“A fascinating commentary...distills [great works] brilliantly, revealing an architecture to their greatness.” —The Washington Post Book World

“Ought to be dubbed the world's cheapest MFA...Not just a book for writers, but one for readers, too...And for those who want to do more than read, [it] will instruct, illuminate, and most important, inspire.” —St. Petersburg Times

“[This book] will make you, if not a novelist, at least a subtler taster of novels.” —San Antonio Express

“Less a collection of dictums on the craft of the novel than a tribute to its formal complexities and potential through his admiring comments on works by the likes of Flaubert and Cervantes.” —The New York Times Book Review