Perusing the new paperbacks, I came across It’s How You Play the Game by Jimmy Gleacher. One quote on the cover caught my eye: “‘Hilarious and insightful… existential angst and an all-around good time.’ — Gwyneth Paltrow.” Uh, what? When did publishers start looking to actors for artistic validation of their books?
We expect professional critics to have a level of discernment greater than our own; that is what lends them credibility. We think, oh, this or that person writes reviews for a living, so I’ll take his or her word (with a grain of salt, of course) to guide me through the media fog. But does Ms. Paltrow have any more literary expertise than you or I have? Who knows, but I suppose I’m being disingenuous. The answer: celebrity sells. She may read more or less than we do, but it’s moot since my name isn’t as bankable. It’s not so much artistic validation, as celebrity endorsement. (Oprah Book Club, anyone?) And it goes back to the adage that even bad publicity is good publicity. Take a look, I’ve already spent two paragraphs wondering why an actor is put forth as a book critic for an otherwise unremarkable novel.