Title: O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D
Product review: no, the book did not SUCK. but it was terribly derivative, employing the images and steretypes we've all encountered a million times before: dysfunctional families, abused children, spineless women who collapse without their men, unhealthy love affairs, the south.... and what novel about the paradox of bleakness and hope (violin music swells), forgiveness and redemption, would be complete without that random wise old black woman who comes along and saves the day? i'm surprised oprah did the movie (which i, thankfully, passed on) -- if her role was at all faithful to the book, she was nothing more than an insulting stereotype writ large and reiterated for the nth time. and that whole blackbird snatching the voice away thing? possibly the most ham-handed metaphor i've ever read in a published piece of writing. i'm glad i borrowed the book from the library, and didn't buy it. overall, a pulpy, marginally entertaining read with a deceptively classy art-house cover.
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
