Favorite Authors
I frequently get asked who my favorite writers are, I guess because, naturally, as a writer and an English teacher, the subject comes up. My “go to” author is Margaret Atwood. Her work is consistently well-written, fresh, and insightful of both contemporary and universal issues. I love her quirky feminism, her willingness to take on subjects both big and small.
I think the first novel of Atwood’s I read was The Handmaid’s Tale when I was a teenager. It is a dystopian tale about a future America controlled by fundamentalist Christians–Puritans, really. Having spent time at Radcliffe, Atwood drew on the Puritan roots of the Boston area to develop the setting and context. But unlike some feminist novels, the story is a very human one, revolving around the captivity of the central female figure, who has been separated from her family. If this kind of thing doesn’t appeal to your tastes, you might try a novel like Cat’s Eye (another one of my faves), which is a coming-of-age novel that is more firmly entrenched in a realistic setting. One of her more recent novels is The Penelopiad, a thoroughly readable spin on The Odyssey, a tongue-in-cheek satire of sorts that tells Penelope’s point of view. I’ve had fun reading and sharing this with my literature classes, where I often assign “rereadings” of classics.
Jane Smiley is an author who has become a top choice more recently, though I have yet to read two of her more popular books — A Thousand Acres and Moo. I learned a lot about literature, reading, and writing from reading 13 Ways of Looking at a Novel–a great tome for anyone who writes (or is interested in) writing novels, as well as any literature buffs. In addition to in-depth chapters about the different aspects of reading novels, she lists the 100 novels she read, a project she took up after 9/11.
Another author whose work I’ve come to really like, though some books more than others, is Tracy Chevalier. Girl with a Pearl Earring is mesmerizing. Her other novels are good, but don’t reach the level of quality as that one, though I have to say I listened to Burning Bright as an audiobook and was really taken up by the story that she weaves around William Blake. I recently saw it on sale at the bookstore and couldn’t resist buying it so that I could actually see the words on the page and get caught up in the story again. I think this one proves her to be one of the enduring masters.
More than authors, I might also mention some books I particularly admire (in no particular order–I couldn’t dream of trying to rank them). These are the books that I really loved, that I hated having to put down.
Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones. The way in which she handles the narrative point of view (told from the perspective of a dead girl looking at the world she left behind), despite really needing to suspend disbelief, really works.
Toni Morrison, Beloved. This novel has gotten a lot of hype and has become something of a classic. I’ve assigned it in my lit class with good reception. It’s one of the “must-reads” on anyone’s list.
Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies. I like all of Alvarez’s work, but having a preference for novels rooted in historical reality, this is one of my favorites.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Hundred Years of Solitude; Love in the Time of Cholera. Marquez has his own style, but you’ll find yourself engrossed in the story very quickly. His prose is lush and rich, an antidote to Hemingway-esque simplicity.
Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice. Really, any of her novels are wonderful. It’s truly amazing how popular her work is today… perhaps the subject of another post. I have to admit I have yet to read Persuasion, but it’s on my list (and I’ve seen various movie versions).
Some (relatively) recent books you might have never heard of, but may want to check out.
The Last Testament of Gideon Mack, by James Robertson. This book was actually recommended by my husband, who is not the avid reader I am. It’s strange and funny and curiously engaging. It leaves you kind of with an unfinished feeling at the end, but that might be on purpose (you’ll know what I mean when you read it!). The premise is an atheist Scottish minister who meets the devil. Sounds absolutely ridiculous–and it is–but Robertson pulls it off!
Elle, by Douglas Glover. Okay, he was my fiction teacher in grad school, but I really loved this book. Another historical book, but it’s weird and (sometimes) funny. It takes place in the early colonial period of Canada; basically a girl who comes to Canada finds refuge with natives (and some bears, too, I believe).
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon. I found this strangely engaging and sad.
The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides. If anything, if you’re wondering how to pull off a first-person plural point of view (‘we’), read this book.
(Funny how these are all men, when the list above it is nearly all women! Go figure.)
