The Novel

Rating:
Summary: For those smaller Michener appetites
Review: "The Novel" is one of Michener's last works, and it must also be one of his shortest. Far less ambitious than most of his signature historical novels, it tells a story closer to home for him - both literally and figuratively. It centers on the two worlds he probably knew best: the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the publishing industry.

The subject at hand is, ostensibly, an aging novelist and questions about the likely success of his anticipated new book. But Michener really just uses the story as a backdrop for four autobiographical sketches of the author and three people who figure in his life and career. Most of the story is not as suspenseful as some of the review quotes would have you believe, but the stories of the four characters and how they found themselves in their current situations are immediately engaging, tension or no tension. If nothing else, I definitely wanted to find out how they ended up.

Along the way, Michener throws in what I'm sure are several knowing jokes about the literary world in all its snobbery, notably a lengthy battle between two characters over the merits of Longfellow and a wonderfully awful "experimental" novel which the critics, predictably enough, love. If Michener himself weren't so highly regarded throughout his career, I would suspect him of intending many of the dialogue exchanges as digs at his critics. As it is, perhaps he meant comments like "there are novels critics like, and novels readers love" as a more generalzied swipe at the establishment he was so familiar with. The good news for us, of course, is that Michener was both. This is another great sample of his talent.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed results for Mr. Michener
Review: If you are interested in the details of the publishing industry, this is a good book for you. Very informative and interesting. If you want a gripping novel, forget about it. If you want well-crafted, believable prose and dialogue, you won't find it here. This is one of Michener's later books, and he clearly was losing it in old age. "Recessional" is another example. The dialogue in "The Novel" is formal, stilted and unbelievable. To use an oft-repeated Michener phrase from his great novel "The Source," the dialogue here is "stiff-necked." It is the dialogue of a stuffy old man. The book is divided into four parts, each "written" by four different people: an author, an editor, a critic and a reader. And they all talk exactly the same way! The foursome is addicted to repeated use of adjectives like "fine" and "handsome." But, as I said, it's an interesting glance into the publishing world.

Rating:
Summary: a Look at a life of a Novel by the only man that could do it
Review: James Michener once again uses his craft to tell a story that he knows best: the story of a Novel. An interesting note about this book is that it is divided into four parts, and each part is narrarated by a different person, each a different part of the writing process. First, the Writer tells of his life in Dutch Pennsylavania and the trials of writing his final novel. Next, his Editor tells of her past and how she came to be one of the best in her business and her battle to keep her writer from being dropped. Third, a Critic, who teaches a a near-by college, tells of his own struggle to be a writer and his envy of the Writer's fame. Finally, the Reader becomes involved with the other three to solve a mystery that affects them all. As always, Michener both entertains and educates. This is a must-read for anyone who is a writer, wants to be a writer, or just likes to read.

Rating:
Summary: Michener's Little Chuckle
Review: What I loved best about this story was the way Michener made us believe that people in the book business (agent, critic, etc.) took seriously, even lauded, the nonsensical novel by a young writer. The subject novel, quoted at length, had pages written upside down and sideways, no story line, no plot -- it was nonsense, complete nonsense. Mercifully, Michener did not allow the young writer to write another such gem.