Imagine a Hoover novel with an idealistic heroine who has horrible things happen to her—and then: “I heard rumors of something bad up near My Lai.”
  • brenticus@lemmy.world
    33·
    10 days ago

    I tried to read The Nightingale and had to drop it because Hannah seemed to simultaneously want to insist on how french everything was (ooo, they’re drinking café noir, not black coffee) but also didn’t seem to understand how a language works.

    Like, the main character was reflecting on her mom calling them her little nightingales because their last name is Rossignol, the french word for nightingale, and I’m like… She called you nightingales because your name is literally nightingale, why does this warrant multiple paragraphs of internal monologuing?

    The plot and characters were fine if uninspired, but she put so little effort into the setting that the whole thing felt poorly slapped together. Which I guess tracks well enough with this article, too.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
      1023·
      10 days ago

      How the fuck does a shit novel become popular, but I can’t sell 6 copies of my well written one? Where do they find these publishers? Do you have to be a woman? I mean what’s the deal. Wasn’t Twilight a horribly written too? And Fifty Shades of Grey was a fanfic of that.

      • isaaclyman@lemmy.world
        9·
        10 days ago

        Your novel may be well-written. I wouldn’t risk a guess. All I know is the worst writers I’ve ever met have also been the most convinced they were God’s gift to literature.

        That said, I can sympathize. Selling a story is hard, and luck is a huge factor. If the next Hemingway is out there, they’re probably getting sick of hearing “sorry, this story didn’t work for us. We wish you the best in placing it elsewhere.”

        • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
          22·
          10 days ago

          Lol yeah I bet. Agents wouldn’t know good story if it hit them in the head. Hell they all turned down Harry Potter.

      • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
        6·
        10 days ago

        So many great authors don’t make it big. So many mediocre authors do make it big. Same with musicians…really all artists. It’s depressing how many profound works and minds have been drowned and lost in the chaos of humanity and making a living.

      • dukeofdummies@lemmy.worldEnglish
        51·
        10 days ago

        I mean… easiest way to tackle this is to name the novel and let us judge.

        In all seriousness though. Going viral has precious little to do with quality. It all boils down to luck. I do cosplay, I have a set of LED eyes that I have full control over, I can emote so well I put a vtuber to shame, and this is real life before your eyes. I’ll run around as the black mage from ff1

        Took 5 years to go viral on Twitter and get an article written on adafruit. Go to any con and you’ll see comics and books trying to sell out of booths. Have you ever purchased one on a whim? Or do you just walk by?

  • TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world
    231·
    10 days ago

    Work with elderly and run a book club.

    The 15 ladies in it 70+ all enjoyed the women. They knew a woman who was a nurse in nam and they asked her about it and they said she fucking hated it.

    Glad to see some more counter opinions to what seems like some pseudo profound novel with people who actually lived that shit still around.

    Good article.

    • polarpear11@lemmy.world
      1·
      6 days ago

      My book club read this and I tried but it wasn’t for me. I mostly read sci fi and fantasy though so I just thought it was out of my wheelhouse. I think the consensus in book club was that it wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be.