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The Novel Cure

From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
"Delightful... elegant prose and discussions that span the history of 2,000 years of literature."—Publisher's Weekly
A novel is a story transmitted from the novelist to the reader. It offers distraction, entertainment, and an opportunity to unwind or focus. But it can also be something more powerful—a way to learn about how to live. Read at the right moment in your life, a novel can—quite literally—change it.
 
The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power. To create this apothecary, the authors have trawled two thousand years of literature for novels that effectively promote happiness, health, and sanity, written by brilliant minds who knew what it meant to be human and wrote their life lessons into their fiction. Structured like a reference book, readers simply look up their ailment, be it agoraphobia, boredom, or a midlife crisis, and are given a novel to read as the antidote. Bibliotherapy does not discriminate between pains of the body and pains of the head (or heart). Aware that you’ve been cowardly? Pick up To Kill a Mockingbird for an injection of courage. Experiencing a sudden, acute fear of death? Read One Hundred Years of Solitude for some perspective on the larger cycle of life. Nervous about throwing a dinner party? Ali Smith’s There but for The will convince you that yours could never go that wrong. Whatever your condition, the prescription is simple: a novel (or two), to be read at regular intervals and in nice long chunks until you finish. Some treatments will lead to a complete cure. Others will offer solace, showing that you’re not the first to experience these emotions. The Novel Cure is also peppered with useful lists and sidebars recommending the best novels to read when you’re stuck in traffic or can’t fall asleep, the most important novels to read during every decade of life, and many more.
 
Brilliant in concept and deeply satisfying in execution, The Novel Cure belongs on everyone’s bookshelf and in every medicine cabinet. It will make even the most well-read fiction aficionado pick up a novel he’s never heard of, and see familiar ones with new eyes. Mostly, it will reaffirm literature’s ability to distract and transport, to resonate and reassure, to change the way we see the world and our place in it.
"This appealing and helpful read is guaranteed to double the length of a to-read list and become a go-to reference for those unsure of their reading identities or who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the world."—Library Journal
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 8, 2013
      In times of trouble, a good book can soothe any kind of pain. Longtime friends Berthoud and Elderkin take that notion to a new level in their delightful reference guide to “bibliotherapy”—“the prescribing of fiction for life’s ailments.” In each case, the authors (who have run a bibliotherapy service since 2008) prescribe a book or two to propel readers to action, bring about awareness or diversion, or show that things are not as bleak as they might seem. They tackle serious and not-so-serious ailments with equal verve, delving into such topics as “Scars, Emotional” (Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night or Antonya Nelson’s Bound), “Pessimism” (Robinson Crusoe), and “Burning the dinner” (Zola’s The Belly of Paris). Eclectic top 10 lists are peppered throughout, such as the “Ten Best Novels to Lower Your Blood Pressure” or the “Ten Best Novels to Make You Weep.” Abundant indices allow the reader to browse by author or title and to search for reading problem advice. Berthoud and Elderkin’s elegant prose and discussions that span the history of 2,000 years of literature will surely make readers seek out these books. Taking two novellas and calling the bibliotherapist in the morning sounds welcome indeed. Agent: Claire Alexander, Aitken Alexander Associates.

    • Kirkus

      July 15, 2013
      A comprehensive introduction to the fine art of "bibliotherapy," with a list of 751 books to soothe your aches and pains. It seems a bit whimsical to suggest that books are a cure for those conditions, both chronic and fleeting, that plague us through our collective lives. Yet the practice has long been an accepted form of treatment for conditions ranging from depression to PTSD. Having run a bibliotherapy service in London since 2008, Berthoud and Elderkin offer an A-to-Z guide to selected books, along with ailment-specific practices and helpful lists. "Some treatments will lead to a complete cure," they write. "Others will simply offer solace, showing you that you are not alone. All will offer the temporary relief of your symptoms due to the power of literature to distract and transport." Their literary selections run heavily to classics and contemporary literary fiction, unfortunately, but the disorders they've chosen are often clever, and the occasional a-ha surprise does pop up here and there. "Children, Under Pressure to Have" solicits a biting summary of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, while "Jump Ship, Desire To" naturally leads to John Updike's classic Rabbit, Run. Some, too, can be startling, like pointing to Luke Rhinehart's cult classic The Dice Man as a cure for gambling or to Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife as solace for miscarriage. There's humor, too, as in "Tea, Unable to Fine a Cup Of" (see: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams). Lists, meanwhile, run the gamut from "Best Books to Read in the Bathroom" to "The Ten Best Audiobooks for Road Rage." The authors also helpfully offer a variety of cures for conditions like "Guilt, Reading Associated," and "Overwhelmed by the Number of Books in the World." Something of a novelty collection of entries, but a fine remedy for bibliophiles and English majors who may be stuck in a reading rut.

      COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      October 1, 2013

      Whether the ailment is serious and psychological (abandonment), physical (constipation), or silly (determined to chase after a woman even though she's a nun), bibliotherapists Berthoud and Elderkin (founders, School of Life bibliotherapy service, London) have created a literary cure or at least a novel painkiller. While boasting scholarly trappings such as cross-references, indexes, and footnotes (though the latter are often more humorous than explanatory), this earnest guide prescribes titles that include, but also venture beyond, the white Anglo-Saxon protestant-dominated canon, published as recently as 2012. The entries for each complaint are part book report, part agony aunt, and contain a plot summary for each suggested read, as well as commentary on why the recommended treatment is effective. VERDICT Its unusual organization--by ailment rather than by the genre/theme of the proposed solution--sets this title apart from similar collections such as Nancy Pearl's Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason. This appealing and helpful read is guaranteed to double the length of a to-read list and become a go-to reference for those unsure of their reading identities or who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the world.--Megan Hodge, Chesterfield Cty. P.L., Richmond

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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