See What Can Be Done: Essays, Criticism, and Commentary

A New York Times Editors' ChoiceA New York Times Top Book of 2018An Irish Times Best Book of 2018A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018"The book flooded my veins with pleasure. When writing teachers pass this book to their students, the title See What Can Be Done will be read as a simple command." —The New York Times"A marvelous collection. . . . [Moore's] chief virtue as a critic is shown to be a sympathetic, generous eye, which enables Moore to reveal the unique appeal of any given work. . . . This book provides ample insight into Moore's inner life; it is certainly a boon to any lover of smart cultural criticism." —Publishers Weekly"Moore is one of our best documentarians of everyday amazement." —The New Yorker "This is a solid and welcome addition to a superb body of work." —Toronto Star"Moore's incisive, often mordant, yet exhilarating pieces illuminate the trajectory of a literary artist's aesthetic evolution and enhance an understanding of her fiction. . . . [I] was struck, on rereading, not only by Moore's intelligence and wit, and by the syntactical and verbal satisfactions of her prose, but by the fundamental generosity of her critical spirit." —The Guardian (UK)"[Moore is] an astute, sympathetic reader. . . . Deft, graceful essays from a sharply incisive writer." —Kirkus Reviews"Moore reveals herself, in her criticism, to be the kind of reader every writer both longs for and fears. She seems to be incapable of missing a trick, and paces through novels like a casino manager surveilling the floor, with a sixth sense for chip hustlers and baloney dice." —The New Republic"Whip-smart and thought-provoking." —Elle"Lorrie Moore has, through sheer uniqueness of voice and unrivalled excellence, established herself as one of the most prominent and anticipated figures in American literature." —Winnipeg Free Press"[Moore] proves herself such a delightful companion in every way—a smart, sardonic, world-weary sort of companion—and with such spot-on taste that by the end of the book you want her to be your BFF." —The Spectator (UK)"Fascinating insights into one of America's finest short story writers and her ever-evolving understanding of her craft. . . . Her incisive readings are a must for budding authors. . . . This rewarding collection from a wonder of American letters provides a rich reading list, while Moore, cogent, distinctive and entertaining, reiterates what great art can do." —Booklist"What is most impressive is her capacity to give the work under review a life of its own. She makes even those books I recall not much enjoying . . . sound fresh and remarkable. She can make books you admire seem even richer and more mysterious . . . and she can make writers you may never have read . . . a matter of sudden personal urgency." —Financial Times"This is a delightfully indulgent collection, one worth savoring at one's leisure or consuming in huge gulps." —Shelf Awareness"[An] incisive, wide-ranging and enjoyable collection of reviews, autobiographical pieces and cultural commentary. . . . Lorrie Moore is such a writer that you want to collect her words as a gardener would rain in a water-butt." —The Observer (UK) "Moore's wicked wit is demonstrated by the opening sentence." —The Wall Street Journal"This collection of 60 lucid and erudite cultural essays by the award-winning fiction writer is a treasure." —BBC.com"Lorrie Moore's writing and analysis, as with her fiction, is so consistently smart, funny and unexpected that the essays end up feeling far more compulsively readable than it seems essays have any right to be. It's like she's invented some sort of extremely healthy snack that possesses all the addictive qualities of junk food. It's not only an extremely good-looking book, it's also an extremely good book, period." —Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan and The Ruins"A fantastic collection. . . . The essay on writing alone is worth the price of admission. If Lorrie Moore is not the Miles Davis of cultural criticism, she is surely the Bill Evans; she's got those brilliant harmonies and that swinging incisive wit." —Ben Sidran"[See What Can Be Done is] an exhaustive survey of American culture through the work of one of our sharpest modern writers." —Mental Floss