The Writing Class

Brilliant, this has been the best book i've read this summer. Highly recommended

Not the best mystery ever but it had fun characters.

The mystery was a delightful bonus to the book. I finished reading the book and immediately wanted to go find a writing class to take, preferably taught by the teacher in the book!

I liked this book very much. Funny and introspective to the extreme, I enjoyed the author's style but I didn't warm to any of the characters or miss them after the story was over. I'll probably read it again some time to make mental notes of the construction and follow-through. I'm not a big fiction reader but I like to zip through a mystery novel now and then when I need to...more

I liked this book very much. Funny and introspective to the extreme, I enjoyed the author's style but I didn't warm to any of the characters or miss them after the story was over. I'll probably read it again some time to make mental notes of the construction and follow-through. I'm not a big fiction reader but I like to zip through a mystery novel now and then when I need to escape. Amy Gallup's life is a bit familiar to me...   hide

A lot of fun.

I really enjoyed reading this book- I don't normally do mysteries, but since it revolved around a writing class (something I am interested in) I thought I'd give it a go and was very happy I did. It's not overwhelmingly suspenseful, the concept, the writing and the characters are all really good and really fun. I'll definitely be checking out other novels by this...more

I really enjoyed reading this book- I don't normally do mysteries, but since it revolved around a writing class (something I am interested in) I thought I'd give it a go and was very happy I did. It's not overwhelmingly suspenseful, the concept, the writing and the characters are all really good and really fun. I'll definitely be checking out other novels by this author- it's amazing how many different voices she can write in, truly impressive! Quotes Californians will appreciate: " For instance, she loved the music in the various inflections of "dude," from its use as a noun of direct address, to the expression of complex thoughts, from 'Hey, You!' to 'What the hell did you do that for?' to 'That was seriously cool' to 'So sorry you just screwed up your entire life.' " "Amy didn't barge into people's houses, whether the doors were open or not. Barging was a California thing." "She kept her radio off and her window up, and they stayed close, separated by a few car lengths, as the road curved in and out with the contour of the shore. Only in California would this pass for intimacy, a nearness literal enough to stave off the jitters. On nights like this, Californians liked to tailgate, and when Amy first came west, she assumed they were being obnoxious. It took her awhile to understand that they were just lonely."   hide

Funny, witty and insightful writing, mystery was on the easy side with too much effort at pushing the culprit into the shadow it became obvious.

This was a fun and entertaining tale for the most part. I found the ending to be a bit weak, but the character development was excellent. I found myself bonding to certain characters and trying to figure out just who the "Sniper" really was. Some things were surprising, but overall it was a pretty predictable story. An easy read, this would be a great "vacation book" or...more

This was a fun and entertaining tale for the most part. I found the ending to be a bit weak, but the character development was excellent. I found myself bonding to certain characters and trying to figure out just who the "Sniper" really was. Some things were surprising, but overall it was a pretty predictable story. An easy read, this would be a great "vacation book" or something to take to the beach.   hide

I enjoyed the characters and the story, as well as the device of using the writing class as the vehicle for plot advancement... and I didn't guess at all who the real murderer was!! An entertaining read.