December 27, 2013

A Lazy Review


Everybody should know that wine tasting notes are subjective. There are some technicalities there, but the part that really matters is personal: you like the wine or you don't, doesn't matter how balanced or powerful might be.

Book reviews are the same. People might expect some technical comments about style, genre, etc, but people want to know in advance what to expect from a book in the critic review. And critics, as wine tasters, have their own opinions, and depends from who you read a review, you might not buy a book you'd love, or either be disapointed by one you just bought - and read!

Unpretentiously walking the city centre yesterday, just to watch how the world was going, I stopped in front of a bookshop. In the window, Carnival, by Rawi Hage. In the critic's note, the phrase:
"Imagine Camus rewriting Taxi Driver".
I walked away...

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