How to be Well Read

A guide to 500 great novels and a handful of literary curiosities

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Reference
Cover of the book How to be Well Read by John Sutherland, Random House
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Sutherland ISBN: 9781409039150
Publisher: Random House Publication: May 8, 2014
Imprint: Cornerstone Digital Language: English
Author: John Sutherland
ISBN: 9781409039150
Publisher: Random House
Publication: May 8, 2014
Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
Language: English

As the annual flood of published novels grows ever greater, it’s a hard a job to keep up, let alone sort the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately, literary sleuth and academic John Sutherland is on hand to do precisely that. In the course of over 500 wittily informative pieces he gives us his own very personal take on the most rewarding, most remarkable and, on occasion, most shamelessly enjoyable works of fiction ever written – the perfect reading list for the would-be literary expert.

His taste is impressively eclectic. An appreciation of Apuleius’s The Golden Ass – arguably the first-ever novel – is followed by a consideration of Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger. The Handmaid’s Tale is followed by Hangover Square, Jane Eyre by Jaws. There are imposing Victorian novels, entertaining contemporary thrillers and everything in between, from dystopian works to romance.

The flavour of each is brilliantly evoked and its relative merits or demerits assessed. At the same time, John Sutherland shows how the work fits into a broader context – whether that of the author’s life or of other books from the same genre or period. And he offers endless snippets of intriguing information: did you know, for example, that the Nazis banned Bambi or that William Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying on an upturned wheelbarrow; that Voltaire completed Candide in three days, or that Anna Sewell was paid £20 for Black Beauty?

Encyclopedic and entertaining by turns, this is a wonderful dip-in book, whose opinions will inform and on occasion, no doubt, infuriate. It is also effectively a history of the novel in 500 or so bite-sized pieces.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As the annual flood of published novels grows ever greater, it’s a hard a job to keep up, let alone sort the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately, literary sleuth and academic John Sutherland is on hand to do precisely that. In the course of over 500 wittily informative pieces he gives us his own very personal take on the most rewarding, most remarkable and, on occasion, most shamelessly enjoyable works of fiction ever written – the perfect reading list for the would-be literary expert.

His taste is impressively eclectic. An appreciation of Apuleius’s The Golden Ass – arguably the first-ever novel – is followed by a consideration of Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger. The Handmaid’s Tale is followed by Hangover Square, Jane Eyre by Jaws. There are imposing Victorian novels, entertaining contemporary thrillers and everything in between, from dystopian works to romance.

The flavour of each is brilliantly evoked and its relative merits or demerits assessed. At the same time, John Sutherland shows how the work fits into a broader context – whether that of the author’s life or of other books from the same genre or period. And he offers endless snippets of intriguing information: did you know, for example, that the Nazis banned Bambi or that William Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying on an upturned wheelbarrow; that Voltaire completed Candide in three days, or that Anna Sewell was paid £20 for Black Beauty?

Encyclopedic and entertaining by turns, this is a wonderful dip-in book, whose opinions will inform and on occasion, no doubt, infuriate. It is also effectively a history of the novel in 500 or so bite-sized pieces.

More books from Random House

Cover of the book The Gecko and Sticky: The Power Potion by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Stuff Happens: Lennie by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Todo es silencio by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Skin Trade by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Eleven Days by John Sutherland
Cover of the book I Am the New Black by John Sutherland
Cover of the book La infanta invisible by John Sutherland
Cover of the book 13 razones para hablar con tu hijo adolescente by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Circle of Friends by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Comet by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Where There's Smoke: A Short Story by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Sweet Seduction by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Batman's Hero Files (DC Super Friends) by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Paying for College, 2019 Edition by John Sutherland
Cover of the book Perfect Wedding Speeches and Toasts by John Sutherland
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy