After I read Eat, Pray, Love, I rated it one of my favorite memoirs the year it came out. I read Committed exactly a year ago and, while a very different read from its predecessor, I was caught up in Gilbert's story as well as the history of the complex institution that we call marriage. So I was thrilled when a copy of Gilbert's new book arrived on my desk.
I am a bit of a polygamist when it comes to books, so in between half a dozen YA and a couple of old detectives, I snuck in a few visits to Elizabeth Gilbert. But the problem was that something had changed in our relationship. Her writing was as smooth and lyrical as usual, but I had no idea where we were going in terms of the story. What I did know was that it wasn't in the same direction.
I enjoy historical fiction and I love learning through reading, but to be perfectly honest, I, at some point, simply became bored. So while I still reveled in her writing, it was clear that she had outgrown me in terms of the big picture.
I am still glad that I read it, and I will certainly read the next novel Gilbert produces but perhaps with a little sadness in my heart knowing that we have grown apart.
If the story was weak enough that you got bored, perhaps it's just not as well written as you'd expect. Just because an author has had a popular book doesn't mean that all her work is of a consistent high quality. And some publishers put less effort in a book by a popular author because they figure the book will sell even if it isn't as good because of the author name attached.
ReplyDeleteAll true! In this case, it was definitely the subject matter that lost me; it just wasn't for me. A friend mailed me after reading my post to say that The Signature of all Things is her book of the year and that she's taking it on holiday with her this month to read again. So clearly it is just me!
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