Tag: Redundant

Daphne du Maurier – Rebecca | Review

Title: Rebecca

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 432

Rating: 4*/5

 

Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier – Rebecca

 

First off, whatever you do, don’t read the Virago Modern Classics edition. The front cover is a spoiler for the last page and the introductory essay is a spoiler for the other 431 of them. I already knew a little bit about the story line of Rebecca because of its parodies in popular culture, and particularly Mitchell and Webb which ruined the scene with the dress from the portrait, and what I didn’t know was spoiled by Sally Beauman’s introductory essay. And from what I understand, that was only there in the first place to try to get you to buy her “award-winning Rebecca’s Tale, authorised by the du Maurier estate.” Yeah, I won’t be reading that.

Because of all that, this entire read felt more like a re-read, even though it’s the first time I’ve ever picked it up. And that’s a shame, because it took a lot of the enjoyment out of it for me. Sure, it was good to read it to see how du Maurier told the story, but none of it took me by surprise, as I imagine it would have if I’d read it in 1938. I’ve also never read Jane Eyre, which apparently it’s based on, so maybe I would have got more from it if I’d read that.

The unnamed narrator is bland and boring, at least for the majority of the book, but that’s a deliberate ploy on du Maurier’s part. Still, it was kind of irritating to have to read her whittering on about stuff, especially when you already know what’s going to happen and that it’ll make most of what she’s even going on about completely redundant. Maxim de Winter and Mrs Danvers were much more interesting.

 

Daphne du Maurier

Daphne du Maurier

 

I also found it entertaining because I didn’t trust Rebecca and then it turned out that I’d sussed her character out when everyone else in the book was taken in by her. But that wasn’t outright spelled out or spoiled for me and so even though I called it, at least I called it myself. I was also taken by surprise by a twist towards the end when they called upon Rebecca’s former doctor, but I also thought it was a little too convenient.

Overall, based on my reading experience, Rebecca just scrapes a 4/5, and only because I’m generous and based on the strength of du Maurier’s writing. Without being spoiled, it would have been an easy 5* and a contender for my book of the year. Oh well.

 

Daphne du Maurier - The Breakthrough

Daphne du Maurier – The Breakthrough

 

Click here to buy Rebecca.


Kyle Lacy – Twitter Marketing for Dummies | Review

Title: Twitter Marketing for Dummies

Author: Kyle Lacy

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 296

Rating: 7/10

 

Kyle Lacy - Twitter Marketing for Dummies

Kyle Lacy – Twitter Marketing for Dummies

 

The problem with the social media and digital marketing titles in the ‘For Dummiesseries is that they were ahead of their time, and by that I mean that they all came out so long ago that the landscape has changed almost beyond recognition.

This book is only five years old, but five years is a long time in the age of the internet and most of the step-by-step guides in here are now as good as useless, because Twitter’s interface has changed so much. Likewise, some new features have been added to the site that don’t get a mention here, and other features have been made redundant.

But that said, it’s still a well-written introduction to the world of social media marketing, and the actual concepts that Lacy espouses are still just as relevant – you’ll just have to figure out how to apply them in this new landscape, is all.

 

Kyle Lacy

Kyle Lacy

 

And at the end of the day, isn’t that what a book like this is about? I’m pretty sure that Lacy will be happy as long as you read it and feel inspired to do something – this isn’t a step-by-step guide on how to become a Twitter superstar, it’s just an introduction that tells you the most important things that you’re likely to need to know so that you can take what you learn, go off and do your own thing.

So there’s still a place for this book, particularly for new marketers who’ve never used Twitter before and who don’t know what the term ‘inbound marketing’ refers to. Otherwise, you might find that this book is just a little too basic.

 

The For Dummies Guy

The For Dummies Guy

 

Click here to buy Twitter Marketing for Dummies.