As I always get a giggle out of Travis Jonker's One Star Review Guess Who posts, I figured I'd swipe the idea and post the occasional one-star Amazon review of a much-lauded YA title.
So, can you guess what book this disappointed reader is reviewing?:
Answer here!I usually love young adult books, and the premise of this seemed so original and fun, but I was sorely disappointed. I couldn't get past the first 30 pages. The voice of the narrator was so irritating I wanted to scream. If you have to write "obviously" or "clearly" once every sentence, you shouldn't be writing anything at all. I couldn't shake the feeling that the author was trying to force a style that he was not that adept at, and at the same time seemed so pleased with himself for what he was writing, I gave up on it way before I usually would. Not worth the hype at all.
i hated it too, back in the day! http://forward.com/articles/12179/the-best-children-s-books-of--/
REASONABLE PEOPLE CAN DISAGREE. (though ok, i seem to be the only person who hated The Book Thief, so maybe i am not so reasonable. FINE.)
Posted by: marjorie | 27 March 2013 at 02:37 PM
Wait, are you saying that you're a reasonable person?
Posted by: Leila | 27 March 2013 at 02:40 PM
I'm totally reasonable! Come on, who DOESN'T think of the Holocaust as "original and fun"?
Posted by: marjorie | 27 March 2013 at 04:53 PM
THAT. THAT WAS THE PART THAT KILLED ME.
Posted by: Leila | 27 March 2013 at 05:01 PM
Yes! Glad to see you bringing this to the YA realm, Leila!
Posted by: Scope Notes | 28 March 2013 at 11:36 AM
Yay! I'm glad that you're glad! (<--I'm not even being pithy, actually, I'm genuinely glad that you've given me your blessing. :D)
Posted by: Leila | 28 March 2013 at 11:40 AM
Whaaaaattttt? I don;t remember all the "obviously"s or "clearly"s. Must have a second look.
Posted by: Ruby | 28 March 2013 at 12:57 PM
Ha! I didn't either, but I haven't read it in years. (Now I'm worried that when I get around to re-reading it, every 'obviously' and 'clearly' will STAND OUT.)
Posted by: Leila | 28 March 2013 at 12:59 PM
This was a book that took me two tries to get into, and probably one I couldn't have managed had I finally not understood what I term the "Michael Chabon Problem," which is that some authors are really not good at starting very good novels.
I think that having Death narrate a novel is an interesting approach, and if you figure that he, like many socially inept people, doesn't get a lot of practice conversing with those who are happy to see him, it makes it less excruciating to get through his introductory section.
If you can make it through that (which I did on try two with the novel), I'd argue it's excellent from then on out -- and that it puts the beginning of the book back into perspective. (Sort of like that fishing/scarring virus/roadtrip novel we read for Cybils.)
Posted by: sprite | 29 March 2013 at 10:09 AM
My beloved Catch and Release!
Posted by: Leila | 29 March 2013 at 06:45 PM