Close Reads Podcast

It's time to answer listener questions about Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. David, Heidi, and Tim give their best effort at answering a slew of really tough, thoughtful questions. Bravo to everyone who contributed! Remember: if you like this show, it goes a long way when you rate and review it wherever you get podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat about the second half of Norman Maclean's beloved novella, A River Runs through It. They chat about whether the story is a tragedy, the way the end recalls the beginning, the theme of union in the story, and the way it explores the complicated nature of human relationship (and much more, of course). Remember: if you like this show you can help out by rating and reviewing it wherever you get podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

And we're off. It's time for Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. On this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss roughly the first half of the story. They chat about the central metaphors in the book, Maclean's craftsmanship as a prose writer, the subtly of the characterizations, the relationship between the brothers, and much more. Remember, if you like this show, your ratings and reviews (wherever you get podcasts), go a long way in helping the show longterm. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

It's time to answer your questions. Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they dive into the many great questions listeners submitted, included questions about the Griscam men, Prescott's failures and successes, Charlotte Mason and this book, Prescott's idealism, whether we're overrating the book, lessons for educators from Justin Martyr, and more. Remember: rate, review, spread the word. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

And here we are at the end. Join David, S-J, and Matt as they chat about the conclusion of The Rector of Justin. They chat about the outsized figure of Prescott, the narrator as mentee, Shakespeare in this book, and the thematic payoff of the novel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt are back and diving into the meaty middle part of the book. They discuss the reliability of the narrators, psycho-analysis as a theme in the book, whether Prescott treated Jules Griscam justly, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they continue their discussion of The Rector of Justin. It's a long episode, so get ready for a deep dive into some of the themes that make this book what it is, with a little bit of friendly disagreement thrown in. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

We're back, chatting about chapters 6-9 of Louis Auchincloss' The Rector of Justin. Conversation explores the connections between Frank Prescott and Hamlet, his quixotic nature, the book's female characters, and much, much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

After a one-week hiatus due to some scheduling issues, we are back! In this episode David is joined by Matt and a new contributor to the network, Sarah-Jane Bentley, who teaches at Eton College in England. They chat about the unique structure of the book, the myriad of intertextual references (and whether they matter), the similarities between the various narrators, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Unfortunately we had a scheduling snafu with recording for this week, so we are sharing a bonus episode that we sent to our Patrons a few months back. It's a conversation between David, Tim, and Heidi about Hemingway's famous story, "A Clean Well-lighted Place." Conversation touched on the difficulty with Hemingway and his particular craftsmanship in this short story. Thanks for your patience! The regular show will be back soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe