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Chart Throb

Author: Ben Elton
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

67 reviews
Sales Rank: 5012

Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.3

ISBN: 055277376X
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780552773768
ASIN: 055277376X

Publication Date: June 4, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Insightful July 6, 2008
Chart Throb is a must read for any fan of X-Factor, Pop Idol, etc. Elton's story follows the next evolutionary step, where the talent search genre is full of exploitation, double-crossing and wierdos. Chart Throb is an unpredictable and entertaining journey through one season of the show, where all the bets are off (except for all the rigged entrants!) and chaos reigns. It's a great read, however don't be expecting plenty of belly laughs. The humour is wry and would be entirely missed by those who have never been caught up in the reality TV that spams the civilised world. Interesting characters and an intriguing plot will help the TV stay off until you turn the very last page.

4 out of 5 stars

Another Elton page turner February 9, 2008
This book has got quite mixed reviews from people here at Amazon and I can understand why. I find Mr Eltons work very easy to read and I tend to work my way through one of his books in the space of a few days, this is usually because I want to know what happens next as the characters are compelling and the observations on humanity very amusing.
I am no fan of 'X Factor' style television, and I would imagine that anyone who is would not enjoy this book as it rips the whole idea to shreds.
Keep up the good work Ben.

2 out of 5 stars

Ok, but not great. January 12, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

No-one would disagree that Ben Elton is a masterful observer of contemporary society. Once again here, he taps into the frustration with the X factor/Pop idol culture that seems to have dominated our "empty lives" in the last few years.

His observations are shrewd, funny and probably altogether true. You'll certainly never take another episode of these dire programmes seriously!!

The problem is that, once the jokes have been told, there is very little else here and the book drags on and on. The plot is flimsy, unfulfilling and ultimately fairly silly (without being clever) and you warm to none of the characters leaving you caring nothing about what happens to any of them.

Sometimes I think that the Ben Elton book machine latches onto the subject du jour much as a stand up comic plan his latest routine. Unfortunately, the book has to be readable and gripping as well and here, with Chart Throb, Mr Elton fails.

4 out of 5 stars

very nice read January 10, 2008
This was the first book ,of this author that i ever read. I actualy picked it up from my fathers batch of books ,that he got as presents, and was not interested in them.
Read it, on the plain from Marbella to Belgrade,(and afterwards), and found it very interesting and provocative.
At certain points , the book had the strokes of genius,And of course at some points it felt like a rather, light entertainment read.
But all combined , it turned out as an above average piece of literature, in its genre.
My firm recomendation for anyone who likes modern satire.

2 out of 5 stars

Not at his best December 27, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I've enjoyed several books by Ben Elton but I have a suspician he wrote this whole book in a weekend. It's probably the easiest book he has written as it seems he just wrote about how he sees X Factor and just changed the names and a few details. Plenty of character assination along the way and the book was complete. It was also quite condescending as the whole book keeps banging on about how none of what you see on X factor is true and it's just down to the editing - forgive me, but to me this isn't thought provoking, it's just obvious. Hopefully Ben will return to his previous form soon.