THE PUBLICIST by Christina George is an interesting exposé on the inner workings of book publishing. Unfortunately, the meandering plotline, sudden, unresolved ending, and poor editing merit a rating of 2 stars.
In the novel, Kate Mitchell has been a publicist for seven years, working her way up the oft unfair publishing corporate ladder, inch by excruciating inch. She has had a series of relationships with the "wrong" sort of man, and so has decided to focus on her career. However, a subtly growing attraction to her married coworker, Mac, causes her no end of consternation. Kate also has to deal with the matchmaking machinations of her friend, mentor and confidant, author Allan Lavigne, who consistently touts the eligibility of his nephew, Nicholas.
I was intrigued by the synopsis of THE PUBLICIST, but was seriously disappointed in the novel as a whole. The idea itself is fantastic. Who doesn't want to know how the book they are currently reading gets from the author's initial copy to the bookstore? We consumers often just see the book in its final product and read it, clueless about all the hard work that goes into selling that book. Being able to see behind the curtain was a fascinating prospect for me.
The concept and substantive part of the book were great. The dialogue, the tension, and the opportunities for Kate to get out of her protective shell--all of these things were spot on. The romantic development between Mac and Kate was believable. The romance was a bit graphic, making the book appropriate for those 18 and older.
Unfortunately, the novel has some serious structural flaws. The first major issue is the editing. There is no consistency in the grammar. Sometimes it is right on--commas in the correct place, proper subject-verb agreement, etc. Other times it is so off as to be an English teacher's worst nightmare--lack of commas, use of colons, redundant words or descriptors, run on sentences galore. This novel needs a major overhaul with a fine tooth comb in the grammar department.
The novel also took some time to get to what I can only surmise is supposed to be the main plotline--the relationship between Mac and Kate. The relationship begins, but then that relationship turns out to be a very small part of the novel. So many subplots are raised that the reader is left wondering what the book is really about. Is it a romance or is it a book about publishing with romantic elements? The novel could benefit from a timeline to keep it on track and to keep the references to each character's past consistently referenced.
The subplots might have been okay, though, if the various strings were tied off. There is certainly enough material here for a fantastic series, but each book should be a complete entity in itself; the romance plotline and the work/industry drama should also all be resolved by the end of the book. Book two can contain a different romance and a different problem project.
Overall, I had high hopes for THE PUBLICIST, but I was seriously disappointed. Book two was highlighted at the end of book one. Sadly, I did not enjoy book one enough to prompt me to suffer through the same issues in order to find out what happens to Mac, Nick and Kate in book two. If book two addresses the issues described above, I might be persuaded to give it a read.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=10733.
