Disappointment

When there's a buzz about a book I'm always curious. Is it a marketing buzz, or is it a genuinely good book that has surfaced from the mass? Captain Corelli's Mandolin was a good example; I held back for a while, then read de Berniere's trilogy before going on to Capt Corelli, which I felt afterwards deserved the hype.
Sadly, though, I'm more often doomed to disappointment. I managed page 1 of The Da Vinci Code (like reading The Sun newspaper, with lots of big, exciting verbs), and to this day have resisted Angela's Ashes.
So when I heard about Victoria Hislop's The Island, I hesitated. In fact, I more than hesitated. I wondered if she got published on the strength of her husband's profile rather than any innate merit in her work. I eventually started reading it two days ago.

I was right.

It's awful. Written with all the style of a GCSE english essay assignment, full of exposition and unbelievably clumsy hopping between points of view. She gives the reader no room for their own imagination, character motivations are explained to the nth degree, and she clearly has no concept of showing a pivotal scene rather than telling you after it's happened. It's a great pity, because she is giving a picture of a fascinating place and time, but fails to live up to it on every page.
Will I finish it? I want to believe that there will suddenly be some amazing change, that I will see why people think this book is wonderful. But I don't think it's going to happen. I'll give it one more go tonight. (It's almost unheard of for me to take this long to read a book. And I'm only 1/3 of the way through).

If you want a good lit-lite book try The Officer's Daughter (Portobello) or Loving Mephistopheles (Peter Owen). I can't guarantee you'll love the story, but at least you'll be reading something by someone who really knows how to write.