Centuries before college creative writing programs, would-be authors learned their craft by reading. Francine Prose, a talented wordsmith herself, utilizes this time-honored approach in this inviting, practical guide. Reading Like a Writer performs a double service by making us both better writers and more attentive readers. Her refreshingly egalitarian choice of exemplars demonstrates that writing skills are not found only in elite literary circles. One of the best recent writing guides we have seen.