by Maggie King
Do you re-read your favorite books? If so, which ones have you turned to again and again? If you don’t re-read, what is your reason? Do you think your time is better spent discovering something new? Perhaps no story has moved you enough for a second go around (I can’t imagine such a thing!).
I find much to learn about writing from my favorite books. If a story is good enough to re-read, there has to be a reason. And discovering the reason can only enhance my own craft.
I’ve read, and re-read, countless books throughout my life, but for now I’ll pare the number down to a few selected titles.
I went on a classics binge in the early nineties and revisited some favorites from my high school English classes. I found a new appreciation the second time around for Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, and A Separate Peace.
Willa Cather was a new-to-me author in the nineties and Song of the Lark may be her standout title. I was delighted to read it again years later for a book group. The same book group selected Michael Cunningham’s The Hours, paired with Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and I found nuances that had gone unnoticed on my first reading of both books (another good reason to join a book group … uncovering those nuances).
How many times have I read If Morning Ever Comes? Four? Five? This is Anne Tyler’s debut novel, published in 1964 when she was only twenty-two. Read the New York Times review here.
I know I’ve read Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk three times. Despite the perhaps outdated message and unsettling ending, I love Marjorie Morningstar. Veteran author Herman Wouk somehow delivers a feminist and non-feminist message at the same time. Sometimes you just can’t explain why a story moves you.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is the tale of the joys and sorrows of a poor girl of Irish descent growing up in Brooklyn in the earlier part of the century. It was well worth it to flip through the pages a second time.
As a child, I couldn’t get enough of Nancy Drew and probably left the books in tatters.
Then there are my “teachers,” the authors who helped me to become a mystery writer: Thank you to Agatha Christie, Gillian Roberts, and Joan Smith. More tattered pages from countless readings. In 2014, as I was about to release my debut mystery, Murder at the Book Group (re-released as Death Turns the Page), I posted my appreciation for Ms. Roberts and Ms. Smith here.
Now what shall I re-read next? It won’t be War and Peace! In contemporary parlance, I just don’t have the bandwidth.
Note: I previously posted this article on another blog that, unfortunately, was discontinued.
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There aren’t many famous books that I’ve reread, but I have noticed that a few books that I did read in high school and college struck me differently when I read them some thirty or forty years later. One was Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The story was a simple tale of a young boy’s adventures when I was young, but it had a much deeper meaning when I was older. A few other books were 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Also Ray Bradbury’s 1984 and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Reading these classics decades later was eye-opening. I saw things in those books that my young mind didn’t understand. Rereading them showed me that we are always learning…or I hope people are always learning. But classic books are called that for a reason. Re-Read On!
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Correction…It was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
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Gayle, you make a great case for re-reading. It’s fascinating to be able to see how our minds evolve over time.
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Thought-provoking post, Maggie. I’ve read, but not re-read, many of the books you mention. As a fan of Anne Tyler, I never read her debut novel, but now I will for sure. One novel that I have read countless times is Gone with the Wind. It has fallen out of favor because of its not-so-sensitive portrayal of slavery, but Mitchell was a superb storyteller, and Scarlett O’Hara is a model for characters who start out unlikable but turn the corner into someone a reader can root for. I agree with GB Pool that books read in our youth take on a deeper meaning when re-read as an adult. One that stands out for me is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants.” I didn’t appreciate Hemingway when I read all his novels in high school, but I came across that story again in my 30s, and—Wow! So much meaning conveyed in so few words.
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I read Hills Like White Elephants for the first time only recently. I had to ponder the meaning a bit, even at my age! Hemingway was a master. Let me know what you think of If Morning Ever Comes. It’s another example of a work with more depth upon closer study.
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I used to re-read many of my favorite books multiple times when I was younger, Maggie, but not so many now since I’ve got a lot of books that are new to me on my shelves to be read now. But your post intrigued me, so maybe I will start re-reading some!
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Let us know which ones you choose, Linda. And if you find, like Gayle did, that the second reading was quite different.
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I’ve re-read books written by my favorite fiction authors as well as a few classic novels, not only for the enjoyment (like rewatching a favorite movie, TV episode or beloved series in syndication), but to learn from them. What attracts me to their work is their skill with aspects of writing. I also re-read my nonfiction books periodically, though for research purposes or DIY projects more than for pleasure.
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Also, if I remember the ending, it’s interesting to keep it in mind as I re-read and see how the author got there.
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I, too, often re-read my favorite books. Heide was my oft-read childhood favorite. But these days I often re-read Rosamund Pilcher books. She was the first female writer to write stories about women that were not cute, young romantics. Pilcher often has her main character – female – in their 60s and older who are making a new start after a long, uninspired working life or after the death of a spouse. She has a beautiful ‘turn of phrase’ and explores family histories, focusing on women’s achievements.
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