How To Read A Novel (a User’s Guide)

This is a book about books, novels in particular how they work, what they are about, what makes them good or bad and how to talk about them to kindred spirits. People of all ages, classes and nationalities read novels for much the same variety of reasons – to escape pain or danger, to discover the past or experience the future, to look into the intimate details of other people’s lives. Since classical times readers have been sharing their experiences of literature, today they often do so in the context of a book group. Using a variety of exemplary texts How to Read a Novel forms a series of intelligent conversations, supplying readers with new questions to ask about what they read and the means and confidence to ask those questions. About Author: John Sutherland was until recently Lord Northcliffe Professor of English Literature at University College London. He has twice been on the Man Booker Prize committee, in 2005 as chairman. He is a regular columnist for the Guardian and frequently appears as a critic on radio and television. His books include a bestselling trilogy on literary puzzles and mysteries published by Oxford University Press.