ckehoe79's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting read about world literature and its effects in the 21st Century in an age of globalization.
akshatk's review against another edition
3.0
Good literary expositions - just that it gives most of the plot points of the novels it discusses.
stefani's review against another edition
4.0
An academic book which delves into the ideas of what is necessary in order to be a global novel. The author uses examples from eight different authors and their specific work do decipher what techniques are utilized in books that are read internationally. From the simplicity of language in Murakami to immigration stories told by Mohsin Hamid and Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, the book tackles these different ideas. Read more like a book of five separate, but similar, essays (one introduction essay, three essays based in comparisons of two separate novels, and two focus on the international appeal, yet local specificity, of a specific piece or series), it's a good quick read if you're interested in the various concepts and ideas of "the global novel".
akshatk's review
3.0
Good literary expositions - just that it gives most of the plot points of the novels it discusses.
balancinghistorybooks's review
3.0
I did find what Kirsch has set out to do very interesting indeed, but his is also a limited approach. He has selected only eight authors with which to discuss the idea of the 'global novel', and these do not cover enough of the world to make his arguments fully believable. There are no writers from Australasia here, for instance, and I believe that had he included more writers, his arguments could have been fuller and more well-realised.
As it is, whilst his essays are certainly readable, they feel incredibly short. I was baffled that somebody would attempt to write about such a large topic in such a restricted space (135 pages is all that The Global Novel runs to), and I have to say that I don't feel the exercise was a wholly successful one. There are some interesting ideas here, and the whole has been well written and pieced together, but so much has been omitted that I cannot give it higher than a three-star rating.
As it is, whilst his essays are certainly readable, they feel incredibly short. I was baffled that somebody would attempt to write about such a large topic in such a restricted space (135 pages is all that The Global Novel runs to), and I have to say that I don't feel the exercise was a wholly successful one. There are some interesting ideas here, and the whole has been well written and pieced together, but so much has been omitted that I cannot give it higher than a three-star rating.
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