The Foxed Page
Kimberly Ford
If you love to read, The Foxed Page is for you. With these deep dives into the best books, you’ll gain a richer understanding of the title at hand, all while learning to read everything better.Choose from long-form lectures, quick recommendations, talks on old favorites and plenty of episodes from the archives.Listen to The Foxed Page--with Kimberly Ford, best-selling author, former adjunct professor and Ph.D.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 3, 2024 • 59min
TRUST by Hernán Díaz >> Is it possible you missed some of the genius nuance in this four-books-in-one novel?? Whether you've read it or are gearing up to--lemme make sure you get the MOST out of it.
Díaz's Pulitzer-prize-winning, Booker-nominated TRUST has the kind of complex structure Kimberly LOVES to dig into. With vastly differing narrative voices, each of the four texts informs the others, making for an insanely rich read. Also: this exploration of the American dream could not be more timely!
May 31, 2024 • 1h 7min
Lecture 56: Anita Brookner's HOTEL DU LAC >> Kimberly's pretty sure this will be her GO TO RECOMMENDATION for the summer. Hotel is THAT GOOD.
NO SPOILERS! NO RE-READING REQUIRED! Listen in to hear how Brookner's use of narrative voice, tons of figurative language and other plot elements make this novel--set in Switzerland--a must read.
May 28, 2024 • 1h 4min
Lecture 55: Alice Munro part 1: the PROSE >> Have you heard of the Canadian legend and never read her? Or maybe she's your favorite writer? Listen in to hear what makes her hilarious, incisive, mold-breaking stories deserve a NOBEL.
Discover the unique structuring of Alice Munro's long short stories and how her upbringing influences her writing style. Dive into the impact of rhetorical questions in Munro's prose, explore her mastery in dialogue, and unravel how she uses juxtaposition to convey complex emotions and relationships.
May 24, 2024 • 1h 51min
THE PASSENGER and STELLA MARIS by Cormac McCarthy >> Buckle up, readers. I'm finally indulging myself (and YOU) in an extra-deep dive on one of my favorite writers of all time.
Tune in for close readings that illuminate why McCarthy's prose is so gorgeous, why his influences are key, and why Kimberly is so happy about him finally centering A WOMAN in these, his final texts.Plus! A literary PARLOR TRICK that definitively proves Kimberly's hot-take thesis about digression in The Passenger.
May 20, 2024 • 1h 33min
Lecture 54: Joan Didion's DEMOCRACY >> Want to save democracy?? Just kidding. You'd have to do more than listen to this. But this Didion is incredibly timely--and RIVETING.
If you love DIdion's inimitable prose and you're interested in any kind of history or intrigue or scandal--listen in. NO SPOILERS!
May 17, 2024 • 59min
Lecture 53: Curtis Sittenfeld's ROMANTIC COMEDY >> Could you use a super-smart, hilarious, uplifting novel right about now? This is it!
Sittenfeld is soooo good. Her latest delivers a fascinating, intimate look at life as a comedy writer on the world's foremost live, nighttime, sketch comedy show--all while promising that she'll work within the conventions of ROMANTIC comedy. Or will she?? Listen to Kimberly extol Sittenfeld's structure, the use of all five senses, the deft character development, excellent sex writing and, of course, the use of HUMOR. Get the most out of this novel whether you've finished it or want to see how to best approach the work. (NO SPOILERS!)
May 13, 2024 • 1h 6min
Lecture 52: André Aciman's CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and ENIGMA VARIATIONS >> Did you love the movie? Do you want to more fully comprehend the idea of the atmospheric novel before summer's upon us?? Listen in!
NO RE-READING NECESSARY! Kimberly only sought out Aciman because she loved the movie Call Me by Your Name--but she loved the fiction enough to seek out more. Tune in to hear about the use of figurative language, the structure, the pacing and the choice of details that make this work so ATMOSPHERIC.
May 10, 2024 • 44min
Lecture 51: Nicholson Baker's FINDING A LIKENESS: HOW I GOT SOMEWHAT BETTER AT ART >> Are you an intelligent, creative person--maybe contemplating a next chapter or new endeavor? Baker's about the provide ALL THE INSPIRATION YOU NEED
Baker's hilarious, inventive prose melds with incredibly well curated images to produce something only Baker could produce. Kimberly LOVED diving in to the many ways in which the guy is creating literary (and visual) magic.
May 6, 2024 • 1h 3min
EAST OF EDEN by John Steinbeck >> Want to see Kimberly conjure John Steinbeck from the dead?? Ever wondered why so many people LOVE EAST OF EDEN? Allow Kimberly to explain why it deserves to be such a perennial favorite. NO RE-READING REQUIRED!
NO RE-READING REQUIRED! PLUS!! SPECIAL GUEST STAR: JOHN STEINBECK!! Tune in to hear all the ways in which this 1952 classic surprised Kimberly. Its insanely great sense of place, its lessons in history, its denigration/elevation of women, its biblical underpinnings...Kimberly's list of its attributes could go on and on. Whether EAST OF EDEN is your favorite of all time, or whether you have only hazy ninth-grade memories of Lenny squeezing that bunny in OF MICE AND MEN--tune in to hear why Steinbeck really deserved that Nobel Prize.
May 3, 2024 • 1h 15min
Lecture 38: R. F. Kuang's YELLOWFACE
This publishing industry thriller was SUCH GOOD grist for Kimberly's mill. Listen in to appreciate all the elements that made the novel an "instant" best seller. Its literary merit is almost as great as the important philosophical questions is raises. This book is sooooo good.
