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Every book Andrew Sean Greer recommended on podcasts
Andrew Sean Greer appeared on How I Write to discuss his writing process, the challenges of drafting, and several notable works of literature. During the conversation, Greer discussed Colette's novella Gigi as an early and pivotal example that demonstrated to him how a writer can do anything they want in storytelling. He also referenced Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca, pointing out how the text withholds the main character's name entirely, a technique he connected to narrative craft. Reflecting on his own career, Greer mentioned his novel The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, recalling how he had to rewrite the opening hundred pages multiple times. He additionally discussed his novel Less, explaining the choices behind its narrator and describing the moment of desperation and swimming that led him to make fun of the protagonist instead of abandoning the project. Throughout the podcast appearance, Greer explored the mechanics of fiction, the trials of point-of-view shifts, and the psychological hurdles that authors face when attempting to revise and complete manuscript drafts under immense creative pressure.
Books recommended by Andrew Sean Greer
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Less
Less by Andrew Sean Greer is a comedic novel that follows a failed novelist nearing fifty who accepts a series of haphazard international literary events to escape a wedding.
Discussed“Um Less, for instance, the narrator is why I enjoyed writing the book so much, and the narrator is not Arthur Less.”
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Gigi
Discussed“This is feels like a foolish example, but it's it's it's I think the first moment I realized that you can do anything you want was reading an old novel by Colette, a French writer, and in fact that it's a novella called Gigi, which people will know if they've watched the musical movie from the '50s called Gigi.”
Where to get it
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Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a classic psychological thriller that follows a young second wife haunted by the lingering memory and presence of her husband's deceased first wife at a remote estate.
Discussed“But it's like in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. People know the movie, but if you read the book, you realize you never hear her name.”
Where to get it
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The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells
Discussed“I had a book called The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, and I must have written the first 100 pages at of that book three or four times.”
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Books Andrew Sean Greer wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Sean Greer: Pulitzer Winner Teaches Writing | How I Write | How I Write | 2026-08-12 | 5 |