The Novel Cure
An A to Z of Literary Remedies
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- 59,00 kr
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- 59,00 kr
Publisher Description
When read at the right moment, a novel can change your life. Bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin know the power of a good book, and have been prescribing each other literary remedies for all life's aches and pains for decades. Together, they've compiled a medical handbook with a difference: a dictionary of literary cures for any malaise you can imagine.
Whether it's struggling to find a good cup of tea (Douglas Adams, two sugars) or being in need of a good cry (Thomas Hardy, plus tissues), as well as cures for all kinds of reading ailments - from being a compulsive book buyer to a tendency to give up halfway through a novel - Ella and Susan have the tonic for all ailments, great or small. Written with authority, passion and wit, The Novel Cure is an enchanting reminder of the power and pleasure of forgetting your troubles in a good book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
