Brain Gourmet

I am so frustrated right now, and not with the book. I simply refuse to believe all those rave 5-star reviews. Amazing it is, not this novel, but that so many people thought it was good. I know tastes are different and I know this is not the first example of a weak work being a huge success, but isn't this offensive to true literature? If this is the kind of writing the majority likes, then what really is the value of literature in a modern world? What is the value of arts at all? Where is the distinguishing line between art and kitsch? And if kitsch is better liked (which it is), has it then become universal art?
Initially, I wanted to brand this as 'shallow' but shallow still insinuates some kind of level. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is dry soil that nothing grew on. The writing is plain and mediocre, the characters are poorly built, the love story is laughable and the epistolary format does the rest. I consider real life letters, when beautifully crafted, to be one of the highest forms of literature. Fictional letters, however, just cannot capture and convey the essence of a human being the way real letters can, regardless of how good of a writer one is. And the authors of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society definitely do not fall in this category as far as I am concerned.
I went against my better judgment purchasing this book. I knew I was going to hate it the moment I read that Elizabeth Gilbert couldn't recommend it highly enough. I had quite a few people tell me it was great and I went with the flow. I am now embarking on a new mission for the upcoming year - I will try to discover hidden gems that nobody ever talks about and try to spread the word. Good literature needs rescuing.