In the sixteen short pieces collected here, Alice McDermott touches upon a variety of themes relevant to the writing life. Or, more simply, life. Not strictly a self-help book for writers, it nevertheless reveals numerous lessons she has learned both as an accomplished novelist and as a teacher of would-be novelists.

She writes in an engaging fashion that is always readable, full of insight and wit. And in passing it is often highly illuminating. I especially liked the essays, “What About the Baby?,” and “Only Connect (Eventually)”.

Gently recommended for the would-be novelist in all of us. ( )

This book needs to be on every author’s bookshelf regardless of whether she is a published or an aspiring author.

“What about the Baby?” is full of wondrous advice that doesn’t read like a full-of-himself lecturer pontificating on a topic he has little real knowledge about. For instance, McDermott says, “I expect fiction to be about the pain and sweetness of life.” This gem is true for every writer regardless of the genre being created. And there are dozens of other jewels like this scattered throughout the book.

If you’ve ever thought about writing fiction or have been writing it for years, this book is for you.

My thanks to Macmillan and Edelweiss for an eARC. ( )

We all have authors we trust, for our favored genres. I love the way this author writes, the meticulous way she constructs her stories. This book, describes the craft of writing fiction. What she thinks is important, the trade of her craft, so to speak. First sentence, what makes this opening a memorable and we'll written one. She compares and contrasts paragraphs from many different writers. Those that work, those she found lacking. Reading and rereading everything written down. Continually checking that all your plot points are on target. A book for those who want to write fiction but also a book that shows a reader how to read. Understanding how a book is assembled, put together so a reader can connect and remember.

The book opens with a wonderful story she read in a Irish magazine. A story about a man and dog, rather simple in the telling but one she repeats to other people, many times. I loved this story and I too have repeated it to others. A story that works on many levels. This was a very useful and interesting book. Well done, but then again, I didn't expect anything less.

ARC from Edelweiss ( )

About writing literary fiction--no worrying about penning a bestseller, appealing to the masses. Good advice on how to "just connect" with the reader. Extensive examples and inspirational quotes from Forster, Yeats, Shakespeare, Maxwell, etc.