If you had to choose one of these authors, whose work would you go for?

Question

Scott F Fitzsgerald.

John Steinbeck.

Steven King.

Charles Dickens.

Nevil Shute.

Rosamonde Pilcher.

Robert Tressell.

And why?

YOU ARE only allowed to chose one of these.
Sorry,I should have made that clear...

Spelling correction, CHOOSE

Well spotted Katester.

F.SCOTT FITZGERALD. IT IS

I stand corrected STEPHEN KING
'twas an early question.

Are you sure that's an answer? T12;-)

Answer 1

Tough choice: I've read almost everything that Fitzgerald, Dickens and King have written (I gave up on King after "Tommyknockers" and haven't read him since I put down that gunslinger stuff.
Still, King wrote my all time favorite short story "The Last Rung of the Ladder."
Dickens never wrote a bad book--I often wish that I hadn't read them all so that they would still be new to me, though I have reread a few.
I've gotta go with F Scott Fitzgerald--I've read "The Great Gatsby"...I don't know how many times, and I'm sure I'll read it again; I hate to admit it, but it almost makes me want to cry (of course I'm much too tough for that though--cough!)----
I've read Fitzgerald's other stuff and all of it(except for a short story called "Winter Dreams" or "Dreams of Winter") falls into the same catagory as the other authors you've listed: somehwere between mediocre and good, but nothing great.
I hope my stupid opinion was useful to you.

Answer 2

I Have to choose...
Nevil Shute.... I loved 'On The Beach' ---- I read it 30 years ago at the height of the cold war. World wide nuclear war was a VERY REAL possibility at the time.

Of the others......
Stephen King is a good horror writer, but a bit too 'wordy' for my taste. I remember reading 'The Dark Half' - something like 500 pages for a premise that was only worthy of a short story.

I HAD to read 'Grapes of Wrath' at school... hated the teacher and probably because of that, I still hate the book.

Charles Dickens is a bit hit-and-miss. I loved Christmas Carol and the pickwick papers... however, I once tried to read martin chuzzlewit and never got into it.

These days, I dont have much time for reading so I prefer non-fiction (currently reading 'The secret History of Lucifer', a book about the rise of Christianity)
If I do read fiction, it's usually something light.... I am a big Terry Pratchett fan

Answer 3

It's pretty difficult to choose, but depending on the mood, I would go for either Fitzgerald or Dickens that is depending on whether I feel like reading something modern or like plunging into a long gone world where everything was simpler. And if I could really only choose one of these two(although I don't see how I could be forced to), I'd obviously go for Dickens. He is the better writer in my opinion.

Answer 4

What a delightful question young lady! Takes me back to the time I was out in the Hampton's with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Party at the Vanderbilt's place I believe. We were out on the veranda when I turned to him and I said "Fitzy," I always called him 'Fitzy' when we'd been drinking -- he hated that. "What makes you one of America's definitive men of letters?"

Of course he never answered me. He'd had about nine vodka gimlets and was on his third Long Island ice tea, when he took this moment to boot over the railing. Tossed his cookies all over the Morgans who were walking through the garden below. Or was it the Duponts? Regardless, they never spoke to him again.

E.B. White had just wandered out by then and took Fitzy up to his room. Decent chap E.B. Did a damn fine job with The New Yorker. In fact it was that summer that..what? Oh yes! Fitzy.

Irwin Shaw said it best about Fitzgerald: "The ghost of Fitzgerald dying in Hollywood, with his comeback novel unfinished and his best book 'Tender is the Night' scorned -- his ghost hangs over every American typewriter."

He influences writing on this side of the pond more so than an other writer with the exception of Twain. So you get more than just a body of work with Fitzgerald. You get a thread of the American psyche. Layers, currents and undertows are woven through his writing. You can never reread 'The Great Gatsby' too many times.

Not to take anything away from Steinbeck, Dickens or Tressell mind you. The others... not to keen on them.

Now young lady ask me about that winter party at the Roosevelts! That was some night I'll tell you. Was the last Christmas before the war....

Answer 5

Nevil Shute, light reading with a bit of impact.
Steven King good horror stories
Scott Fitzgerald for insight into the times he lived in.
Charles Dickens no no too heavy.

Answer 6

Stephen King, for the Dark Tower

Answer 7

Fitzgerald achieved beauty, psychological depth and social insight in Gatsby, while maintaining incredible concision.

Dickens is often extremely boring. He is certainly not the "father of the modern novel": he is the father of the Victorian novel, and boy does he take his time.

Steinbeck is amusing at times and writes with compassion but has dated badly.

King is lively, but lacks beauty.

I've not read the other three.

Answer 8

Scott F was a great writer. I've only read The Great Gatsby and it's an excellent book. Shure it was written a while ago, but his descriptions and views of social-life is still relevant. Plus, many people have read it, and it is seen as 'n literary classic, so it's great for discussing with people... I have always wanted to read Dickens though, especially Great Expectations... My favourite writer is Herman Hess though. Read Sidhartha or Demian by him. His books are awesome, they often deal with the issue of 'The Personal Journey to Self-Actualization' without being preachy or dogmatic....

Answer 9

Dickens.

I prefer F Scott Fitzgerald to the lesser known Scott F though...

Answer 10

Charles Dickens, hands down. He was a master storyteller, really the father of the modern novel, in that his focus on character and plot had not been done before he came on the scene. His novels are sometimes confusing--so many characters!--but the challenge and the experience of working your way through is always rewarding!