New Grub Street by George Gissing

In the early 1800s Grub Street in London was an impoverished area where many hack writers lived and worked. Gissing brings the struggles of writers and publishers to life in a novel that takes place at the end of that century. In many ways the story is like a soap opera with lots of class consciousness, romance, and the gaining and losing of fortunes. But underlying all that is a debate over whether writers should write for the market or strive for serious literary art. At over 500 pages, the book is somewhat repetitive in making its points, but it is still a fun read.