The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing

There is something different here. Usually, when I'm reading books on the art of better writing, I feel I'm being spoken to by authors who needto tell, and so I get told. Being told doesn't allow me company and because there is enough disconnection in this world already, I just remain unmoved but with new information.Roy Peter Clark seemed to join my eyes as I read over every word. He was there with me, and I was there with him and we were sharing the same thoughts that are written. Occasionally I'd get a little jolt and realize it was only Roy sharing his thoughts but it was never long before I'd be found back in the comfort of the oneness again. His style of communication left me feeling like a writer, not because I just read a book on it, but because I just EXPERIENCED being a writer.This is an internal journey, that's why when closing the book the feeling of having just experienced something was always there.You and the author will go inside some famous books and you'll know you are entering another world as soon as a certain first sentence becomes a door handle.This EXPERIENCE alone is worth considering to purchase. It's rare and you cannot return as the same person once you turn a few pages.This is what I found anyway. I'm no longer someone who thinks about myself as a writer one day, and I don't care about the fact that I have had nothing published yet, I am a writer now.I am a writer now because I read this book and this book gave me the qualified experience.The fuel that this experience has put in my tank can do nothing less than set off a chain reaction.Forget a ticket to Bali - there is much more to gain for far less the cost by opening the covers of this book and diving in.

This book was different from the usual writing books because each chapter gives you examples from well-known literary fiction; it picks apart why those passages reflect a particular advanced technique, and then there are some writing exercises to apply to your own WIP to solidify the lesson. It felt like sitting in on an MFA class, along with the homework. I recommend this book for an intermediate to advanced writer.

I’m a voracious reader, but this book made me feel like I’ve never truly read a book. I mean that in the most complimentary way. I didn’t realize how much I was missing when I read, until I read this book. It’s a very eye-opening experience that lead to many aha moments and a ton of “OMG, I can’t believe I missed that!” moments.Each chapter focuses on a specific work and at the end of each chapter is a writing lesson. These lessons are the key elements that the reader should take away from that chapter. At the end of the book is a section called “Great Sentences From Famous Authors” and this is a chance to practice your new x-ray reading skills. Following this exercise are the “Twelve Steps to Get Started As An X-Ray Reader” which is a good reference to help new x-ray readers begin reading on a whole new level.Out of the 25 works mentioned in this book, I’ve only read about half of them. Now that I have a new pair of x-ray reading glasses on, I want to reread these (as well as some of the others) with fresh eyes. I love The Great Gatsby, but wow, did I miss a lot! I missed the themes and symbolism, especially. I’m a Charles Dickens fan and I read Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, but somehow I missed her parallel to A Christmas Carol. How in the world did I miss that? (I knew the concept of intertextuality, but I didn’t know that’s what it was called.) I love it when I notice it in literature, but I’m sure there are many times when it slips by me unnoticed.One of the most eye-opening experiences was the chapter about Hemingway. Although I never read A Farewell to Arms, I did read The Sun Also Rises. I was very disappointed in it, so I gave it a low two-star rating. I noticed it received a lot of high ratings and I couldn’t understand why. I wasn’t fond of his terse prose and Hemingway fans are always saying that if you don’t like Hemingway, then you don’t understand him. I thought they were just being pretentious snobs, but after reading The Art of X-Ray Reading, I realize that I truly didn’t understand Hemingway. I missed his rhythm and his intentional repetition and omission of words. I was too busy reading on the level of the story that I wasn’t reading it on the level of the text.This is one of those books that you’ll not only want to add to your home library, especially aspiring writers, but also a book that you’ll want to read more than once. I checked this book out at my local library, but I already know that I’ll be buying it, rereading it and write in it. I want to absorb everything Roy Peter Clark teaches in this book (and his other books) and internalize it completely. I highly recommend this book to avid readers and aspiring writers.

By chance I found this book at the Library checked it out and was sad to give it back. So I bought it. I just love it so much. Clark made me fall in love with Literature all over again. I treasure the lessons in the book and revel in every chapter. I feel like I am listening to an amazing, passionate, clever and very engaging book analysis. I wish my teenager would read it too, so he would learn to appreciate Literature.

This wonderful, thought provoking book recalls many prior examples of outstanding literature and offers multiple useful insights for writers. For non-writers, it's just plain fun to read.

I like Roy Peter Clark and this book gave me insight into what makes a story endure...and how I can tap into it. The book teaches how to 'x-ray' read other novels and see them, not as stories, but as blueprints. This skill is necessary wonderful for any writer, but I would have liked for him to include a few more genre and contemporary examples along with the classics.

There's no better teacher than a good book. This book teaches you how to read and copy excellence. The examples are worth exploring, with a good mix of classic and contemporary selections. It has a solid place on my bookshelf.

It reminds me of Francine Prose's Reading Like A Writer. I enjoyed Clark's citations, example, and tips. It's not only the pleasantness of the writing quoted but the pleasantness of his writing that makes the book a joy to read.

If you are either concerned to improve your understanding of the books you read, or want to consider ways you might add depth to what you write, this is a useful book. The author selects well-known books and looks closely at how they create the effects that make them noteworthy and/or of generally agreed enduring quality. He scans many books and authors: in my view, too many to supply as much depth of analysis as one might wish. In the case of "The Great Gatsby" this is unfortunate. To my mind, this is an over-rated book, that was very fortunate to be produced in thousands for GIs in WWII, to warn them not to expect things to be the same when they returned home. Huge sales to the US war dept. translated into too much respect. It's the American way! On the other hand, there is much to be gained from Clark's treatment of books and writers such as: Lolita, James Joyce, Sylvia Plath, Madame Bovary, and many others. As I read the sections I was particularly drawn to - I expect you will adopt a similar approach - it dawned on me that Roy Peter Clark's baseline assumption was that his book was aimed at writers who wish to produce high quality prose. You know the kind of thing: "It is a truth universally acknowledged…; or, the last paragraph of Joyce's "The Dead". If, as a writer, you have more modest ambitions, Clark's tips and pointers to improving your writing may be less helpful than he imagines. After all, "The Dead" is a great short story. However, in it, Joyce manages to describe a feast laid out in marvellous cinematic detail, but without reference to the appetising aromas that must have flooded the elderly aunt's room.

Insightful, useful, and entertaining. One of the best 'how to write' guides I have read. Beyond technical advice, Clark prompts me to revisit great works. Thank you.

I will be reading other works by this author. I adored the dissection, and clear handling of the various techniques the author mined from various texts. Clear and engaging too!

it has some good tips, nothing novel but good nonetheless

One of the best books on writing I've read