Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home - by Lynn Freed (Paperback)

About the Book

Equal parts revelation and inspiration, these eleven essays combine a memoir of an exotic life, reflections on the art and craft of writing, and a brilliant examination of the always complex relationship between fiction and life.

Book Synopsis

At once a memoir of an exotic life, a meditation on the art and craft of writing, and a brilliant examination of the always complex relationship between fiction and life, Lynn Freed's critically acclaimed Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home surprises, instructs, and delights. With "dark and comforting wisdom" (Anne Lamott) and "great intellectual and emotional range" (Diane Johnson), Freed tears off all fictional disguises and exposes the human being behind the artist. A must-read for writers, readers, and anyone engaged in literature, Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home is destined to be a classic in the field of writing about writing.

From the Back Cover

"Lynn Freed is a beautiful writer, dead-on brilliant, rich in humor, possessing a dark and comforting wisdom."--Anne Lamott

Equal parts revelation and inspiration, Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home is a memoir of an exotic life, a meditation on the art and craft of writing, and a brilliant examination of the always complex relationship between fiction and life. Whether examining the difference between a story told and a story written or describing the trials and rigors of teaching writing to pay the rent, Lynn Freed tears off all fictional disguises and exposes the human being behind the artist. Learned, opinionated, and wickedly funny, Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home is essential reading for writers, readers, and anyone engaged in literature.

"Something for every writer, published or aspiring, to befriend over a period of years, a generous source of heat, heart, energy and consolation . . . Lynn Freed truly does inspire."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Distinguished by its emotional honesty and stylish prose."--Chicago Tribune

"In her keen-eyed and hilariously funny new book . . . novelist and memoirist Lynn Freed tells how writers deal with life's large and little tribulations."--O, The OprahMagazine

Lynn Freed is the recipient of the inaugural Katherine Anne Porter Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is the author of five highly praised novels and a short-story collection, The Curse of the Appropriate Man, which was named a New York Times Notable Book. She lives in Sonoma, California.
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Review Quotes

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR READING, WRITING, AND LEAVING HOME

"Lynn Freed is a beautiful writer, dead-on brilliant, rich in humor, possessing a dark and comforting wisdom."- Anne LaMott

"Freed's voice is individual-funny, sharp, trenchant, and with a great intellectual and emotional range. She is especially witty and smart in this form. This is a wonderful collection." - Diane Johnson

About the Author

Lynn Freed is the recipient of the inaugural Katherine Anne Porter Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is the author of five highly praised novels and a short-story collection, The Curse of the Appropriate Man, which was named a New York Times Notable Book. She lives in Sonoma, California.