42 ratings | 5 reviews | avg rating:4.93

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Mitchell James Kaplan

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.mitchelljameskaplan.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

Influences

many ...more

Member Since

January 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/mitchelljameskaplan

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Mitchell James Kaplan is a cum laude graduate of Yale University, where he won the Paine Memorial Prize. His first mentor was author William Styron. Following college, he lived in Paris and Southern California. Currently he lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Mitchell James Kaplan's 2010 novel, By Fire, By Water, won numerous literary awards both domestically and abroad. Into The Unbounded Night, a novel of first century Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, will be out in September, 2020 (Regal House). Rhapsody, a novel about Kay Swift and her 1920s Broadway circle, including her lover George Gershwin, will appear in 2021 (Gallery / Simon & Schuster) ...more

12 posts
Mitchell James Kaplan's Blog

Research, Outlining, and Writing (mitchelljameskaplan.com)

Research, Outlining, and Writing

It all starts with research. For me, research begets
inspiration. I read dozens of books on the period and the people. Slowly,
patterns emerge, obscure but fascinating relations between characters,
events, symbolic imagery, and abstract ideas. Then I begin another round of
research, focusing on these patterns, and I start sketching outlines and character notes.

I w

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Mitchell James Kaplan’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 2,044 ratings · 491 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	By Fire, By Water 3.75 avg rating — 1,204 ratings — published 2010 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rhapsody 3.72 avg rating — 760 ratings — published 2021 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Into the Unbounded Night 4.03 avg rating — 78 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	By Fire, By Water: A Novel 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fire and water by Mitchell James Kaplan (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Mitchell’s Recent Updates

Mitchell Kaplan is now friends with Aliday21
May 27, 2025 09:24PM · like
Mitchell Kaplan rated a book it was amazing Vivian in Red by Kristina Riggle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 13, 2024 03:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Vivian in Red by Kristina Riggle. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Vivian in Red by Kristina Riggle <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mitchell Kaplan rated a book it was amazing The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone by Randy Susan Meyers (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 02, 2024 05:54PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone by Randy Susan Meyers. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone by Randy Susan Meyers <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mitchell Kaplan rated a book it was amazing No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding (The Vacation Mysteries, #2) by Catherine Mack	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 31, 2024 12:47PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mitchell Kaplan rated a book it was amazing Upon the Corner of the Moon: A Tale of the Macbeths (Book One of Alba) by Valerie Nieman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I loved Upon the Corner of the Moon! Once I started, I couldn’t get away from it. Each time I had to put it down, I was slightly surprised to find myself in contemporary surroundings, not in 11th century Scotland. Valerie Nieman convincingly establis ...more
Jul 03, 2024 05:22PM · 1 like · like · see review
Mitchell Kaplan rated a book it was amazing Queens of London by Heather Webb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 05, 2024 10:09AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Queens of London by Heather Webb. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Queens of London by Heather Webb <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mitchell Kaplan rated a book it was amazing The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 05, 2024 10:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Mitchell James Kaplan (?)

“All people suffer,” said Judith. “But if you don’t know what you believe, you suffer alone.”
― Mitchell James Kaplan, By Fire, By Water

2 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: 15.4 - Learn Your Numbers	137	385	Aug 19, 2010 10:47PM
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS)	2867	1117	May 31, 2011 09:01PM
Historical Fictio...: HF Spanish Exodus during the Inquisition/Turkey	18	133	Jul 27, 2011 11:08PM
Reading with Style: FA11 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks - Fall 2011	662	198	Nov 30, 2011 09:03PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!	2251	793	Nov 30, 2011 09:05PM

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Mitchell’s Groups

Goodreads Librarians Group — 306569 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

Pittsburgh Goodreaders — 467 members — last activity Jan 27, 2021 05:33AM
For people who love to read in Pittsburgh, PA and the surrounding area. A few of our members meet in the South Hills of Pittsburgh monthly--All are we ...more

Comfort Reads — 1389 members — last activity Apr 23, 2025 01:19PM
When life gets busy and you need a break from serious reading what do you reach for? A comfort read means something different to everyone so join us, ...more

Historical Fictionistas — 15902 members — last activity Jan 04, 2026 06:34PM
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all different kinds of people. The more diverse, the better. ...more

Historical Fiction Readers — 1572 members — last activity 3 minutes ago
This group is for readers of Historical Fiction and History from across all genres, eras, and time periods.

Goodreads Reviewers' Group — 13257 members — last activity Jan 04, 2026 06:36PM
This group helps to bring Reviewers and Authors together! Reviewers can make their own thread to post their reviews in, or post their reviews in the r ...more

EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club — 28239 members — last activity 1 hour, 4 min ago
Click HERE for the latest group announcements. "It reminded me of ____ but in space." "I read ____ in high school, and actually liked it." "It's ...more

American Historical Fiction — 1584 members — last activity Sep 26, 2025 05:13AM
American history is fascinating and complex, yet it seems the majority of historical novels are based on European history. The purpose of this group i ...more

Jewish Historical Fiction — 751 members — last activity Sep 16, 2025 06:01AM
For those that love Jewish historical fiction representating as many cultures, countries, and time periods as we can find.

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 55746 members — last activity 5 hours, 48 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

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Mitchell’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-3) post a comment »

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message 3: by Beth

Apr 11, 2013 12:27PM

Hi Mitchell,
Thanks for sending a friend request to this fellow Goodreads author!

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message 2: by Mitchell

Sep 08, 2010 10:17AM

Shellie - Layers of Thought wrote: "Welcome Mitchell! You will love it here."

Thank you, Shellie! Please allow me a little time to get up to speed, though... (in between everything else)...

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message 1: by Shellie (Layers of Thought)

Sep 07, 2010 10:47AM

Welcome Mitchell! You will love it here.

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