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amycrea's review against another edition
2.0
Probably 2.5. I expected more "how to" from this book, but what I got was mostly a series of book reviews. I think it didn't help that he tried to explore both fiction and nonfiction here--those could be two separate books. (It also didn't help that he dissed Wolf Hall.) There was just so much that was vague: "Sometimes writers use humor in history!" Really? Who knew?
library_bookwyrm's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway, and was thrilled to have won it! It's a wonderful exploration of the art of writing history - both historical fiction and narrative history. Either one, well done, reads as a story, and in The Art of History: Unlocking the Past in Fiction and Nonfiction, Christopher Bram does a masterful job of laying out how those stories are told. In the process, he looks at a number of works incorporating history to some degree, including Love in the Time of Cholera, War and Peace, The Confessions of Nat Turner, and Beloved - as well as a number of other books (along with mentions of shows like Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey). An excellent and engaging short book, highly recommended for those who like reading historical works, fiction or nonfiction, or who enjoy literary analysis generally.
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