A Holiday Shopping "Recommendation" for Acacia
The kind folks at the Raleigh News and Observer have included Acacia in the Columnist's Choices for Holiday Gifts! Should be thrilled, only... well, it doesn't seem like they actually liked the book that much. Here's what they said:
Acacia by David Anthony Durham (Doubleday, $26.95, 592 pages) Durham, known for historical fiction, turns to epic fantasy with mixed results. The world is complex and nuanced, but the characters play in stereotype and there is a puzzling lack of imagination -- still, worth the time for fans of the genre.
Er... Not exactly a resounding endorsement. "Puzzling lack of imagination"? What's that mean? "The characters play in stereotype"? Hmm... Doesn't sound like a book that deserves recommendation... Well, anyway, I'll take the recommendation part of it and smile.
You can see their other picks here, if you're interested.
Acacia by David Anthony Durham (Doubleday, $26.95, 592 pages) Durham, known for historical fiction, turns to epic fantasy with mixed results. The world is complex and nuanced, but the characters play in stereotype and there is a puzzling lack of imagination -- still, worth the time for fans of the genre.
Er... Not exactly a resounding endorsement. "Puzzling lack of imagination"? What's that mean? "The characters play in stereotype"? Hmm... Doesn't sound like a book that deserves recommendation... Well, anyway, I'll take the recommendation part of it and smile.
You can see their other picks here, if you're interested.
posted by David Anthony Durham at
5:45 PM
3 Comments:
That does seem a bit of a backhanded compliment. Luckily, the people who read it based on this recommendation will have the ability to make up their own minds. So there, Mr Reviewer!
Andrea
"Puzzling lack of imagination"?
Huh? Were they reading the same book I did??
:)
Thanks Andrea, Constance,
You know, I haven't been reviewed badly very often, but I've found that even when I have been the mediocre reviews seem just as likely to get readers as the good ones. I've been surprised, sometimes, when people say they bought the book because they read a review that I didn't like that much. But they tend not to remember the details; it's more they remember having heard of the book at all...
In this case, yes, I think a few folks will remember that the book was recommended. That's what counts.
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