Francine Prose would have been better off slimming down the title of this book. By cutting out the references to writing, not only would she have had a much shorter title but also a more accurate one. Reading: A Guide for People Who Love Books is a better description of what you will find between the books covers. Prose does an amazing job selling the books she mentions, using passages and plot points and her obvious love for the material, but never really connects it to advice on writing other then read these books. Which is strong advice but hardly the subject for a whole book.
I'm certainly not saying this wasn't a good read, just that the title is slightly misleading. I was enthralled by Prose's love and awe for the books she mentioned and her ability to convey those feelings through her writing. There is no doubt that I will be picking up a number of the works she mentions that I haven't already read, not because I feel it will improve my writing but because she has me hooked on the experience of reading them. I want the same visceral experience she obviously had.
My one knock on the book, other then the title, is Prose doesn't include any examples of bad writing. She breaks up her chapters by subjects like sentences, paragraphs, character, plot, etc. and shows examples of writers or novels that showcase these subjects, but never gives examples of missed attempts. What does a bad sentence look like? How does a horrible plot twist read? Not only would these examples have made the book stronger, it would have kept it closer to the promise made by the title.
This is truly a book for people who love books. It will either stir up feelings of joy from books you read or give you a longer list of books you need to read. But if you're a writer looking for words of advice to tighten your prose or clean up your ideas, this book really doesn't have much to offer.
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