From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

Writers & Lovers

Lily King

Start date: December 15, 2020

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Katy

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Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
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What Members Thought

Dec 09, 2019 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewcopy, netgalley, ebooks, read2020

I'm so, so torn. On the one hand I think it's a very accurate capture of various versions of what it looks like to make writing your life (not easy, not pretty), several depictions of grief, multiple characters struggling with relationships, but overall the reading experience is fairly mundane if I'm being honest. On the one hand, we want books that accurately capture life, don't we? Or maybe it needs to be more than that to lift me out of my own life? I am struggling. I so loved her last book.

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Aug 04, 2020 Ruth rated it liked it

Honest and open. Her fears are all right out there on the table. I loved the descriptions of her work as a waitress and all the restaurant lingo. The ending, though, is a little rushed and tied up a little too neatly with a big pink bow

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Oct 18, 2020 Katy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

Lily King has written several novels. Her last, Euphoria, was named by the New York Times Book Review as one of the “10 best books of 2014.” Last Spring, when so many of us were confined to our homes by COVID, I noticed her current novel on a list of “best books for comfort reading” nominated by current authors. Anne Patchett said, “Writers and Lovers made her happy. Even as the narrator grieves the loss of her mother and struggles to make art and keep a roof over her head, the novel is suffuse Lily King has written several novels. Her last, Euphoria, was named by the New York Times Book Review as one of the “10 best books of 2014.” Last Spring, when so many of us were confined to our homes by COVID, I noticed her current novel on a list of “best books for comfort reading” nominated by current authors. Anne Patchett said, “Writers and Lovers made her happy. Even as the narrator grieves the loss of her mother and struggles to make art and keep a roof over her head, the novel is suffused with hopefulness and kindness. Lily King writes with a great generosity of spirit.” Even Judy Blume of young adult fame commented, “Writers and Lovers is exactly the book we need now. Witty and heartfelt…I could not stop reading.”
Twenty years ago, I had read King’s first Novel, The Pleasing Hour, a gift from a friend whose grandson was Lily King’s husband. I really liked that novel. The characters were sympathetic and the story was involving. I have not read her recent works, but I really enjoyed this one, and for the same reasons: solid believable characters; a story that was complex and interesting as it developed; and a protagonist beset with self-doubts and overwhelming challenges including, massive student debt, and a health scare. At age 31, and the end of a love affair, she is adrift, in need of a stable relationship yet committed to her art – finishing her novel. Her focused dedication despite her evident vulnerabilities is movingly exposed, and when finally resolved, make for a very satisfying read.
Certain aspects of the story provide slice of life commentary on her life. I was particularly interested by the contrasts between the staff at Iris, the restaurant where Casey worked, and the wealthy, successful clientele who patronized the restaurant. Also, I enjoyed her description of the pretentious author readings and receptions that Casey attended. I think this novel captures well the difficulty of maintaining a balance between the creative impulse and the exigencies of living life.
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