Novelists of a conservative or more purely aesthetic bent hold up better on the surface, but their novels go in and out of fashion according to relevance or irrelevance. Jane Smiley Read Quote
If there’s anything Trollope novels always take seriously, it is money – how it flows from one character to another, how it is managed, who has it, who deserves it, and what it means to a character, male or female. Jane Smiley Read Quote
In many ways, being honest about ‘Huckleberry Finn’ goes right to the heart of whether we can be honest about our heritage and our identity as Americans. Jane Smiley Read Quote
All equestrians, if they last long enough, learn that riding in whatever form is a lifelong sport and art, an endeavor that is both familiar and new every time you take the horse out of his stall or pasture. Jane Smiley Read Quote
Lean on Pete’ is the story of a boy and his horse, but it is never heart-warming – it ranges in tone from desperate to merely painful – and, while fascinating, it is never entertaining or redemptive. But if you want an unadorned portrait of American life (at least in some places) at the beginning of the 21st century, this is the book for you. Jane Smiley Read Quote
It once amused me that it took me three tries to pass my driver’s test and that my driving instructor told my mother that I was the least talented person behind the wheel that she had ever taught. Jane Smiley Read Quote
Somehow, knowing that Alzheimer’s is coming mocks all one’s aspirations – to tell stories, to think through certain issues as only a novel can do, to be recognised for one’s accomplishments and hard work – in a way that old familiar death does not. Jane Smiley Read Quote
The thing about Republicans is that they don’t care so much about respect, but they love fear, at least in others. Jane Smiley Read Quote
Another thing I learned is that novels, even those from apparently distant times and places, remain current and enlightening, and also comforting. Jane Smiley Read Quote
