Meg Wolitzer reviewed Jeanette Walls’ Silver Star today on NPR (link) and while I don’t disagree with some of her criticism (sometimes the direction was shaky, and maybe the girls are a little too resourceful), I also couldn’t help but think that she totally missed the mark on why some readers return to a favorite author in the first place. After fan-girling for a stunning best-seller, we turn to an author’s subsequent books because the characters are familiar, the themes ring true, and the plots are as comfortable as a well-worn pair of jeans. We don’t always need for their work to be “more textured and moving and real”–we’re not asking for “complexity” or “richer, subtler notes”. Sometimes we just want to hang out again with old friends.
This is my symphony 