Title: A Massive Case of "The Emperor's New Clothes"
Product review: Verbose, cliché-ridden, superficial, and materialistic, this book stars not Tuscany but Frances Mayes, who treats Italy like a gigantic mall. In her view, Italian architecture, food, wine, art, history, and even people exist only as products to decorate the author's personal Disneyland. The book's success can be explained only by marketing hype and critics' reluctance to speak the truth. Fellow readers, the emperor is naked. Save your money, and a tree. If you want to read about Italian food, go to the real authorities: Marcella Hazan or Mayes's own source, Elizabeth David.
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
