Famous Writers School
Steven Carter
Counterpoint, 2006
Famous Writers School is composed of the letters and stories of three would-be authors who are taking a correspondence course advertised in the classified pages of a writing magazine. At a cost of only $295, payable by personal check, money order or certified check, students can receive several lessons by mail, plus the comments and advice from a published author, Wendell Newton. Wendell's oddball collection of students includes Rio, an alluring blues singer on whom he quickly develops a crush; Linda Trane, an unhinged housewife who seems to be stalking him; and Dan, a truly talented author of hard-boiled detective fiction. As the novel progresses through the correspondence between each student and Wendell, it becomes apparent that Wendell’s advice is more self-serving than helpful to the students. Not only that, but the students begin to suspect that Wendell Newton has not been completely honest with them regarding his work or his life. Gradually the slender threads of connection between each character become apparent, even as Wendell's imagination careens out of control, causing these stories within the story to come to a screeching halt with very interesting results.
I love the way the author reveals bits of each character’s personality through the stories and letters they submit to Wendell. From Dan’s very publishable detective story to Rio’s airy comments on every little thing that comes into her head, the characters come alive as they respond to Wendell’s criticism and interest in their work. As the letters and stories continue, we start to see that Wendell is far different than he portrayed himself to be. Also, each character comes unraveled a little as the book progresses: Linda becomes kind of scary and crazy, Rio shows she is more than a ditzy stripper, and Dan has some real potential as a writer. In fact, at some point I cared more about the next installment of Dan’s novel in progress than I cared about what was happening with the other characters – until Linda sent in her story about a character that broke into a writer’s house – and suddenly I was caught up in her drama as well.
There are several surprises in this novel, which make it unpredictable and mildly amusing in a wacky sort of way. I very much enjoy epistolary novels like this one, because the reader is not witness to the action but instead must experience it through the characters’ eyes, thereby adding another element to the reading experience: trust. Can we trust all the characters and believe them when they describe their actions? It’s fun to try and figure out what’s true and what’s not, based on the characters’ words themselves. And in this case, the end result is very rewarding indeed.
Steven Carter
Counterpoint, 2006
Famous Writers School is composed of the letters and stories of three would-be authors who are taking a correspondence course advertised in the classified pages of a writing magazine. At a cost of only $295, payable by personal check, money order or certified check, students can receive several lessons by mail, plus the comments and advice from a published author, Wendell Newton. Wendell's oddball collection of students includes Rio, an alluring blues singer on whom he quickly develops a crush; Linda Trane, an unhinged housewife who seems to be stalking him; and Dan, a truly talented author of hard-boiled detective fiction. As the novel progresses through the correspondence between each student and Wendell, it becomes apparent that Wendell’s advice is more self-serving than helpful to the students. Not only that, but the students begin to suspect that Wendell Newton has not been completely honest with them regarding his work or his life. Gradually the slender threads of connection between each character become apparent, even as Wendell's imagination careens out of control, causing these stories within the story to come to a screeching halt with very interesting results.
I love the way the author reveals bits of each character’s personality through the stories and letters they submit to Wendell. From Dan’s very publishable detective story to Rio’s airy comments on every little thing that comes into her head, the characters come alive as they respond to Wendell’s criticism and interest in their work. As the letters and stories continue, we start to see that Wendell is far different than he portrayed himself to be. Also, each character comes unraveled a little as the book progresses: Linda becomes kind of scary and crazy, Rio shows she is more than a ditzy stripper, and Dan has some real potential as a writer. In fact, at some point I cared more about the next installment of Dan’s novel in progress than I cared about what was happening with the other characters – until Linda sent in her story about a character that broke into a writer’s house – and suddenly I was caught up in her drama as well.
There are several surprises in this novel, which make it unpredictable and mildly amusing in a wacky sort of way. I very much enjoy epistolary novels like this one, because the reader is not witness to the action but instead must experience it through the characters’ eyes, thereby adding another element to the reading experience: trust. Can we trust all the characters and believe them when they describe their actions? It’s fun to try and figure out what’s true and what’s not, based on the characters’ words themselves. And in this case, the end result is very rewarding indeed.
Rating:
Other books by this author:
I Was Howard Hughes, 2003
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