Sunday 26 December 2010

One day

Usually I like to celebrate books here, but this one was so poor, so very very poor, so life-drainingly tedious, long-drawn-out, thin and cliched, I feel like I should you warn you.

He takes 435 pages to draw these two annoying, 2D characters, have them flirt for 20 years (it felt like it too) finally get them together and then (total cheap trick this) bump her off for a 'moving' ending. David Nicholls, that's 2 hours of my life I won't get back.

What really burns is that I bought it based on the recommendation on the cover of a Mr Jonathan Coe - Jonathan Coe, a fine writer! He wrote What A Carve Up! one of the best satires ever written. Jonathan, how much was David Nicholls paying you? Did he beat you at pool or something?

Bah. I'm going straight back to the charity shop where it was purchased to the dear little old lady who said I'd love it, and punch her in the face.

9 comments:

  1. I got so sick of the both of them faffing about, I stopped reading and returned the book to my sister who had loved it. I gave her Skippy Dies for Christmas which is blurbed up by Nicholls, so, she'll probably hate it. Blurbs need to bugger off. Please don't punch the old lady.

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  2. Do they have the same publisher?

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  3. Arabella, I won't really. Skippy Dies looks good.

    I don't think so, B.

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  4. Something happened here I suspect!

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  5. I also picked it up second hand a few days ago. I'm 80 pages in. It's not going to get any less wanky, is it?

    They're already making the film :-(

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  6. The man at Waterstone's* tried to sell my mum a copy today, and she looked at me and I said, "Slaminsky said it made her want to punch the old lady who recommended it to her in the face" and the Waterstone's man said, "Well, everyone has different taste. I think it's great."

    *I was once a woman at Waterstone's, so I'm allowed to say this.

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  7. Rog, you are right! Some sneaky deals going on at the literary festival, I suspect.

    It really, really isn't Tim. Not worth your time.

    B, hahaha! I love it. Hope your mum got something good. Am surprised at Waterstones, that's like a hip young record shop worker recommending Celine Dion...

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  8. I think my mum bought Diane Athill, so yes, she did indeed get something good!

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  9. The Slaminsky Face Punching Book Scale is born!

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