A Practical Novelist

** "A Practical Novelist" by John Davidson is a story from the end of the 1800's. The book follows Maxwell Lee, a writer who hasn't had much success. Maxwell, along with his wife Caroline, and her brother Peter Briscoe, decide to write a totally new type of book by making things that happen in real life part of the story. This makes everyone think about what stories even are, and how characters are made. The story begins with everyone talking excitedly about the best way to write a story. Maxwell doesn't like typical writing and wants to "create" a novel instead of just writing it. Things get funny when Peter shows up with a man who is passed out and supposedly a millionaire. Peter says he "caught" the man to be the main character of their book. Because of this, reality and fiction start to mix together, and the characters struggle with what's happening while Max tries to figure out his grand ideas for making the novel. As the story progresses, problems between trying to make a great book and dealing with personal issues begin to arise. **