<![CDATA[JMW Editor - Reviews]]>Sat, 23 Nov 2024 04:50:56 -0800Weebly<![CDATA["Chicago: City on the Make" by Nelson Algren]]>Tue, 16 May 2017 00:30:00 GMThttp://www.jmweditor.com/reviews/chicago-city-on-the-make-by-nelson-algrenIn "Chicago: City on the Make", Algren writes a prose poem (essay) about the a city he loved, yet also despised.  As I read this essay about a city that I also love, I really connect with the beautiful language that reflects the good and the bad of the city; if you've spent any time here, you understand the love/hate relationship.  Residents love the beauty, the culture, the food, and the neighborhoods at the same time they hate the politics, corruption, and pretensions.

My favorite quote: "Chicago divided your heart. Leaving you loving the joint for keeps. Yet knowing it can never love you."

So, why should writers (whether or not they are residents of Chicago) read this book?
  • He writes beautifully.  It really is poetry in prose form.
  • The notes for each chapter help. He did not provide the notes, but later contributors did. If a writer is going to write something complex and not easy to understand on its own, give your readers the tools they need to understand.  If you don't, readers get to interpret meaning in any way they wish!
  • The author's feelings come through.  Since this is an autobiography/historical chronically/ poem, readers really need to connect to the connect.
]]><![CDATA["The Princess Bride" by William Goldman]]>Sat, 15 Apr 2017 21:10:16 GMThttp://www.jmweditor.com/reviews/the-princess-bride-by-william-goldmanMost people are familiar with the 1987 movie "The Princess Bride" as it is now considered a classic, and it has even achieved cult status. But most people don't realize that it is a movie based on a book.

Writers should read this book for several reasons:
  1. it is an enjoyable and funny book; 
  2. the introduction is a great example on how to use an intro to, well, introduce the tone of the story and to introduce the narrator;
  3. the narrator is used in such a way that he becomes as important to readers as the characters; and
  4. the occasional and deliberate use of anachronisms enhances the story (through humor) rather than detracts from the story.

Note: Anachronisms are normally not okay, but occasionally someone has to successfully break a rule in order to underscore the importance of that rule.
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