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A review by sleepysarah
The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri
4.0
I really enjoyed this little book. I know thinking about book jackets can bring up a lot of topics. This was a unique chance to hear about what an author feels about them, both her own books and others. She brought up a lot of things I had never considered, such as the differences in style of jacket in different countries, also, a cover is a sort of “interpretation” of the book and as covers vary so do readers’ “interpretations” of the content.
The only thing I disagreed with were some comments she made in chapter 7. Though she admits she is not an e-book reader, she presumes to state that the cover of an e-book must lose “significance” because “the screen privileges the text.”
As an e-book reader, I know the cover of a book is just as important to a “virtual” book as to a real one. It attracts the reader, describes the book, and often affects my decision to read or not read a certain e-book.
If the author had concentrated only on the book *jacket* in this instance she might have made a more successful point... since e-books don’t have “jackets” per se. But they do have covers and a cover’s intangible quality does not minimize its value.
The only thing I disagreed with were some comments she made in chapter 7. Though she admits she is not an e-book reader, she presumes to state that the cover of an e-book must lose “significance” because “the screen privileges the text.”
As an e-book reader, I know the cover of a book is just as important to a “virtual” book as to a real one. It attracts the reader, describes the book, and often affects my decision to read or not read a certain e-book.
If the author had concentrated only on the book *jacket* in this instance she might have made a more successful point... since e-books don’t have “jackets” per se. But they do have covers and a cover’s intangible quality does not minimize its value.