Molly Foust reviewed Reader on The 6. 27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent
Review of 'Reader on The 6. 27' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
A sweet book, sure, but I lost some steam along the way. For two reasons.
The romance angle was creepy. Without spoiling it too much, the idea of reading someone's lost secret journal in public without consulting them and then seeking them out for a romantic encounter is damn presumptuous. And when he finds Cinderella of the toilets, jeez. She is a gifted writer, educated and tech-savvy and of course, importantly young and single and very beautiful. Kinda don't believe she could spring from anywhere save from the mind of a male with a savior/prince-charming complex.
Another problem: Zerstor, the monster machine that eats books and then thoughtfully prints them out, is demonized and cruelly persecuted by the stalky hero. The message: Books, especially old books, are precious and must be saved. And allowed to 'live out their lives by the Seine'
As a librarian, I would love such a …
A sweet book, sure, but I lost some steam along the way. For two reasons.
The romance angle was creepy. Without spoiling it too much, the idea of reading someone's lost secret journal in public without consulting them and then seeking them out for a romantic encounter is damn presumptuous. And when he finds Cinderella of the toilets, jeez. She is a gifted writer, educated and tech-savvy and of course, importantly young and single and very beautiful. Kinda don't believe she could spring from anywhere save from the mind of a male with a savior/prince-charming complex.
Another problem: Zerstor, the monster machine that eats books and then thoughtfully prints them out, is demonized and cruelly persecuted by the stalky hero. The message: Books, especially old books, are precious and must be saved. And allowed to 'live out their lives by the Seine'
As a librarian, I would love such a Zerstor machine. I must throw away books all the time and this bothers me not at all. We live in a time of book-plenty. Printing presses are well and truly invented and productive. Digital books as well.
It perplexes me, the fetishizing of books. It seems insincere. When people donate molding old encyclopedias and huge dictionaries circa 1970s and the works of Dan Brown or Clive Cussler they will frequently shake their heads, "I just couldn't stand to throw these wonderful books away, so I brought them to you" For shame! You don't even want to look at these books, let alone keep them protected in your house. And you feel guilty, because? Where are you going to put new books if you don't throw away a few? And maybe ask, if you don't want them, who will? And also, is this a library or a dumping ground for your literal issues? Curation, please.
But our hero despises the book destroying machine because it eats these poor old books. Even though it employs several people, is a green operation and produces NEW BOOKS. For all we know, some of those books could be undamaged reprintings of the discarded ones, sweet with new book smell and ready to efficiently reuse last years surfeit of Harry Potter. Nobody is throwing out original Shakespeare portfolios and Gutenberg bibles, so calm down man. I just hope the Belle of the Bain can give him some pointers.
A third thing, I really want to believe there are security guards with a passion for alexandrines and a way with truckers. And I hope I am proven wrong and meet one at some point. But this just isn't a year for magical realism au Chocolat.