This book is a must-read for anyone who loves reading novels as well as for new and experienced writers. Although it covers its subject in great depth and detail, analyzing the novel throughout its history by closely examining 100 (actually, slightly more) representatives of the form, it is such fascinating material and such food for thought that it doesn’t seem academic at all. In fact, a lot of witticisms are scattered throughout (such as, “the biographer is the author’s natural enemy”), as well as useful, practical and compassionate advice for those who aspire to write a novel themselves.

I won’t say that I agree with every theory Smiley posits. She pretty much omits genre fiction, and she takes a highly feminized viewpoint, which I think betrays her reading tastes. Her outlook of the novel as a form that has primarily dealt with the question of what to do about women is likely a result of her bias toward books that focus on female characters and women’s issues; she pretty much dismisses masculine-themed books such as Moby Dick and Heart of Darkness (two personal favorites).

Smiley’s most valuable offering is a short and precise definition of what a novel is that can’t really be argued with: A novel is a lengthy, written, prose narrative with a protagonist. From that starting point, all of her subsequent ideas of what the novel is flow. This is a juicy book, one which I found inspirational both for my reading life and my writing aspirations.

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