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My friend LeAnn Neal Reilly is an aspiring writer who has been working on her first novel for the past 10 years. I believe she is a very talented writer and as such have supported her efforts by providing feedback on early drafts and encouraging her to keep at it. Her hard work has finally paid off and her novel, The Mermaid's Pendant, was released on Amazon.com earlier this month!

LeAnn started promoting the novel through her web site and was featured in an article in the Metro West Daily News last week. Today she held the novel's official launch party at Annie's Book Stop in Framingham, MA, which Melissa and I attended. I'm happy to report that there was a good turnout and, although LeAnn was a little nervous, she did a great job delivering her first public reading.

Here's a photo of LeAnn with her book at today's event. I got my autographed copy and look forward to reading the final version. If you'd like to learn more about the novel, check out LeAnn's web site, where she has a plot summary and video of her reading a chapter. Although I haven't read the final version, I will recommend it based on what I read of one of the near-final drafts. You can buy the book from Amazon.com in paperback or a downloadable version if you have a Kindle e-book reader.

Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. As other reviewers have noted, this was a series of lectures, and therefore should NOT be considered a guide on "how to write a novel." If, however, you have a background in English literature and want to write a novel, then you may find this book an interesting exercise in critical analysis.

I found the sections on story, people (parts 1 and 2), and plot thought-provoking and insightful. What made these sections most interesting were how Forster used examples to explore his analysis. Even though he refers to several novels I have never read, he provided sufficient context that I was able to understand his points with relative ease. Having read these section, I feel that I will be able to assess my own work to see how it stands up in each area.

I struggled a bit with the section on prophecy as it stabbed at my memories of reading Moby Dick, Billy Bud, and The Brothers Karamazov, from almost 20 years ago. Even so, combined with Forster's examples and analysis, I remembered enough to feel like I had a reasonable grasp of the analysis. That said, I think it will be worthwhile to revisit at least one of those books in the near future and then reread this section to see if I really understood it.

When Forster's subjects increased in complexity, diving into the more nuanced aspects of fantasy and patterns & rhythm, I floundered. I found it nearly impossible to fully understand his points without having read the novels from which he drew his examples. The concepts of rhythm & patterns in particular I feel are macro-level elements that one can only really appreciate in the context of having read an entire novel. Because of this, I didn't feel as though his examples could do the concept justice. I have limited experience reading Henry James, and none with Marcel Proust, Anatole France, or Percy Lubbock, all of whose novels Forster used as examples, so I had reason to flounder. And, unlike my interest in Melville or Dostoyevsky's work, I honestly have no interest in reading these authors, so it seems that my only opportunity to gain insight into Forster's analysis on fantasy and rhythm & patterns will be if I read some of his novels in which I hope he managed to demonstrate some of his advice.

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Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a sweet, comedic romp of a story, very unlike previous works of Greene's that I've read--The End of the Affair, Our Man in Havana, and The Quiet American.



I read the Penguin Classics edition which includes a thoughtful introduction which unfortunately has spoilers in it. The introduction also made the book seem to be far more interesting and entertaining than I found it to be. I was no where as intrigued with the hippy girl or the beloved Aunt. Also, I guessed the ending long before it was revealed and was a bit disappointed with it.


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The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had just finished reading Greene's "Travels with My Aunt", which was a sweet, comedic romp. When I picked up this book I wasn't quite sure what to expect. A quick read, I was blown away by the depth of its emotion, the thoughtfulness of its reflection on the nature of marriage and the sincerity of its analysis of what it means to be a Catholic trying to maintain a state of grace in the face of infidelity with a non-Catholic lover. I highly recommend this book.


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Morte D'Urban by J.F. Powers

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
In late 2007 I started working on a series of short stories that reflected on some of my experiences growing up Catholic. I started looking for some novels that has similar themes and came across J.F. Powers, who is described as one of the leading Catholic writers of his time. I read this book thinking it would give me some insights on how other writers have done this.



While I found the story of Father Urban interesting and even mildly entertaining, it was very disappointing in that it didn't give me much in terms of what I was looking for in terms of what it meant to be a person of faith.


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