QOTD: Sea Quest

“Writing the Novel” Lawrence Block

• William Estep
• Club reading

Lawrence Block is certainly a very successful writer. He currently has178 books listed on Amazon.com. The introduction starts with Mr. Blocktelling us why he wrote this book:

This is a book designed to help you write a novel. It contains thedistillation of my own experience of twenty years as a publishednovelist, plus a considerable amount that I’ve learned from otherwriters. My goal throughout has been to produce the sort of book Imight have found useful when I set out to write my own first novel.

And he does just that. This is a very entertaining and insightful book.Mr. Block shares many experiences with us as well as much hard learnedknowledge. The opening paragraphs sum up these thoughts:

"Empire Falls (Vintage Contemporaries)" by Richard Russo

• William Estep
• Club reading

Russo’s novel is wonderful! The characters, even the minor characters are real, tangible, quirky, heartwarming and heartbreaking. His writing style is rich and engaging; his style reminds me of John Cheever, or John Updike, John somebody anyway.

Empire Falls, a small mill town in Maine, has seen the last of the good times. Miles Roby grew up in Empire Falls, had a brief chance of escape while in college, but was drawn back because of his mother’s failing health. Now, middle aged and struggling to make ends meet, Miles runs the Empire Grill.

"The Year the Colored Sisters Came to Town" Jacqueline Guidry

• William Estep
• Club reading

This is a story about the year two colored nuns came to a small town in Southern Louisiana to teach at the white Catholic school. One nun was to teach first and one fifth grade. But the real story is about change, and growth.

Vivian Leigh (named after the movie star) is 10 and in the fifth grade. The story follows her, her little sister, and their friends, family, and neighbors. All the people of Vivian Leigh’s little town begin to question their place in the world and how they think about others’ places.