I skipped around to find my favorite literary characters in this one. It was fun, but I thought it would be a bit more tongue in cheek, less earnest. The afterword was actually my favorite part. The author wrote his own "Aunt Antigone" letter and I connected more deeply with him than the fictional ones. Might just be me!

Thank you for the chance to read this book. I loved it. I suggested it to my local library for purchase, and I am excited to say they accepted my suggestion and it should arrive in print soon. I thought it was a great read, quite fun, great layout/style. I think that this book may look like something else though on the outside, but once you get inside it, it provides a bit different content (at least from my POV). I actually ended up liking it anyway. Highly suggested to bookworms for some lighthearted reading.

One of the main reasons for me choosing to request an ARC for Novel Advice was its format. Yes, I'm quite weak for 'Dear Abby' type formats. The other reason was that this was a good book to scope out my next classic literature read.

The ones who I knew the letter were referring was hilarious. The others, obviously, not so much. But I can't wait to read their story and then come back and read the advice column pertaining to them.

*3.5 stars*

Original introduction to classics…

I haven’t read near enough of the classics and this book added more to my list! What better way to introduce the stories than from the characters themselves as they reach out for advice on life and love. And the author didn’t make it easy, I had to stretch my brain (and cheat more often than I liked by checking the table of contents) to figure out the character and their book. Aunt Antigone had lots of insight as topics ranged from young love angst, family issues to balancing career and home life (yeah, that had me smiling). The advice was earnest with a bit of tongue-in-cheek if not the humorous book I thought it would be. What it offered me was something even better – a springboard to seek out and read more books…

I really wanted to love, love love this book, but it just didn't click the way I hoped it would. I think some of the chapters are quite funny, but others were either lost on me, or were only mildly amusing. I know, this was a huge risk of Mr. Bushman. Taking our favorite characters and bringing them to life in new and different ways is a risk. It was one worth taking but one that did not quite pay off.

Dear Aunt Antigone,

Ever since I learned to read, I have been on a rampage to read any and every book in sight. I had considered myself well-read when I waded through Gone With The Wind, experienced the awe of Shakespeare through Hamlet in high school AP English class, triumphed over the unlikeable characters of Wuthering Heights to still enjoy the story, traversed through Russia by way of The Idiot and Anna Karenina, and to this day, I am still hopeful of considering myself a walking library when I finally complete Moby Dick.

Little did I expect for your advice to many of the characters with grandiose ideas to resonate with me. As I read along from letter to letter and your forthcoming repsonses while attempting to identify who your correspondent was and from which novel or play they hailed, I came to the conclusion that my literary resume was barely the length of a third of a page. Most of your writers were from books into which I have yet to delve. That’s when I realized my knowledge of the written word was not as extensive as I imagined.
However, your shared wisdom with the characters served as a type of psychological therapy for me. Some of the problems I’m battling have solutions that you offer to others with different circumstances than mine. It is a comfort to know that I have at least one thing in common with characters I know and those that I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting: you.

Practical advice is hard to come by in the modern world, but yours would undoubtedly fare better than any psychiatrist could offer. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Bushman’s assessment. You pinpoint the heart of the matter without the harshness either of us would have dealt Scarlett O’ Hara and the others.

Most importantly, this collection of masterpieces and fictional personalities has demonstrated a wider world of literature than just these books listed that I’ve read : Hamlet, Emma, Gone With The Wind, Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby, Pride And Prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Fellowship Of The Ring, Anne Of Green Gables, Frankenstein, The Catcher In The Rye, The Metamorphosis, The Yellow Wallpaper, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Dracula, The Scarlet Letter and Things Fall Apart. I now more fully understand that knowledge has no limits, learning never ceases, and that I will never get to read the thousands of books on my ever-growing to-be-read list. But I am grateful to you, Aunt Antigone and to NetGalley for the opportunity to experience this unique format of classics.

To Mr. Bushman: I would like to extend my sincere condolences on the passing of your father. I would also like to thank you for the innovative and creative concept of this novel that you put so well into words. As a bibliophile, I appreciate getting a glimpse into the world of classic characters that I have yet to enter. I hope that in the future there will be a follow-up novel where the characters respond to Aunt Antigone’s advice regarding their troubles.

One last thing for Aunt Antigone: Which book do you recommend I read first of those not listed in this review? Your endorsement is greatly appreciated.

This book has an intriguing premise that doesn't quite come together. A "Dear Abby" type writer receives letters from literary characters asking for advice and help. There is fun in trying to identify the characters without checking the table of contents, which is sometimes very hard. However, the responses or advice do not seem very helpful. The book is best read a little at a time, dipping into sections as desired, rather than reading it straight through cover to cover. Thanks to NetGalley and Tiller Press for providing an ARC.

I needed this book. The take me out of my everyday world effect is a gift few writers have the skill to manage. As advice columnist to the famous literary figures, Jay Bushman's Practical Wisdom for Favorite Literary Characters is an out and out pleasure to read. I've been reading it out loud to my husband all evening and he agrees, this book should be in everyone's TBR pile.

I love the premise of Novel Advice.

“I’ll be the agony aunt for the unreal. You can call me Aunt Antigone.”

The book writes Dear Abby letters from the characters of most classic fiction and a few modern books too. Then the book’s author answers them. For example, Aunt Antigone replies to Scarlett from Gone with the Wind, “Why exactly do you need to be married? [...] Do you feel a void at the center of your soul, and are you driven to fill it with another person?”

I enjoyed guessing from who, and from which book, the questions were coming. The answers were not as interesting to me as the questions. And the book’s feel was more interesting or maybe cute—rather the hilarious mentioned in the book’s blurb. Overall, Novel Advice is a unique idea but its execution felt a bit weak. 3 stars (unless you’re an English Literature major, then probably much higher).

Thanks to Tiller Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electric ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Novel Advice is presented almost as a best of collection by an advice columnist featuring a list of literary characters, grouped by various subjects. The letters are an amusing collection of alas and a lack and woe is me, with amusing sometimes clever advice, with a hint of foreshadowing to advise the protagonist.

While humorous, the book is more of a pick up and read in increments rather than straight through, as the plot begins to tire, along with the jokes. However it is interesting to see characters from outside their literary neighborhood

Wonderfully addictive, witty, sentimental and thought provoking, the author becomes a version of Aunt Agony and responds to letters penned by fictional characters. What a unique premise! Using clues in the letters back and forth with perhaps a name, place or event mentioned as well as character traits to figure out the characters was great fun. As a Classics reader I recognized many such as Catherine Earnshaw, Dr. John Watson, Boo Radley, Jude Fawley, Louisa Musgrove, Mr. Rochester, Rapunzel and Emma Bovary.

The paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter were interesting. Topics include education, occupations, relationships, class, moral dilemmas, physical and emotional pain, etc. Each letter is written how the fictional character would have written at the time. Seeing completely different angles of these characters was fabulous and advice given was brilliant.

Though humorous, the book was very thoughtfully and beautifully written and engaging, not to mention clever. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The ending was poignant and moving. Another such book by this author would be amazing.

I believe this book would appeal greatly to readers of many genres and sub-genres including Classics, Historical Fiction and General Fiction. If you are seeking unique, here you go!

My sincere thank you to Tiller Press for providing me with an ARC of this charming book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

Oh, this was cute! I'm always a fan of books that incorporate classic literature (either retellings, modernizations, or hybrids like this), and the replies- while being hilarious - were surprisingly good advice. To some, this might've been off-putting, considering the humor is less important than the "character study" found in the advice, but as someone who appreciates a good metatextual commentary, I greatly enjoyed the experience of reading this book. Recommended for all bookworms!

This charming book combines the best parts of advice columns-juicy problems responded to with clear-eyed perspective-with some of literature’s most beloved characters. The most touching portion was the afterward, where the author writes advice for himself in the aftermath of his father’s illness. Recommended for devotees of Dear Prudence and Ask a Manager.

This is a very clever book, but the cleverness grows thin after a while. It could make a good gift for a literary-minded friend. However, it isn't a title that invites second or third reads, and is the sort of book one gives to Goodwill after reading, rather than hanging onto it.

This was an interesting novel. Not what I expected, but it surprised me positively. It's basically literary characters asking for advice. It's really nice to see all the references. There were characters from classics I've never read but that didn't got in the way of my experience, in fact it enriched it. I loved seeing my favourite characters in the new light and getting to know more classical characters I'm not familiar with. Plus the narrator and the person giving advice is Antigone.

I truly enjoyed this book. which I found to be quite entertaining.  It lets readers delight in how much they know about some of their favorite fictional characters.  The book is organized as a series of letters to an agony aunt, here known as Aunt Antigone.  The letter writers range from Jane Austen's Emma to Bronte's Catherine Earnshaw to Harper Lee's Boo Radley to Anne of Green Gables and many many more in chapters on topics like Navigating Friendships, Receiving an Education, The Way We Work and a number of others.

This is an amusing title that can be read in any order.  It feels like a literary parlor trick to me but I mean that in a good way.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Author Jay Bushman plays agony aunt to a line of your favorite characters from classic literature. From boyfriends with family drama (Ophelia/Hamlet) to rivals at the workplace (Salieri/Amadeus), Aunt Antigone is here to save the day. (Or at least provide some levelheaded advice.) This is a light, fun read, perfect for perusing during times like these.

Fans of advice columns, classic literature, and humor will enjoy Bushman's book, which is divided into sections like "Young Love," "Navigating Friendships," and "Money Matters." His columns will be familiar to anyone who has read Dear Abby or Ask Amy: an anonymous commenter writes in with their problem and the advice columnist responds with suggestions, clever pseudonyms included. In this case, the people asking the questions are all characters from well-known novels, poems, plays, and short stories. Bushman covers everything from Jane Austen's Persuasion to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

Often the commenters reveal themselves by the nature of their problems or contextual details, and I had fun trying to see how long it took me to identify them. Although I have not read all of the works he pulls from, there were very few cases in which I had to look up the character/work (all of of which are listed in the table of contents).

This book is perfect for reading in short spurts, maybe 3-4 columns at a time. I can see someone with a print copy dipping in and out of different sections as they go along. So many people (myself included) are struggling to concentrate for any period of time on reading and many other activities during the pandemic. Because this book can be read in a very piecemeal fashion, you could pick it up for 10-15 minutes at a time when you need a break or only want to commit to a short period of concentration.

An advice column from all your favorite books. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful morsel. Anyone who loves literature will rejoice in this work. Here all your favorite characters discuss every aspect of relationships with the reader. I highly recommend this book.