07 January, 2007

Chart Throb (Ben Elton)

I like Ben Elton's novels. Sure, they make their points very heavily, and all the characters exist to make us realise something, not to actually be people in their own right, but I like sitting down and discovering what Ben Elton think about, in Chart Throb's case, shows like Australian Idol.

Like all of Elton's novels, it's enormously scathing about our society, in an entertaining and over-the-top way, and you can overlook the cardboard characters. And, although I never particularly enjoyed shows like Australian Idol, I don't think I'll ever be able to watch them again without thinking of Elton's descriptions of the behind-the-scenes manipulation that I'm sure exists, although perhaps not quite so dramatically as Elton creates. Despite the rather awful ending, a fun book, although definitely a library-only read for me.

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