A Love of Reading
Reviews of Contemporary Fiction
Robert Adams
- Every
- year,
- Robert
- Adams
- prepares
- a
- series
- of
- five
- reviews
- of
- contemporary
- novels,
- to
- be
- delivered
- alone
- on
- a
- theatre
- stage
- to
- sold-out
- audiences
- in
- Toronto
- and
- Montreal.
- In
- A
- Love
- of
- Reading
- Adams
- has
- now
- gathered
- 18
- of
- his
- most
- brilliant
- reviews,
- from
- Jack
- Maggs
- by
- Peter
- Carey
- and
- The
- Poisonwood
- Bible
- by
- Barbara
- Kingsolver,
- to
- A
- Fine
- Balance
- by
- Rohinton
- Mistry
- and
- Barney’s
- Version
- by
- Mordecai
- Richler.
- In
- them
- he
- skillfully
- interweaves
- a
- nimble
- and
- entertaining
- discussion
- of
- plot,
- theme,
- and
- characterization
- with
- fascinating
- historical,
- biographical,
- and
- literary
- context.
- He
- is
- repeatedly
- drawn
- to
- the
- spectacle
- of
- less-than-perfect
- humans
- making
- their
- way
- in
- a
- hostile
- world,
- and
- as
- a
- result
- a
- review
- by
- Robert
- Adams
- is
- almost
- always
- a
- hugely
- satisfying
- mix
- of
- rich
- pathos
- and
- abundant
- humour.Famously,
- Adams
- reads
- a
- book
- a
- day,
- from
- which
- he
- selects
- only
- those
- novels
- that
- are
- truly
- extraordinary,
- that
- have
- made
- him
- see
- some
- part
- of
- the
- world
- or
- some
- aspect
- of
- the
- human
- condition
- in
- a
- new
- light
- –
- because
- for
- Adams,
- the
- best
- books
- always
- take
- the
- reader
- on
- a
- journey,
- with
- a
- destination
- very
- distant
- from
- the
- point
- of
- departure.
- It
- should
- be
- not
- only
- a
- journey
- of
- discovery
- –
- an
- exploration
- of
- the
- author’s
- vision
- –
- but
- also
- of
- risk.
- By
- matching
- one’s
- own
- vision
- to
- that
- of
- the
- author,
- says
- Adams,
- the
- reader
- enters
- an
- exciting
- negotiation
- to
- produce
- a
- new
- vision
- of
- his
- own.
- This
- joint
- enterprise
- between
- reader
- and
- writer,
- the
- shared
- risk
- and
- the
- wonder
- of
- discovery,
- is
- the
- foundation
- of
- A
- Love
- of
- Reading.•
- For
- the
- last
- six
- years,
- Robert
- Adams
- has
- presented
- an
- annual
- series
- of
- book
- reviews
- to
- sold
- out
- audiences.
- Eighty
- per
- cent
of
- Adams’
- 3,000
- subscribers
- in
- Toronto
- and
- Montreal
- renew
- for
- the
- following
- season
•
- This
- book
- is
- a
- selection
- of
- modern
- classics
- from
- a
- discriminating
- and
- entertaining
- guide
•
- Perfect
- for
- reading
- groups
•
- Quill
- &
- Quire,
- noting
- the
- jump
- in
- sales
- of
- any
- book
- reviewed
- by
- Adams,
- has
- called
- the
- phenomenon
- “The
- Adams Effect”
pro-mbooks3 : libris
