This was a fun overview of common features among twentieth century US bestsellers, focusing on twelve such in particular. It made explicit some things I enjoy about best sellers along with some things I don't. The best advice is at the end, it doesn't mean a thing if the author lacks passion, readers will sniff that out immediately. ( )

James W. Hall's Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of Twenthieth Century's Biggest Bestsellers makes me cheer. At last, the snobery of 'literary' fictio nis exposed in comparison to best-selling fiction. Hall has the soul of a poet and keen insight into the world of fiction. Bless him for treating popular fiction with respect instead of the standard scholarly contempt it usually gets from academia. His novels portray the skills of literary fiction AND the elements of best-selling fiction, so he knows what he's talking about. ( )

I don't buy it. I guess that's my summary. He makes some claims about bestselling novels that seem to be true for his selections, but I don't really buy his selections as representative. Your mileage may vary on his claims. I was in for some examples, such as America as Paradise (ironic or unironic) and interest in salacious topics. But others, like how Bridges of Madison County represented a two-person secret society, were just such an impossible stretch.

These are the novels he chose:
Gone with the Wind
The Godfather
The Dead Zone
Valley of the Dolls
The Hunt for Red October
The Exorcist
Jaws
Peyton Place
To Kill A Mockingbird
Bridges of Madison County
The Firm
The Da Vinci Code

Some of them, absolutely. But Jaws? The Dead Zone? Color me skeptical. I see Stephen King, but obviously it should be Carrie or The Shining or something that made a splash from his oeuvre. But it seems that they would not fit his pre-specified criteria.

Would have made a good essay. Couldn't carry a whole book. ( )

James Hall's review of best-selling American fiction managed to reinvigorate my desire to read bestsellers and understand their common elements. His enthusiasm is catchy and his advice to writers is sound. My only criticism is that he dips his toe in rather shallow, tepid waters when it comes to relating the common themes of modern day bestsellers to the folk tales and myths that proceeded them. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this critical but unpretentious look at popular fiction. Easy to read and to follow, Hall deconstructs some twelve books written in the last 70 years, choosing from different eras and genres to show the mechanics at work. The structure was somewhat repetitive, which made some passages lengthier than others, but a good dose of humour made up for the dreary parts and kept me interested.
Lovers of literature will not learn much from the themes which are far from new, but the book is a great reminder of the elements at play.
I particularly enjoyed the conclusion: writing is first and foremost an exercise of the heart and passion; formulas help, but do not a success make. ( )