Discrepancies
15 Aug 2005, 1:52:24 pm
2 Comments
The book Eleven on Top, by Janet Evanovich, is a bestseller with 4 stars at Amazon.com. The reviews foam at the mouth with praises of Evanovich's talent and the value of the book, love for the book, adoration for the book...but this review says If This Is A Best-Seller, We're In Real Trouble. Aparna Balakrishnan lashes the book for problems with grammar, contrived and uninteresting dialogue, and a boring story -- hardly a book worth four stars or best-seller status if it would have garnered a C in 9th grade English. Lee Seigel gives a similar lashing to Sean Wilsey's Oh the Glory of It All, addressing the empty, rambling marketably manufactured prose that passes for literature today. This book, too, has 4 stars at Amazon, with glowing reviews from throughout the media.
When all book reviews are positive and mindful of the author's feelings, what good are they? These days, there's no reason to read a review from anyplace other than a literary journal. Culture magazines like People often include book reviews, but they're rarely substantial, nothing more than the announcement of a new product. Music reviews are often more thoughtful than the book reviews, and this is a disservice to the public. Real book reviews, especially those critical of big-name books, would open the public's eyes to what they're being advertised. So long as you're not critical of Harry Potter; they'll have your head for it.
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User Comments
 Just curious what books you consider should be bestsellers or that will become classics. Posted by wordperson, 08/21/2005 09:45:43 |
