The Making of a Writer, Volume 1

Starred review from October 10, 2005
Godwin, whose latest novel, Queen of the Underworld
(reviewed on p. 33), is appearing at the same time as these journals, has kept an almost daily account of her thoughts and doings for more than 50 years. She offers a remarkable picture of determination and tenacity, amid often crippling self-doubts, as she struggled to launch a literary career. After a brief failed marriage and an abortive stab at journalism in Miami, she set off for Europe, staying briefly in Oslo, Copenhagen and the Canary Islands, before settling for two years in London, in a meaningless (for her) job at the U.S. Travel Service. Everywhere she attracted, and was attracted to, men, and each time her restless spirit, her ambitions as a writer and her unwillingness to be tied down broke up the relationships. Her entries also show the ways in which a writer's imagination began to shape the material of her life into what later became notable stories and novels; it's remarkable, in fact, that someone who at 24 could write with such wit, perception and rueful self-knowledge would have to wait another half-dozen years before receiving any recognition for her gifts. In one despairing moment, Godwin writes, "This journal has no earthly use or interest to anyone but Number One." Profoundly untrue—and it is good to know that this engaging volume is the first of a series. Agent, John Hawkins.

January 15, 2006
Godwin (Evensong) has been hailed as one of the best contemporary female writers in recent years. In this first of two volumes, to be published on the same day as her newest novel, Queen of the Underworld, editor Neufeld has woven together 11 of Godwin's journals to create an engaging memoir. The text begins in 1961 after Godwin, 24, has departed North Carolina for a job at the Miami Herald -a job from which she is soon fired. At the same time, she is married and divorced. She records her relationships and observations throughout with humor and humility, which results in a vivid portrait of Godwin's daily life and her relentless pursuit of a career as a writer. It is obvious from the entries that writers and writing consume Godwin's thoughts, and this memoir lets the reader share in the birth of a writer, just as the title suggests. Overall, this memoir reads well, though some of the footnoted details added by the editor are a bit tedious. Best suited for public library collections as a companion to Godwin's impressive list of fiction works and for smaller academic libraries that collect contemporary memoirs. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/05.]" -Valeda F. Dent, Hunter Coll. Lib., New York"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2005
When Godwin decided to publish her journals, she enlisted the help of librarian and critic Rob Neufeld. Thanks to his generous footnotes and graceful scene setting, and the freshness of her emerging writer's voice, the emotional and intellectual complexities of her adventures, and the blaze of her literary ambition, this is an exceptionally well-made and enjoyable volume. The first in a set that will cover Godwin's life up to 1970, it begins when Godwin, 24, is working at a North Carolina resort and licking her wounds. Her brief stint as a reporter for the " Miami Herald" --the inspiration for Godwin's delectable new novel, " Queen of the Underworld " (2006)--ended badly, as did her five-month marriage. Set to transform herself, she travels by sea to Denmark, is romanced in the Canary Islands, and struggles to work and write in London. Juggling a dizzying array of beaus, she cultivates the art of close observation and the habit of writing, instructing herself, "Get it all down while it's fresh and hot." Strong, shrewd, funny, and literary to the core, young Godwin is good company, and her lively journal reveals much about the making of a writer. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)