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Summary and Reviews of The Reading List Contemporary Fiction by David Rubel

The Reading List Contemporary Fiction by David Rubel

The Reading List Contemporary Fiction

A Critical Guide to the Complete Works of 110 Authors

by David Rubel
  • Paperback:
  • Jun 1998, 368 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Illuminates the work of 125 current novelists who have captured the imagination of the modern reader. Each entry includes critical commentary on the author's published fiction by prominent reviewers, as well as thematic and plot synopses, and a short biography.

A Critical Guide to the Complete Works of 125 Authors

Perfect for reading groups and all book lovers.

Here, at last, is the book to which the more than a quarter-million reading groups and book clubs in this country can turn for the answer to that pressing question: What should we read next?

The Reading List illuminates the work of current novelists who have captured the imagination of the modern reader. Each entry includes critical commentary on the author's published fiction by prominent reviewers, as well as thematic and plot synopses, and a short biography.

The Reading List features a broad spectrum of writers from our shores and abroad whose works are available in English. Stylistically, the authors run the gamut from Cormac McCarthy to Cristina Garcia, from Naguib Mahfouz to Barbara Kingsolver, from Jane Smiley to Salman Rushdie. Now reading groups and independent bookworms alike have a comprehensive, discriminating resource to guide them through their next literary foray.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Chinua Achebe
  • Isabel Allende
  • Dorothy Allison
  • Julia Alvarez
  • Jorge Amado
  • Martin Amis
  • Margaret Atwood
  • Paul Auster
  • Beryl Bainbridge
  • Russell Banks
  • Pat Barker
  • Andrea Barrett
  • Ann Beattie
  • Madison Smartt Bell
  • Amy Bloom
  • T. Coraghessan Boyle
  • Anita Brookner
  • Larry Brown
  • Robert Olen Butler
  • A. S. Byatt
  • Bebe Moore Campbell
  • Sandra Cisneros
  • Pat Conroy
  • Harry Crews
  • Edwidge Danticat
  • Louis de Bernieres
  • Don DeLillo
  • Pete Dexter
  • Joan Didion
  • Stephen Dixon
  • E. L. Doctorow
  • Ivan Doig
  • Roddy Doyle
  • Umberto Eco
  • Louise Erdrich
  • Laura Esquivel
  • Richard Ford
  • Carlos Fuentes
  • Mary Gaitskill
  • Cristina Garcia
  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • Kaye Gibbons
  • Ellen Gilchrist
  • Gail Godwin
  • Francisco Goldman
  • Nadine Gordimer
  • David Guterson
  • Jane Hamilton
  • Jim Harrison
  • ...

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Reviews

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Reader Reviews

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked The Reading List Contemporary Fiction, try these:

  • The Salon.com Reader's Guide to Contemporary Authors jacket

    The Salon.com Reader's Guide to Contemporary Authors

    by Laura Miller

    Published 2000

    About this book

    An all-original, A-to-Z guide to 225 of the most fascinating writers of our time, penned by an international cast of talented young critics and reviewers.

  • About The Author jacket

    About The Author

    by Alfred Glossbrenner

    Published 2000

    About this book

    Offers insider information on America's favorite writers, from Margery Allingham to Evelyn Waugh, from Michael Crichton to Charles Dickens. It gives background on the lives of the writers, what they did before becoming writers, facts about their fans, quirky tidbits, and recommendations for what to read next.


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  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

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