# Will Reading the Goldfinch Improve My Writing?



## EternalGreen (Aug 7, 2020)

I've heard this book is considered "modern literature" and I'm interested in getting better at writing obviously.

However, it's 700 pages of extremely concise writing and that's going to take a while.

I'd like to hear from anyone who's read it or is reading it if they think it's worth it *to that end.* 


​thanks


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 8, 2020)

I read it to the end, with some difficulty, it gets very tedious. I discovered later that I am not alone, it won some sort of prize as the book most likely to be put down, or least likely to be finished, something like that, based on a survey of readers. Thinking back I am finding it difficult to remember much about it, it won a Pulitzer prize, but it must have been a very bad year. My personal assessment, 'Tedious, over rated, and much too long', so it may well be considered 'literature'  

My best read lately has been R J Ellory, 'A simple act of violence'. Mick Herron, 'Slow horses' was pretty good too.


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## Bayview (Aug 10, 2020)

I finished it, but had to make myself. It felt bloated and pointless, to me.

That said, it won a bunch of awards and sold really well, so it's probably worth looking at in order to figure out what other people saw in it. If you're able to figure it out, let me know.


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## Joker (Aug 19, 2020)

I never actually read bad books to the end. Time is too short and life too precious to waste six to eight hours on a book I won't even enjoy. You can pick apart the book's prose by skimming it.


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## Taylor (Aug 19, 2020)

Started reading it for the same reason.  Also found it a bit tedious.  Got about 25% of the way through and then saw the movie, so never bothered to finish it. 

  I think the story itself is a great concept.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 19, 2020)

Just finished The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig. An excellent story with exploration of different social issues and nicely written. Several places I thought 'A writer would appreciate that, an ordinary reader would find it pleasing, maybe without knowing why'; stuff like a good metaphor, assonance, or simply a good turn of phrase.

I would say read what pleases you, but if it particularly pleases, or fails, try to analyse why, and in between times read the crits in the workshops to give yourself more tools to judge it by.


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 19, 2020)

If you want to read impressive writing it will educate you, as will reading Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway; they are both beautifully written. Personally I want to be engaged by what I'm reading, and fortunately there are authors who can do both at the same time.


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## Lee Messer (Aug 19, 2020)

I read often, but since I've started doing this I've found that I mimic what I read. It affects my originality. Really bothers me. I mostly read articles and conduct research these days. I think It's better for my writing to have a unique voice. Don't get me wrong, I'm still looking for something in horror, but they just don't make horror scary anymore. It's all technically terror that I find... not definitively horror. If you find something truly scary I'd probably enjoy it, but again Clive Barker doesn't even give me goosebumps anymore. I'm wishing for nightmares at night... I really miss that. Still can't find a book that matches one movie, the director's cut of "The Exorcist". That one is a masterpiece. Thinking about picking that one up, but afraid I'll be disappointed. It would ruin me if it sucked.


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## Tiamat (Aug 20, 2020)

I might be the only person I've ever heard of that has both finished "The Goldfinch" and very much enjoyed it. I don't know that it'll make you a better writer, but I loved it enough to recommend it. Clearly I'm in the minority here though. If you're looking to read more Pulitzer Prize winning fiction, I'd maybe start with McCarthy's "The Road," if you haven't already read that.


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## Deleted member 64995 (Oct 7, 2020)

I have yet to read it, but it doesn't inspire me that much.

I think it's all relative you have personal tastes.
I'll give you an example:
I have known many people to call the book "50 Shades of Gray" a masterpiece of literature.
After 5 pages, I closed because I found it ridiculous and poorly written.


Among modern authors, (you don't have to like their stories) I would like to advise you:
Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Wolf Dorn, Haruki Murakami, Khaled Hosseini, J.K. Rowling, Kass Morgan, Rick Riordan, Veronica Roth,


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## Olly Buckle (Oct 7, 2020)

Reading any book can improve someone's writing, even if they only learn what not to do. More important than simply reading is to learn something about criticism so that what is read gets considered in a way that gives insight. Millions of people read loads of books, only a few of them become good writers, it's not automatic.


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