My book club imploded over a $35 copy of The Goldfinch

Our group in Austin got into a massive fight last week because someone brought a signed first edition to discuss and claimed it was the 'only valid reading experience.' I told them the paperback from the library worked just fine and they blew up at me. Now half the members are threatening to quit. Has anyone else had a debate get this personal over something as dumb as an edition?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam_baker1d ago

You said they "blew up at me" - what exactly did they say when you pointed out the library copy was fine? I'm trying to picture how a book edition turns into a full on war, cause that sounds wild. Was it more about them feeling disrespected or did they actually think the signed copy gives some secret insight into the story?

olivia_lopez981d ago

My group in Portland had a similar blowup over a fancy edition of House of Leaves, so I just started a separate monthly meetup for people who wanted to talk about the story without getting hung up on the packaging. It worked out because the snobs stayed in the original group and the rest of us could actually talk about the book itself without feeling judged for using library copies.

spencer_gonzalez114h ago

You said "snobs stayed in the original group" - what made you call them snobs though? Was it just the fancy book thing or did they actually act all superior about it?