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I read it last year and it has lots of interesting points about creating character, POV, narrative etc. Well worth a read.
He's the literary critic at 'The New Yorker' so he knows what he's on about.
I can't go into detail about the book because I'm at work, but here's a quote taken from Wikipedia. (I know it's genuine because I've read the article mentioned as well as numerous other articles about him.)
--Adam Begley of the Financial Times wrote that Wood "is the best literary critic of his generation," a sentiment that has also been expressed by writers and critics William H. Pritchard, Susan Sontag, Harold Bloom, Cynthia Ozick, Christopher Hitchens, and Saul Bellow. In an interview with Clive James, Martin Amis described Wood as "a marvellous critic, one of the few remaining."
I know what you're saying, Dorothy, and I agree. Now. But reading all those 'How to' books has been like doing a degree course in creative writing for me. So many things come naturally to me which I would not have realised without reading them. I am sure that your own fluency in effective writing comes as the result of your history of development. I think I'll get James Woody's book, because one thing I don't want is to rest content with my present state of writing skill. Luckily I was recently given a Waterstone's voucher for £20.
BTW, It's James Wood.
I've just found a bigger picture online and what I took to be a Y is actually a pen with the word Vintage "dripping" from the nib!
I've changed the author's name in the thread title to avoid confusion.
This company is extraordinary. They have other sidelines, travel, all sorts of other things too, the historical series is a new departure for them, one that is channelled is even more of a departure and a gamble but the editor is convinced of its value, especially as every book comes with a psychic portrait, too. Extraordinary in that they have Henry VIII's book, a big name, but they are going with George duke of Clarence first, even though he won't be as big a draw, as they love the book. The editor said, we will go with it, then we will put Henry's book out, people will buy that and come back for George's... not many would take that kind of gamble. On the other hand, they know they have 20-25 books to come, all from spirit, all with the same potency and Big Names to attract people, like King Arthur, Oliver Cromwell, Elizabeth and Mary (in one book and both queens have consented to the work) and me prepared to back it up in public wherever they want. I stand by my work, they know it. The editor has seen all the portraits (so far, he hasn't seen the lovely calm one of Charles I, a man fulfilled, not a man haunted any more) and is more than happy with the way I work.