Hello!
I have been pretty busy recently, and that has caused me to not read for enjoyment in a long time. I am thinking, maybe, that this can change that. I am looking for shorter novels with excellent prose. Something where I am astonished by the amazing writing. I would prefer if it was 200-250 pages.
I do not really care about the genre or plot, I tend to get into most books plot, no matter the genre. It just helps significantly if the writing is breathtaking.
by Beneficial_One_1062
19 Comments
Orlando, by Virginia Woolf.
The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway.
I just ripped through City of Thieves by David Benioff. Couldn’t put it down. Finishing it felt like a personal loss.
Raymond Carver’s short story collections. It’s shocking how much he can convey in a few short pages.
Herman Hesse
Most of Lily Tuck’s books especially The Rest is Memory. Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal (but could be quite depressing), lovely imagery though!!
My Antonia – Willa Cather
This Is How You Lose The Time War. It’s shorter and the writing is very evocative.
Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. One of the best I read last year of any length.
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
The stranger – Albert Camus
Lord of the flies – William Golding
Animal farm – George Orwell
I just started All Systems Red (Murderbot series) by Martha Wells and am very hooked. Kinda like a cheeky version of Lost in Space, first book is only about 150 pages. Not my usual genre but I was intrigued by reviews and the page count made the risk minimal.
Cannery Row
Selected Writings of Truman Capote- the edition published in 1963- is primarily short stories. The quality of his prose is that of one of the masters of the 20th century. It includes fiction and nonfiction. I love his early short stories.
He is a stylist, first and foremost.
If you’re wanting a novella, I’d recommend his book Breakfast at Tiffany’s( 120 pages or so?).
But I’d start with Selected Writings of Truman Capote ( 1963 edition).
I just read Train Dreams by Denis Johnson and loved it.
I’ve also really been enjoying Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume books. There are currently 3 published in English.
Two other short books I read this year a really liked are The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden and The Cafe with No Name by Robert Seethaler. Very different books, but they both take place in post war Europe which is a time period I’ve been interested in lately.
The Fall by Albert Camus
Lolita. Difficult book, monstrous men, but the most beautiful prose.
The Slow Horses series by Mick Herron.
I who have never known men. Short and worth the hype for me.