The Bright Book of Life: Novels to Read and Reread

Isn’t it great to find a friend who has treasured all the books that you love and shares insights with you that reflect and confirm your own? Harold Bloom, in this book, becomes such a treasured friend. The title underlines how, to Bloom, books are life itself. Bloom finds joy in all aspects of the novels within this book: the characters, the surrounding milieu, other books or writers who have opined on these novels, and his own delight in reading and reflecting upon them. My son and I fought over who would get to read this book. He would snatch it away and I would have to search to recover it. You may find similar wars within your own household; everyone will want possession of this magnificent book. Unlike other volumes of this kind, which may list the “must-reads,” this book is so much deeper and more entertaining. Through Bloom’s command and understanding of great literature, I congratulate myself on sharing his opinion of those I have read and look forward to reading others he has recommended within this book.

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