h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

People who make gushily emphatic posts on forums. For example, I just read a post on a book-lovers' forum. The poster described a book as their 'favourite book ever', 'definitely recommend it' and asserted 'You will absolutely love it!' Taking these points in order: I've been reading most of my life and I have yet to find a book I would describe as my 'favourite book ever'. The recommendation is fair enough, but to assert that anybody will love a book when you don't know their tastes seems a bit presumptuous to me.

Maybe the fact that it's late and I'm tired is making me over-sensitive.

Before the film came out, a friend told me about a book he was reading, _American Psycho_ by Bret Easton Ellis. He told me the book was messing with his head. I thought he was recommending it. So I read it. I read all of it. I've since been told it was a "dark comedy", but I didn't read it that way. It contains some of the most disturbingly detailed descriptions of heinous acts of torture and mutilation. Interspersed with the main story are two non sequitur reviews of Huey Lewis albums and descriptions of the perfect business card stock.

Spoiler following, but I don't care if I spoil it for anyone.

At the end of the book, rather than get caught by the detective who is close on his tail, the killer just quits and walks away.



I was so angry I threw the book across the room.

I felt like I was owed a better ending after having suffered through reading that entire book.

When I next saw that friend I expressed my loathing for that book and he basically said, "I told you it was messing with my head. I didn't say I recommend it."

Sounds like a review attributed to Dorothy Parker: This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force!

"I've been reading most of my life and I have yet to find a book I would describe as my 'favourite book ever'."


The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is my favorite book ever. (At least so far.)


You will definitely love it.

Prefer the radio series

<BB<

Prefer the towel

My 'favourite book ever' would have to be one I'd be happy to read any time, regardless of my mood. I've yet to find such a book. The 'His Dark Materials' trilogy comes close, but I can't think of any others.

I hate being asked about what my favourite book, film, album etc is – I don't think I can narrow it down to one. Maybe a top 20 or 50…

<BB<

I'd like to agree, that I don't really have a "favorite" book, that many of the books I've read, I've intensely enjoyed reading or they've made an impact on my life.

But since I tattooed "42" on my body, I just can't say that convincingly.

I really don't like the Hitchhiker books. I liked the radio series which is why I watched the TV series which I also liked. I loathed and detested the film. So much loathing for the film. Arghh.

It's interesting you didn't like the books. As the plots are pretty faithful and all the jokes are in there, I can only imagine the radio production imprinted itself into your psyche in a way that the written word didn't agree with.

There were a few minor plot differences, though - the TV series was closer to the books in that respect.


Agree totally about the movie, though - sadly. Such a shame - I really wanted to enjoy it...

I did enjoy it.

It wasn't what I imagined, or even wanted it to be, but I just don't feel it deserved to be hated.


It was a tough project. I don't think they could have made a film that met our expectations. Time constraints required that much of our favorite scenes and plot points would be dropped. But they also added a whole new plot so we'd have something new to experience as well.

Sure, Arthur and Trillian shouldn't have a love interest, but that's just what general audiences are going to expect. DNA signed off on it, so I'm OK with that too.

I thought the casting worked well, mostly. Some choices were better than I might have expected.


I'll admit, of all the versions of the Hitchhikers story out there, it might well be my least favorite. But I still enjoy watching it. I could hate it for many reasons, I just don't want to hate it. So...


I don't.

PH - interviewers gushing over their subject, Johnathon Ross, Steve Wright et al

Saw your film - LOVED IT

Read your book - LOVED IT

Visited your house - LOVED IT

Met your cat - LOVED IT

I actually loved American Psycho, the way everyone was described by what brands they wore was very clever.

PH gushing in general - but them I think of myself as being reserved in that respect.

I find people who 'gush' to be terribly misleading, because their critical faculty is entirely overridden by their curious need to gush. So often I've had something recommended to me in no uncertain terms, only to discover that the 'best' this or the 'most wonderful' that, are in fact entirely unremarkable, or frankly mediocre.

What is the incentive for them to gush?

How can we help stop these people perpetrating their misleading behaviour?

It's not that they're misleading, it's that they have different tastes. Or haven't tried as many things and so have a less sophisticated rating scale. Or they first encountered their beloved object of gushing squee-ish joy at a crucial period of development, which means it made a greater impression on them than it could ever make on one outside of similar context.

Just take their recommendations with a grain of salt.

Often, it is misleading, and deliberately so. I've been with people in restaurants where they receive poor service, and indeed they comment at the time about these failings, but later in the evening when they're in 'gushy' company, they entirely ignore the downsides and instead proceed to gush.
Of course I take it all with a grain of salt, but it happens so often I've now had so much salt I'm thirsty for some balance.

>>It wasn't what I imagined, or even wanted it to be, but I just don't feel it deserved to be hated.<<

I "hate" it in a PH way and I think it fully deserves it, simply for the casting of Trillian* I so wanted it to be good. Really really wanted it to be good.

*the actress is a VERY BIG PH of mine. I simply cannot bear to look at her.

I don't like the books because they are too chaotic in a lot of places and the writing is just TOO clever-clever in a lot of places.

I far prefer Dirk Gently (and yes, I'm aware of the chaos of those books) - The humor of Hitchhikers is right up my street though. So it's a shame that I can't face reading them because 2 Dirks just isn't enough for me.

I'm with Baron Grim on this one.