The Foxed Page

Kimberly Ford
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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.
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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!
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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!)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Apr 15, 2024 • 1h 14min

Lecture 48: Megan Nolan's ORDINARY HUMAN FAILINGS >> Looking for a thriller that's incredibly well written? Look no further!

Join Kimberly to hear how this behind-the-scenes immersion in British tabloid journalism hits all the right notes. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of why Nolan's masterful narrative stance, pacing, character development and structure make this so much more than an excellent thriller.
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Apr 1, 2024 • 1h 28min

REPOST: Dorothy Baker’s CASSANDRA AT THE WEDDING > Find out why literally NO ONE to whom Kimberly recommends this 1962 novel about identical 21-year-old twins in California is disappointed.

Kimberly always describes Cassandra at the Wedding as a near-perfect novel. From Baker’s insanely great use of figurative language to nostalgia for the Berkeley and the Central Valley of the early 60s, to an incisive exploration of individuation in the case of identical twins–the novel is a huge crowd pleaser every time Kimberly teaches it. (NOTE: this lecture kind of assumes you've read (or are reading) the novel. There are likely references to spoilers. If you're trying to get a sense of the book, maybe check out the five-minute recommendation further down in the episode list!)
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Mar 29, 2024 • 52min

Lecture 45: Jo Baker's LONGBOURN > Have you always wanted Downton Abbey in the form of a REALLY WELL WRITTEN novel?? PLUS JANE AUSTEN ELEMENTS??!! This is it, people!

Listen in as Kimberly parses the many reasons why LONGBOURN is her favorite of all Austen adaptations. You'll end up with a much deeper understanding of why this insanely novel has it all.

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