A review by ghostmouse
Lives of the Novelists: A History of Fiction in 294 Lives by John Sutherland

3.0

I read this straight through until I came to the 20th century. From there, I began skimming more and more as I got closer to the present. Reading it straight through creates an interesting narrative of the progression of the novel and modern medicine. There is a span when nearly every entry either dies of tuberculosis or their loved ones die. I felt like when it came into the 20th century, perhaps because there wasn’t as much distance, the narrative of time became less compelling. Also I was surprised by some omissions, primarily Louisa May Alcott and Willa Cather, but maybe because I’m an American woman I noticed these and not others. I had checked this out expecting to use it to find authors I would like to read, but it was more compelling as a narrative than a catalogue.