Fiction

The Plot

The Plot

  • Downloads：9802
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-12 00:51:31
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jean Hanff Korelitz
  • ISBN：0571368093
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

From the author of The Undoing

'Remarkable。' Stephen King
'Breathtakingly suspenseful。' Megan Abbott


When a young writer dies before completing his first novel， his teacher， Jake， （himself a failed novelist） helps himself to its plot。 The resulting book is a phenomenal success。 But what if somebody out there knows？

Somebody does。 And if Jake can't figure out who he's dealing with， he risks something far worse than the loss of his career。

What readers are saying

'It builds to a legitimately great ending that I may never forget。 Highly recommended。'

'This book is thrilling， exciting and totally nerve-racking！ It definitely had me on the edge of my seat and reading well past my bedtime。'

'Addictive 。 。 。 I read it quickly without coming up much for air。'

'Wow！ This book blew me away- I read it so fast and the ending is so good！ No spoilers- just read it。'

'I was pleasantly surprised to find that the best plot ever really is THAT good。'

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Reviews

Barb ，

Although I guessed the ending pretty early on， this was still a tense （and enjoyable） page-turner。

Karen ，

I've had a string of reviews lately in which I've disagreed with the mostly positive reviews out there。 This novel is no exception。 Was it a thriller？ I wasn't thrilled。 Was it a mystery？ Nothing mysterious here， folks。 Also， I've never seen a book with so may italics in my life - to the point where it became really annoying to me。 Jacob Finch Bonner is a whiny boy whose motto should be "why me？" He also seems not to be the sharpest knife in the drawer since， despite the myriad clues as to who T I've had a string of reviews lately in which I've disagreed with the mostly positive reviews out there。 This novel is no exception。 Was it a thriller？ I wasn't thrilled。 Was it a mystery？ Nothing mysterious here， folks。 Also， I've never seen a book with so may italics in my life - to the point where it became really annoying to me。 Jacob Finch Bonner is a whiny boy whose motto should be "why me？" He also seems not to be the sharpest knife in the drawer since， despite the myriad clues as to who TalentedTom is， he still has no clue。 Come on， Jacob， it wasn't that hard to figure out - I did， almost immediately after the dastardly Tom was introduced。 Once again， just not my cup of tea。 。。。more

Zeena ，

A unique literary thriller that starts off slow but the ending made up for it。 I guessed the person that was sending the notes but definitely didn't see that ending！ A unique literary thriller that starts off slow but the ending made up for it。 I guessed the person that was sending the notes but definitely didn't see that ending！ 。。。more

Allie ，

I liked this one- clever premise。

Jen ，

Satisfied if not blown awayThis book had an uphill battle to live up to its own expectations。 It was entertaining， and above average。 But I'm not sure its the minds blowing plot that its own characters believed it to be。 Satisfied if not blown awayThis book had an uphill battle to live up to its own expectations。 It was entertaining， and above average。 But I'm not sure its the minds blowing plot that its own characters believed it to be。 。。。more

Brendan Walsh ，

I really appreciated a lot about this book。 It was a page turner， just as the book within a book promised。 It had a great premise and was executed well - I’m also happy she included sections of the protagonist’s book。 However， I felt the protagonist lacked depth or complexity， which made me less interested in the parts that weren’t related to the mystery。 A lot of sections were quite dialogue-heavy and expositional。 Nevertheless， I found it enjoyable and kept wanting to pick it up to see what ha I really appreciated a lot about this book。 It was a page turner， just as the book within a book promised。 It had a great premise and was executed well - I’m also happy she included sections of the protagonist’s book。 However， I felt the protagonist lacked depth or complexity， which made me less interested in the parts that weren’t related to the mystery。 A lot of sections were quite dialogue-heavy and expositional。 Nevertheless， I found it enjoyable and kept wanting to pick it up to see what happens。 。。。more

Jill ，

Dark humor， a great twist at the end （which， like me， you might figure out a bit before the big reveal， but it doesn't make this book any less enjoyable）， and a great ethical question at the center of the story you can ponder even after you've finished it: is stealing a plot plagiarism？ Dark humor， a great twist at the end （which， like me， you might figure out a bit before the big reveal， but it doesn't make this book any less enjoyable）， and a great ethical question at the center of the story you can ponder even after you've finished it: is stealing a plot plagiarism？ 。。。more

Araba ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed this even though I saw the outcome coming。

Simon Bewick ，

The idea of an author writing a novel about an author accused/ responsible for plagiarism is not a new one - Stephen King， who claims this is the best of its type has， of course written a few himself。 Here， it's about a plot rather than the actual work as in some stories （that's not， I think， a spoiler， given the book's title）。 The challenge is how much of the stolen story to show - when the 'stolen' work is supposedly so incredible it makes a good person do such a drastic thing。 Here the author The idea of an author writing a novel about an author accused/ responsible for plagiarism is not a new one - Stephen King， who claims this is the best of its type has， of course written a few himself。 Here， it's about a plot rather than the actual work as in some stories （that's not， I think， a spoiler， given the book's title）。 The challenge is how much of the stolen story to show - when the 'stolen' work is supposedly so incredible it makes a good person do such a drastic thing。 Here the author chooses to intersperse chapters of 'the book' with the story she is telling; constantly telling us that the thing that sold the stolen story is the unbelievable， incredible， never-before-seen twist that has EVERYONE talking about it。 When we get to find out the twist which is so integral to the consequences， a reader familiar with the crime genre may find themselves saying "Really？ That's the twist that is so utterly unheard of Oprah is raving about it and Spielberg wants to make a film of it？" It's well enough written （although could have done with about 75% less exclamation marks around the place）， and has some interestingly meta things to say about writing， writers and the publishing industry。 Jean Hanif Korelitz has a good track record and has obviously received a lot of attention from the tv series The Undoing。 Where the ending of that series divided a lot of viewers （I haven't read the source novel so can't compare）， the ending here is probably the best thing in the book。 It may not be the amazing twist ending much of the blurb promises， but it's effective。 Overall - I read the book quickly enough and enjoyed it as I went along， wanting to know how it all turned out。 The central character is not the most sympathetic; possibly deliberately written that way， and there are a couple of implausible actions/ decisions to move the plot along。 It may take a while to 'get going' for some readers （we're about 35% in before anything of 'mystery' significance really happens。） but there are some nice flourishes and touches along the way to keep anyone interested in authors and writing going。 If half marks were available， I'd probably nudge towards a four。 Thank you to the publishers for an ARC of this title provided on the understanding of an honest review。 。。。more

Andrew Smith ，

I think it was Twain who said ‘write what you know’， and quite a few writers appear to take that advice literally and write about， well， writing。 And I don’t mind that， I like the idea that I’m somehow getting a glimpse inside a writer’s head， that I’ve been granted an opportunity to unpick the craft in some minor way。 In this story， the author introduces us to Jacob Finch Bonner， a man who’s wanted nothing else than to be a successful writer for as long as he can remember。 He’s had some success I think it was Twain who said ‘write what you know’， and quite a few writers appear to take that advice literally and write about， well， writing。 And I don’t mind that， I like the idea that I’m somehow getting a glimpse inside a writer’s head， that I’ve been granted an opportunity to unpick the craft in some minor way。 In this story， the author introduces us to Jacob Finch Bonner， a man who’s wanted nothing else than to be a successful writer for as long as he can remember。 He’s had some success too， with his first book receiving quite a bit of critical acclaim even though sales were only modest。 But his follow-up books failed miserably and as a result he’s now he’s taken up a job teaching an MFA course at third-rate school， just to make ends meet for a while。 But then he gets lucky。The luck involves his coming across a brilliant， can’t fail plot for a book， courtesy of one of his students。 But it’s not his plot， is it possible that he can steal this idea and run with it himself？ There’s a lot more to this conundrum， of course， but I’m not looking to share any of that here。 Suffice to say that Bonner wrestles with this dilemma and the choice he makes shapes how his future is to play out。 It’s a well-crafted and suspenseful thriller that definitely had me hooked from early on。 I liked the way that Bonner was brought to life， even though I’m not sure that I actually liked the man very much: most of the time he comes across as a self-obsessed loner who really has little time for anyone else。My main issue with the book is that I worked out the key twists to come about two thirds of the way in， something I rarely do。 I didn’t know exactly how it was going to play out but I had the bones of in my head from that point。 This somewhat took the edge off the remainder for me as I started to spot what I saw to be confirmations of my predicted route。 However， despite this there was still enough mystery left in the detail to hold my interest and， in truth， there was at least one significant element I that hadn’t foreseen that definitely startled me。 When I try to analyse whether this could play out in real life I conclude that there are just too many elements that I believe would have derailed the whole thing along the way - but as a piece of entertainment it did have a lot to offer。 I enjoyed it and I think a lot of other readers will too。My thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Ryan Lowe ，

I was expecting to like this book more than I actually did。 The plot sounds fun and meta and smart， but then these things don't quite hang together。 The "author's viewpoint on writing" meta-commentary stuff comes in strongest at the very beginning of the book before there is actually a plot。 Once the "plot" arrives， the book becomes a generic thriller except that the detective is mostly a buffoon who lucks into every discovery he makes。 （You know you have a problem when the villain of the story I was expecting to like this book more than I actually did。 The plot sounds fun and meta and smart， but then these things don't quite hang together。 The "author's viewpoint on writing" meta-commentary stuff comes in strongest at the very beginning of the book before there is actually a plot。 Once the "plot" arrives， the book becomes a generic thriller except that the detective is mostly a buffoon who lucks into every discovery he makes。 （You know you have a problem when the villain of the story lampshade-hangs how much of the hero's discoveries rely on coincidence。 ~groooooan）I also can't tell if there's meant to be a moral to the story， or a theme， or anything。 Was the hero right to be ashamed of "stealing a plot"？ Was the villain right to be outraged？ Was this book a satire and deconstruction of "cancel culture" where everyone is afraid that they'll be cancelled for their dark history？ The weird thing is that the hero and the villain （AND EVERYONE ELSE） are united in thinking that taking a barebones plot summary of a book and writing it entirely from scratch is morally repugnant， which it almost definitely isn't。 There needed to be at least one character in the book that didn't share the uninteresting hero's worldview on art and ethics， but there isn't。 =/Still fun to read！ But I was expecting the book to merge the writing/thriller elements a little more smartly。 。。。more

Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken ，

Nicely done。 I had the “who” figured out pretty quickly - sort of。 But I was still stuck on the numbers and not sure how it was going to work out。 At the moment the characters in Jake’s book were discussing the T-shirt， that’s the moment I figured it out。 Such a slow and even kind of dull start， but it gets better and I am really glad I kept reading because I ended up reading this in just a couple hours。 Review to come。

Maureen ，

This book is a doozy of a thriller。 I guessed the ending but it was still an enjoyable and entertaining read。 Great beach book！

Romi ，

Holy cow this was a fun ride。 Yes， it started a little slow but then it picked up steam and finally barreled down the mountain and crashed into my brain。 I was literally on the edge of my seat towards the end and absolutely loved the way this book wove two stories together。 I'm left with a few questions but absolutely enjoyed the ride。 So clever！ Holy cow this was a fun ride。 Yes， it started a little slow but then it picked up steam and finally barreled down the mountain and crashed into my brain。 I was literally on the edge of my seat towards the end and absolutely loved the way this book wove two stories together。 I'm left with a few questions but absolutely enjoyed the ride。 So clever！ 。。。more

Sonia ，

It was a little confusing at times but I blame my extreme skimming。 Whew！ A very fast read。

Christy ，

I guessed the big twist， but it was still fun to read and watch it unfold to make sure I was right。

Kate ，

Decided to read this after seeing it on several lists， and I'm glad I did！ Can't say much without giving anything away but if you're into thrillers/mysteries， this is a clever， well written， enjoyable read。 I have a feeling I'll be thinking about this one for a while。 Decided to read this after seeing it on several lists， and I'm glad I did！ Can't say much without giving anything away but if you're into thrillers/mysteries， this is a clever， well written， enjoyable read。 I have a feeling I'll be thinking about this one for a while。 。。。more

Linda ，

A fun listen and probably even better when read， as there were moments I wanted to revisit that would have been fun to re-read。

Camille ，

A fun and immersive summer read。

Melissa Freer ，

I struggled to rate this book a 3 or a 4。 The plot was a great concept， and as the book progressed， it got more interesting and I wanted to keep reading。 But， it was not page turner in the way some books are。 I didn’t much like the protagonist， which was likely how the author wanted you to feel， but it also made it less motivating to want to know what would happen to him。 I think what kept me going is wanting to see how it would all play out。 It did not disappoint。 Just be aware it starts off as I struggled to rate this book a 3 or a 4。 The plot was a great concept， and as the book progressed， it got more interesting and I wanted to keep reading。 But， it was not page turner in the way some books are。 I didn’t much like the protagonist， which was likely how the author wanted you to feel， but it also made it less motivating to want to know what would happen to him。 I think what kept me going is wanting to see how it would all play out。 It did not disappoint。 Just be aware it starts off as a slow read and starts to get a little faster-paced about 3/4’s in。 。。。more

Ali ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I saw one of the twists in this book coming （but only a chapter or two before it broke） but the second one caught me （mostly） by surprise。 Well done。

Lgreen ，

Good， but not as good as advertised。 Like a good Twilight Zone。

Gina ，

I only read this because Stephen King called it "remarkable" and I admit that I got bogged down a couple times but ultimately it was a winner for me。 I only read this because Stephen King called it "remarkable" and I admit that I got bogged down a couple times but ultimately it was a winner for me。 。。。more

Eskind ，

4。5

Pam ，

Good ending but I did see it coming。

Nabi ，

A little slow in the beginning， but wow。

Readsbeck ，

3。5 starsI should have read this expecting satire more than thriller。 A well-written book， but it kind of just remained a surface read for me。

Mia ，

Really enjoyed that！ Maybe not completely shocking or unguessable but I liked it。

Sidney ，

I already have a knack （curse？） for figuring out twists and endings to stories well in advance， but I don't seem to be alone in figuring this one out pretty early on。 What's the fun in that？ Whats the fun in reading tedious descriptions of landmarks and characters-who-never-evolve droning inner dialogue just to arrive at a destination already known？ I read a review where someone said that the twist is theres no twist。 Um， okay？？ Maybe if it was a more artful dissection about how an obsession can I already have a knack （curse？） for figuring out twists and endings to stories well in advance， but I don't seem to be alone in figuring this one out pretty early on。 What's the fun in that？ Whats the fun in reading tedious descriptions of landmarks and characters-who-never-evolve droning inner dialogue just to arrive at a destination already known？ I read a review where someone said that the twist is theres no twist。 Um， okay？？ Maybe if it was a more artful dissection about how an obsession can drive someone mad and cause them to lose everything， but this was just 300 pages of some guy worrying about something that left alone could have potentially had zero effect on his life。 。。。more

Lori ，

3。5。 Slow start but enjoyed the book

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Plot

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Plot&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Plot&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0