jo_k's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
3.0
Har inspireret mig til at begynde at reflektere mere over de bøger jeg læser, og til at skrive det ned, bare til mig selv. Jeg vil gå tilbage og gøre dette ved de bøger, der stadig er friske i min hukommelse.
lifesaverscandyofficial's review
essentially impossible to rate. enjoyable on the level of, like, I love Forster and I would happily read him on anything, but probably a lot more useful a """guide""" if you are more familiar with the canon he's drawing from.
frtps's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Reflections on the novel by a novelist. You will not necessarily find the nuts and bolts of how to write a novel here, but you will find many stimulating ideas about ways to assess and engage with a novel, and what you might try to do to improve your own novel. There is a great deal of humour, some of it a little hidden as each chapter was originally a lecture and the tone of voice is lost.
The weakest parts are those that talk about "prophecy". I found it difficult to understand quite what E. M. Forster was getting at; the rest of the chapters were very accessible and thought-provoking. I particularly liked the first chapter on "story", where EM Forster's view on "story" being the most primitive part of the novel, and in a sense the most odious, accords with my way of classifying the most basic novels as entertainment if all they do is provide an engaging narrative.
The lectures were delivered almost a hundred years ago, and many novels have been written since then; it would be interesting to think about more recent novels in the terms that EM Forster does here.
The weakest parts are those that talk about "prophecy". I found it difficult to understand quite what E. M. Forster was getting at; the rest of the chapters were very accessible and thought-provoking. I particularly liked the first chapter on "story", where EM Forster's view on "story" being the most primitive part of the novel, and in a sense the most odious, accords with my way of classifying the most basic novels as entertainment if all they do is provide an engaging narrative.
The lectures were delivered almost a hundred years ago, and many novels have been written since then; it would be interesting to think about more recent novels in the terms that EM Forster does here.
josiahdegraaf's review against another edition
3.0
Decent enough book on writing. The chapters were pretty hit or miss. When they hit, they were really good (e.g., the chapters on characters and plot), but when they didn't they weren't so great (e.g., the chapters on story and fantasy). It's a different look at novel from a writing point-of-view since it's more focused on the novel as genre than how to actually write it, but it was definitely a helpful perspective to read.
Rating: 3.5 Stars (Good).
Rating: 3.5 Stars (Good).