Books That Get Too Much Attention and Books That Deserve More

Did Jonathan Franzen sell his soul to the devil? You gotta admit it, the guy has gotten his share of breaks, including an Oprah blessing TWICE. And this after he dissed her back in 2001. I read Kitty Kelly’s book on Oprah and if that biography is accurate, she is a woman who does not take kindly to dissing.

It’s not as if Franzen needs a big “O” endorsement.* He captured the number one spot on the NY Times list this week AND you can’t walk into a bookstore without stumbling over a towering display of Freedom. I can’t help but wish Oprah would have picked someone a little less obvious. (Like Emma Donoghue’s Room for starters. Writing an entire novel from the point-of-view of a five year old is no puny feat.)

Which leads me to this week’s topic: Certain books seem to get more attention than they need (or possibly deserve), while other very fine books slip silently into the night. For instance, did you know the “Great Gatsby” was initially declared not-so-great by critics and that many copies went unsold? It wasn’t until after Fitzgerald’s death that the novel really took off when 150,000 copies of the novel were given to US serviceman.

Or were you aware that the  Red Tent experienced tepid sales until the author sent remainder copies to hundreds of rabbis?

Can you think of a book that deserved more attention than it got? This week I’m giving away a copy of the recently released “Love in Midair” by Kim Wright because I FLIPPED over it and while it did well, I think it deserved far more love than it got. Leave a comment and this fab book could be yours. Here’s some more info:

A chance encounter with a stranger on an airplane sends Elyse Bearden into an emotional tailspin. Suddenly Elyse is willing to risk everything: her safe but stale marriage, her seemingly perfect life in an affluent Southern suburb, and her position in the community. She finds herself cutting through all the instincts that say "no" and instead lets "yes" happen. As Elyse embarks on a risky affair, her longtime friend Kelly and the other women in their book club begin to question their own decisions about love, sex, marriage, and freedom.

PW gave it a starred review and said, “Wright hits it out of the park in her debut, an engaging account of a woman contemplating divorce.”

Even cranky Kirkus gave it the love saying, “Sharply written and emotionally accessible.”

I’ll announce a winner after 6 p.m. EST on Sunday.

Karin


P.S. Last week’s winner: Debra S. Email me at kgillespie@knology and I’ll send you the signed Dot Frank book.

*
(On a completely different note, I wonder why Oprah’s audiences continue to blindly support her endorsements. Lately, she doesn’t seem in touch with her female followers when she makes book recs. The magazine, however, seems to understand its readership and picks books accordingly.