--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great novel is a kind of conversion…" description: "\"A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed.\" — Katherine Paterson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/katherine-paterson-2365_book_a-great-novel-is-a-kind-of-conversion-ex_1816203.png" --- # A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come… ![“A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed.” quote by Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/katherine-paterson-2365_book_a-great-novel-is-a-kind-of-conversion-ex_1816203.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/katherine-paterson-2365_book_a-great-novel-is-a-kind-of-conversion-ex_1816203.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a0/katherine-paterson-2365_book_a-great-novel-is-a-kind-of-conversion-ex_1816203.png) > “A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed.” [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A novel can transform readers, leaving them altered after the experience. **In simple terms:** Reading a novel can change you. Key Takeaway Seek stories that challenge you. Themes growth transformation literature Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - education - therapy - book clubs Key Concepts Narrative impact empathy self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What book changed your perspective? - How do you recognize personal growth after reading? A Different Perspective Not every novel has a profound effect; impact varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Away Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-changed-2091915/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversion/) [Conversion Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversion-experience-1522767/) [Great Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-novel-1042383/) [Great novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-novels/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-kind-1462415/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“A novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-novel-is-a-kind-of-conversion-experience-we-come-away-from-it/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Just as we bemoan the passing away of the Great Novel, a great novelist is likely to emerge, perhaps even from Denmark or Switzerland,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/just-as-we-bemoan-the-passing-away-of-the-great-novel-a-great/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [Sometimes, as in a great novel, you cannot see until you get to the end that God was leaving clues for you all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-f-winner/sometimes-as-in-a-great-novel-you-cannot-see-until-you-get-to-the-end/) [Lauren F. Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-f-winner/) > [Even though I have never had an abrupt conversion experience, religion has been real to me and closely knitted to life. In fact the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/even-though-i-have-never-had-an-abrupt-conversion-experience-religion/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“Real conversion is an experience of repentance and forgiveness before God. It is not merely praying a prayer, joining a Christian church, or receiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/real-conversion-is-an-experience-of-repentance-and-forgiveness-before/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [Fly Away changed my life. There are certain songs that do. When I won the Grammy, I was in Paris. I sort of forgot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/fly-away-changed-my-life-there-are-certain-songs-that-do-when-i-won/) [Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/) > [I've had so many experiences with film or musicals or books where I just walk away changed in some way. One of the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kitt/i-ve-had-so-many-experiences-with-film-or-musicals-or-books-where-i/) [Tom Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kitt/) > [I moved out to New Zealand to live as I thought the warmth and peace and quiet would help me. I went away and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crawford/i-moved-out-to-new-zealand-to-live-as-i-thought-the-warmth-and-peace/) [Michael Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crawford/) > [My love for him had never gone away but only changed, growing deeper like wine fermenting or pickles curing. It bore into me with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/my-love-for-him-had-never-gone-away-but-only-changed-growing-deeper/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“I could pretend that I was ok I wind around the parties, drink in hand I could pretend when you went away That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/i-could-pretend-that-i-was-ok-i-wind-around-the-parties-drink-in-hand/) [Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/) > [A scrupulous man will never produce a great novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/a-scrupulous-man-will-never-produce-a-great-novel/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) > [The Butcher Boy is a very great novel indeed and a very important Irish novel. The ambiguity of that is, he's writing a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rea/the-butcher-boy-is-a-very-great-novel-indeed-and-a-very-important/) [Stephen Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rea/) > ['Bleak House' remains a great novel for me, and I love 'David Copperfield.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/bleak-house-remains-a-great-novel-for-me-and-i-love-david-copperfield/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [“All that's needed now is a great novel that will capture the imagination of the public - move them, enrage them, thrill them, terrify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-farber/all-that-s-needed-now-is-a-great-novel-that-will-capture-the/) [Michael Farber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-farber/) > [I always seem to get inspiration and renewed vitality by contact with this great novel land of yours which sticks up out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-always-seem-to-get-inspiration-and-renewed-vitality-by-contact-with/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More by Katherine Paterson > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“You're the proverbial diamond in the rough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-re-the-proverbial-diamond-in-the-rough/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [We do have trouble dealing with death, but it's the one thing that is guaranteed we are all going to have to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-do-have-trouble-dealing-with-death-but-it-s-the-one-thing-that-is/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Everybody gets scared sometimes, May Belle. You don't have to be ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everybody-gets-scared-sometimes-may-belle-you-don-t-have-to-be-ashamed/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Obviously, I love to do both contemporary and historical fiction. When a hint of a story grabs me, I try to go with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/obviously-i-love-to-do-both-contemporary-and-historical-fiction-when/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revisions-we-can-t-go-back-and-revise-our-lives-but-being/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I woke up one morning and realized that what I wanted to say to everyone - children, young people, adults - was: Read for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-woke-up-one-morning-and-realized-that-what-i-wanted-to-say-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Our fundamental task as human beings is to seek out connections-to exercise our imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/our-fundamental-task-as-human-beings-is-to-seek-out-connections-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [a work that intends to be art must first be entertaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-work-that-intends-to-be-art-must-first-be-entertaining/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I do know that I need solitude, not only to write but to nourish myself (being, like most writers, an introvert) so that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-do-know-that-i-need-solitude-not-only-to-write-but-to-nourish/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Everything comes in useful once in a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everything-comes-in-useful-once-in-a-hundred-years/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“I had no study in those days, not even a desk or file or bookcase to call mine alone…It might have happened sooner \[the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-had-no-study-in-those-days-not-even-a-desk-or-file-or-bookcase-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The challenge for those of us who care about our faith and about a hurting world is to tell stories which will carry the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/the-challenge-for-those-of-us-who-care-about-our-faith-and-about-a/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [One thing living in Japan did for me was to make me feel that what is left out of a work of art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/one-thing-living-in-japan-did-for-me-was-to-make-me-feel-that-what-is/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“We need a place," she said, "just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-need-a-place-she-said-just-for-us-it-would-be-so-secret-that-we/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) [Explore all 166 Katherine Paterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. 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