Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste (33 1/3) (Paperback)

by Carl Wilson (Author)
Key Phrases: René Angélil, parlor song, talk about love, Céline Dion, Las Vegas, Elliott Smith (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brilliant." -- Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise

 

"It's fascinating stuff...By turns hilarious and heartwarming." -- Guardian Unlimited Arts blog, March 2008

 

"A wide-ranging book, one predicated on the possibility that what repels us may say more about us than what attracts us...[an] insightful, engaging, and unexpectedly moving book." -- The Globe and Mail, January 19, 2008

 

"An important study- not just of Dion and pop music but also of the changing nature of criticism in the popular realm." -- Bookforum, January 2008

 

"This could be the best book of the series...razor-sharp and unerringly intelligent." -- John Wenzel, The Denver Post

 

“The always critical and erudite Mr. Wilson actually approached Let's Talk About Love as a non-fan grappling with questions of "good" and "bad" taste... -- Idolator.com

 

“a rigorous, perceptive and very funny meditation on what happens when you realize that there's more to life than being hip, and begin to grapple with just what that "more" might be.” -- Montreal Gazette

 

“A book pondering the aesthetics of Celine risks going wrong in about 3,000 different ways...Instead, this book goes very deeply right.” --Sam Anderson, New York Magazine

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Product Description
Non-fans regard Celine Dion as ersatz and plastic, yet to those who love her, no one could be more real, with her impoverished childhood, her (creepy) manager-husband s struggle with cancer, her knack for howling out raw emotion. There s nothing cool about Celine Dion, and nothing clever. That s part of her appeal as an object of love or hatred with most critics and committed music fans taking pleasure (or at least geeky solace) in their lofty contempt. This book documents Carl Wilson s brave and unprecedented year-long quest to find his inner Celine Dion fan, and explores how we define ourselves in the light of what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Continuum Pub Group (December 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082642788X
• ISBN-13: 978-0826427885
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,079 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( D ) > Dion, Céline
  #13 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Appreciation
  #14 in	Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Popular

• This item is part of The Thirty Three and a Third Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's talk about a little book that packs a powerful punch..., December 11, 2007

By	Cliff Milledge - See all my reviews

When I took Introduction to Aesthetics in college, I wish we had a text as smart, accessible, funny, and just plain awesome as this little book on Celine Dion to introduce us to the material. What Wilson has done here with his approach to the subject of taste and tackiness is nothing less than stunning. It is a must read for people who write about music and those that love to read about it.

Nota bene: You need not be a fan of Celine Dion to love this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've ever read!, February 28, 2009

By	Phil the Hypothetical "musiclover44" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

It took over a year of hearing about this book before I finally caved in and bought it, and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy the book when it first came out! It's hard to do Carl Wilson's book justice when it has so much to say, and says it so beautifully. So let's start with the obvious: DO NOT LET THE SUBJECT MATTER TURN YOU OFF! Yes, it's a book about Celine, but it's so much more than that. It's warm, erudite, smart, funny, insightful, provocative, kind, approachable, and ultimately moving. Sure, I can see the argument that the whole concept is a bit of a stunt ("Look, everyone, I'm going to write a book about something I hate!") but when it's done this brilliantly, who cares? This is the kind of book that should be a best seller, and I really hope the author publishes another book soon.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Highlight of the 33 1/3 Series!, April 1, 2008

By	Wendy Raffel (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read all of the 33 1/3s, and most of them are great books, each in their own way. So when I say Let's Talk About Love is my new favorite, you should trust me, b/c I know what I'm talking about. And I don't care one whit for Celine Dion... can't stand her. But Carl Wilson is an amazing writer. Maybe the best music critic we've got (visit his blog, Zolius!) and this book is truly a brilliant piece of work that waaaaay exceeds the parameters of its subject.

Check it out - you'll be glad you did, I swear.