Carolyn See's review of Walking to Gatlinburg by Howard Frank Mosherstarts out more grippingly than many novels I have read recently. I’m not sure if that is a good thing. I wouldn’t be doing this blog if i didn’t think that there was an art, or at least craft, to write a critique of a work, but I am also doing this because many reviewers take themselves too seriously. The cult of critics is often maligned by artist and reader alike because they do not seem to be able to connect with the intended audience of a work do to their background, education or perceived snobbery.  In this way, the exquisite introduction by Carolyn See could backfire by alienating the reader. Or perhaps that is just what it did with me and I am  projecting.

Besides this the synopsis goes on for three paragraphs, and while there are helpful comparisons between Walking to Gatlinburg and other books that help to determine the audience for the Mr. Mosher’s piece, that is too long for a plot overview.  In fact the whole review is nothing more than throwing in particular scenes from the novel and how they influence the characters. This is more than a “review” in that it wants to make statements about the book itself rather than just a recommendation or condemnation. It falls far short of criticism, however, because the statements in no way further an understanding of the novel on an academic level.

In the end I am left with no understanding of why Carolyn See wrote this piece and because of my dislike of the review I gain no sense of the book being reviewed. Ms. See has made art for her own sake when she should have crafted a review for my sake.