I Never Saw Paris: A Novel of the AfterlifeHarry Freund
Oh, brother. What to say about this book that won't make me sound like an asshole? In the spirit of Christian fellowship (much like the focus of I Never Saw Paris), I'm going to try to say 10 nice things about this book.
1. I Never Saw Paris is part of my 2009 reading resolution.
2. I Never Saw Paris is a really quick read.
3. I Never Saw Paris concerns the immediate afterlife of five people who perish in an accident.
4. I Never Saw Paris reminds us to love one another and to enjoy every minute of our lives.
5. I Never Saw Paris cautions us that every action, no matter how innocuous this action may seem, has a consequence.
6. I Never Saw Paris teaches us that even not-so-admirable individuals have redeeming characteristics.
7. I didn't pay for I Never Saw Paris.
8. . . . .Let's see . . . . . number 8. . . . . .
Okay, I can't do it. I can't quit carbs, I can't run for longer than two minutes at a time, and I can't say more than 7 good things about this book. If I may, though, I'd like to point out some not-so-good things:
1. What could be an intriguing story is undermined by overly simple writing.
2. Cliches abound.
3. I'm a little uncomfortable with the notion that gay men are not truly men, especially when Brett, the gay character, bemoans his being born with the heart of a "softhearted, warm, and cuddly girl" instead of having "a bald head, big ears. . . .and the heart and soul of a man." Alrighty, then. . .
4. Also, the book just kinda sucked all-around. How in the hell did it get so many five-star reviews on Amazon.com??
Look: the book's heart is in the right place, but I just didn't feel the telling was a particularly good one.
In a nutshell: While I may not have enjoyed the book, Freund's point is a valid one: We never know when the reaper will come a'knockin, so stop being a douchebag while there's still time.
Bibliolatry Scale: 1 out of 6 stars
1. I Never Saw Paris is part of my 2009 reading resolution.
2. I Never Saw Paris is a really quick read.
3. I Never Saw Paris concerns the immediate afterlife of five people who perish in an accident.
4. I Never Saw Paris reminds us to love one another and to enjoy every minute of our lives.
5. I Never Saw Paris cautions us that every action, no matter how innocuous this action may seem, has a consequence.
6. I Never Saw Paris teaches us that even not-so-admirable individuals have redeeming characteristics.
7. I didn't pay for I Never Saw Paris.
8. . . . .Let's see . . . . . number 8. . . . . .
Okay, I can't do it. I can't quit carbs, I can't run for longer than two minutes at a time, and I can't say more than 7 good things about this book. If I may, though, I'd like to point out some not-so-good things:
1. What could be an intriguing story is undermined by overly simple writing.
2. Cliches abound.
3. I'm a little uncomfortable with the notion that gay men are not truly men, especially when Brett, the gay character, bemoans his being born with the heart of a "softhearted, warm, and cuddly girl" instead of having "a bald head, big ears. . . .and the heart and soul of a man." Alrighty, then. . .
4. Also, the book just kinda sucked all-around. How in the hell did it get so many five-star reviews on Amazon.com??
Look: the book's heart is in the right place, but I just didn't feel the telling was a particularly good one.
In a nutshell: While I may not have enjoyed the book, Freund's point is a valid one: We never know when the reaper will come a'knockin, so stop being a douchebag while there's still time.
Bibliolatry Scale: 1 out of 6 stars
9 comments:
Number 3 of the bad things: wow. It doesn't sound like I'd find much good in this book either. I love the format of your review, though!
The book may be crap, but I loved your review.
And please, don't quit carbs. They are not evil. That's just fashionable nonsense :-)
A very clever, diplomatic way to write, what I am sure was a difficult review.
Hey, you tried! I give you a 10 for effort. :-)
Lezlie
I love the way your list gets across the idea that the book is cliche-ridden before you say it.
This is all I ever want from a review.
A valiant effort, but what I'll take away with me is your wonderful "in a nutshell".
it's always difficult to write a review about a book you didn't enjoy...but i'll be honest: i usually want to READ all books that get not-so-great reviews because i want to see if i agree with the reviewer. i'm contrary like that. lol. :) thanks for the title to add to my list. (and i've never been to paris either...)
Hee... this review amused me. I hope the author didn't solicit you personally or you may have some splainin' to do.
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