{"product_id":"how-to-be-well-read-john-sutherland-9781847946409","title":"How to Be Well Read: A Guide to 500 Great Novels and a Handful of Literary Curiosities","description":"\u003cb\u003eA very personal guide to the best novels ever written, and why they matter\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs 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 more than 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Golden Ass\u003c\/i\u003e--arguably the first-ever novel--is followed by a consideration of Ian Fleming's \u003ci\u003eGoldfinger\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eThe Handmaid's Tale\u003c\/i\u003e is followed by \u003ci\u003eHangover Square\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJane Eyre\u003c\/i\u003e by \u003ci\u003eJaws\u003c\/i\u003e. There are imposing Victorian novels, entertaining contemporary thrillers, and everything in between, from dystopian works to romance. The flavor 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 \u003ci\u003eBambi\u003c\/i\u003e or that William Faulkner wrote \u003ci\u003eAs I Lay Dying\u003c\/i\u003e on an upturned wheelbarrow; that Voltaire completed \u003ci\u003eCandide\u003c\/i\u003e in three days, or that Anna Sewell was paid  20 for \u003ci\u003eBlack Beauty\u003c\/i\u003e? 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Sutherland\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1847946402\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781847946409\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House UK\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/15\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 528\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.00w x 1.90d","brand":"John Sutherland","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44075071471871,"sku":"9781847946409","price":47.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_129a078d-68c0-4f11-b39c-25e33965a6a2.jpg?v=1685457438","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/how-to-be-well-read-john-sutherland-9781847946409","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}