Bella Pollen Yuck
I am afraid that my copy of the Bella Pollen has already found a new home in a charity shop. Ten pages plus the support given to the book by The Daily Mail was enough for me to pass sentence. I think we need a certain amount of quality control in the Globe Bookgroup. Others will probably not agree so I wont say anything more but I am now reading The Bridge by Ian Banks.
posted by Julian at
6:23 pm
5 Comments:
Sorry you didn't like the book, at least the first ten pages. Of course, it's all a matter of taste isn't it. When I read it before, I found it better than the average chick-lit book, and that there was some depth to it. I have got it out of the library to re-read as I can't remember the details.
I'm reading a Kate Atkinson novel, Case Histories. Good so far - I've read a few of her books and have always enjoyed her depictions of quirky families and intrigue.
2:34 pm
I beg to disagree on the matter of taste issue. I think there are writers who are best described as hacks - people like Jilly Cooper, the Mills and Boon writers, Dan Brown etc. I personally do not think that the work of such people is worth any kind of discussion - there are simply better things to do in the world. I think we should stick to writers who either have a growing or established reputation in serious journals or papers. There are no shortage of genuinely talented authors so I see absolutely no reason whatever to read work which is only worthy of the dentist's waiting room. I would much rather read the work of Lorraine Mariner - there is an example of a genuine talent
1:05 pm
Pollen's book is a bit better than dentist's waiting room literature, which is generally some crappy magazine!! But yes, I agree that it's not worth discussing books that really are not particulary 'literary'. Books lke 'Hunting Unicorns' are the kind of book I enjoy reading in the bath, in order to unwind. But to have a discussion for more than about 5 minutes about it, well...I guess you could talk about legacy you want to leave when you die (a theme which comes out of the book towards the end)...
I'm sure we'll enjoy discussing this further next week - I'd be really interested to hear what people think. I guess because we choose the book democratically there might always be the chance of a book you consider a pile of poo.
6:28 pm
I'm only saying there ought to be a minimum standard. I dont mind having to read a book I dont really like as long as it is actually well written and worth discussing.
I didnt especially like The Line of Beauty as the characters were rather unappealing but at least Hollinghurst is a good writer. I am also quite happy with the lighter end of the market such as Alexander McCall Smith as he also has a good style. I think someone like Ruth Rendell would also be ok - even John Le Carre has done some slightly better work like The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Everybody in our group is intelligent enough to know poor quality writing when they see it. Ruling out rubbish isnt going to disadvantage anyone and will ensure that no month is wasted on stuff that is not worth discussing.
8:31 pm
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8:34 pm
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