Book Review: The Fiction Class by Susan Breen

November 14th, 2009

Arabella teaches a once a week fiction class. It is the kind of class that has attracted all sorts of wannabe writers. There’s a middle aged woman that seems to be afraid of her own shadow, a wealthy bachelor, a young, beautiful blond, and a myriad of others who are trying to find their “voice.”

After each Wednesday class, Arabella visits her ailing mother in a nearby nursing home. She seems to have a few unresolved issues with her mother. She does however, try to “teach” her mother how to write, and her mother unbeknownst to Arabella, writes a very poignant story.

This story is fun to read because it alternates chapters, going from the fiction class to visiting her mother and back. There are also Arabella’s class writing assignments at the end of the chapters. I liked this because I would pause to think of what I might write. I was able to pick up quite a few tips on how to improve my own writing.

I think the overall theme for this book might be that people are not always what they seem. We need to not always let first impressions ruin our ability to look a little deeper. People have the chance to enrich our lives, and we may help others without even knowing it.

My Rating

Overall: 4 stars

Objectionable content: Some offensive language scattered throughout the book. Mention of porno and transsexuals. The main character does “sleep” with someone outside the bonds of marriage.