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The Last Workshop
The famous writer's dying.At least that's the rumor.When his secretary contacted the students of the Deep South Writers' Workshop on the his behalf after years of silence, they suspected something was up.Out of respect for their former mentor, several former students agreed to return to Mississippi for a reunion:A final get-together for one last workshop.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2018
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May 9, 2019
It feels a bit strange writing the first review for this book as I am not a literary person. I was not an English major. I am not a writer. I don’t really feel I have the language or know the constructs that allow one to give someone else a sense of the structure, the content or the finesse with which a work is endowed.
That being said, I will say I enjoyed this short book. I came across an excerpt on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, which was enjoyable and skillfully written, and wanted to read more from the author. The book was a quick read, more what I’d consider a novella. Should you be looking for plot or action, you won’t find it here. Nor will you find romance. Not steamy, not even tepid. And although there is a leap into the fantastical realm for a while, in the latter half of the book, I think I’d characterize this work as an awakening into the reality of modern life, in which many forms of entertainment are offered, but art, in this case literary art, is more valued by those dedicated to producing it than by the typical consumer. I’ve been tempted to describe this piece of writing as by a writer and for writers, but I believe anyone who values the quality of the work they produce can easily generalize the literary narrative to other fields of endeavor.
The premise of the book is an elderly English professor’s request to his long-time secretary that she contact attendees from the many prior years of writers’ workshops that he has taught. She finds she gets a better response by telling an attendee something she has no reason to believe is true, and she persists in this deceit, despite quickly thinking better of it, due to what seem to her to be good results. She asks each former student to keep the “secret” but secrets can be difficult to keep.
Although not a deep character study, I think the author did a skillful job of presenting his characters’ aspirations, thoughts and motives as well as describing their historical and current interactions with one another.
I’m looking forward to reading something else Mr. Minichillo has written. 3.5-4 stars.
That being said, I will say I enjoyed this short book. I came across an excerpt on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, which was enjoyable and skillfully written, and wanted to read more from the author. The book was a quick read, more what I’d consider a novella. Should you be looking for plot or action, you won’t find it here. Nor will you find romance. Not steamy, not even tepid. And although there is a leap into the fantastical realm for a while, in the latter half of the book, I think I’d characterize this work as an awakening into the reality of modern life, in which many forms of entertainment are offered, but art, in this case literary art, is more valued by those dedicated to producing it than by the typical consumer. I’ve been tempted to describe this piece of writing as by a writer and for writers, but I believe anyone who values the quality of the work they produce can easily generalize the literary narrative to other fields of endeavor.
The premise of the book is an elderly English professor’s request to his long-time secretary that she contact attendees from the many prior years of writers’ workshops that he has taught. She finds she gets a better response by telling an attendee something she has no reason to believe is true, and she persists in this deceit, despite quickly thinking better of it, due to what seem to her to be good results. She asks each former student to keep the “secret” but secrets can be difficult to keep.
Although not a deep character study, I think the author did a skillful job of presenting his characters’ aspirations, thoughts and motives as well as describing their historical and current interactions with one another.
I’m looking forward to reading something else Mr. Minichillo has written. 3.5-4 stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review