A big thank you goes out to Colleen Mondor at Bookslut for her review of the new Godine novel Correspondence: An Adventure in Letters by N. John Hall. Colleen recommends Correspondence as "an armchair education on Victorian literature":"Dickerson's evolution from mildly interested to deeply committed is a joy to follow and the many lessons on the Victorians that Hall artfully embeds in the text are welcome to anyone who wants to know more without tackling a biography (or night school). In many ways, Correspondence serves as the best sort of English textbook; it contains a bit of a mystery, some warm exchanges between friends, and more than one kind word for some truly great writers. An AP English student would find much here to worth adding to his classroom education but I can't help thinking it is people who find themselves in circumstances similar to Dickerson -- finally with the time on their hands to learn all they missed -- who will most likely embrace it. These are literary lessons at their most amiable and a tonic to the chaos of the world around us."
Such a fine book. Not only do you get the Victorian letters, but the companionable interaction between the Christie's agent and the layman is charming. A must read for lovers of books and for anyone who works in or who has ever worked in art or the humanities.
ReplyDeleteThough I have never seen the second half of this book, I remember taking a look at the manuscript during my days as a Godine intern. I am so glad to see that you did eventually publish it and further that it has been so well received!
ReplyDelete