven than dying?” Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard it…

The Master is a bravura portrayal of a great writer and a complex, lonely individual. The novel begins when James is at a low point in his writing career. We often forget that great writers have these lows, but for any writer the writing life is full of insecurity and real or imagined failure and James was no exception. At the start of this novel, he has chosen to retreat from public life by buying a house in Rye, England. In this new, private existence, he endures the consequences of his need for a protected space in which to write,…

If you love The Master...

Ad

Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: “Are his love songs closer to heaven than dying?” Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard it…

Want books like The Master?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 78 books like The Master.

Browse books like The Master

Book cover of Regeneration
Book cover of Wolf Hall
Book cover of Hamnet

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,005

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Master, you might also like...

Book cover of A Beggar's Bargain

A Beggar's Bargain by Jan Sikes,

A shocking proposal that changes everything.

Desperate to honor his father’s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm. Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure…

Book cover of Resting Places

Resting Places by Michael C. White,

Resting Places follows one woman’s journey after the devastating news of her son’s death. Elizabeth ekes out a lonely and strained relationship with her husband while trying to lose her grief in alcohol. A chance meeting with a man on the side of the road spurs her to travel cross-country…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in authors, London, and expats?

Authors 200 books
London 873 books
Expats 17 books