Note: This book is part of the Don’t Know Much About series (which I only found out about when I looked this up on Goodreads, lol).
What I thought would be a definitive and extremely wordy guide to well-known books and authors actually just turned out to be a bunch of trivia about well-known books and authors. So, basically, it 1) disappointed me when I saw the contents, but it also 2) astounded me on how simply placed and interesting the facts were mentioned in this book. It gives little background on a certain book/author/topic (say, for instance “Agatha Christie” or “Moby-Dick” or “Pen Names”), then enumerates a few questions about the category in question. The answers to the questions may then be seen on the back of the page.
I suppose the book was made to anticipate and answer the first questions anyone new to the world of literature may have, and I can say it does so efficiently enough. I wouldn’t call this a perfect reference guide though; I’d just say that it’s a decent trivia book… And, I guess, who doesn’t like trivia?
Don’t Know Much About Literature: What You Need to Know but Never Learned About Great Books and Authors by Kenneth C. Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
