This month I have been on a mission: to find and review some of the most popular books on grammar, writing, and style.
Each one of the posts in this series will feature my own review of the book alongside what others had to say about it, and an overall recommendation rating.
This week's pick: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
3.86 on Goodreads
If punctuation is a sticking point for you, and you’re looking to get to grips with the basics, this is the book for you. Witten with wit and humour that will make each chapter a breeze, Truss’s puntastic book brings much needed clarity to the conventions of punctuation. I recently discovered this also has a companion work book, so you can put your learning into practice and make sure it is more firmly imprinted on your memory (check it out here).
What have others said?
I admit, I did chuckle at this last review; he's not wrong about the tone of the book, there is a sort of pretentiousness about it, but it came across as an exaggerated and playful kind, one that I found relatable as someone who, like the author, frequently feels my fingers itching for the red pen whilst out and about.
There are a few uncharitable one star reviews which (inevitably) derive from the ‘writing rules are elitist’ crowd who always crop up in writing communities online. On Goodreads, these anti-grammarians decry Truss’s prescriptivism, snobbery, and ‘failure’ to account for the ever-changing nature of language. The problem with the latter claim is that this isn’t really a book about word choice. This is a book about punctuation. Which makes me wonder if they even read the book. Because they are missing the point of it in a rather spectacular fashion. Which words are considered to be (or not to be) accepted in which contexts are of little concern to Truss. Her main gripe is with the misapplication of punctuation. Which, she demonstrates with humour and clarity, is essential to maintaining clarity and readability in written communication. Whilst word use changes over time, and new words find their way into common use, I do not think the same can be applied to punctuation. While I may well want to 'yeet' certain new additions to the English language into the sun, I accept that they are part of the evolution of communication. One thing you will not convince me to accept is the abandonment of those little marks which prevent our writing from looking like this:
Still, I can't bring myself to give a perfect score; I am quite stingy with five star reviews. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a fantastic book for the novice or grammar-averse writer looking for some writerly rehabilitation, but it is not as in-depth as I had hoped.
Overall, I believe Truss deserves a more generous rating. Her book does exactly what it sets out to do. Its humour does not distract from its mission—to elucidate for readers the purposes and correct usage of punctuation. If you find yourself agonizing over whether to use a semi-colon or a colon, or which version of its (or it's) is possessive (it's the first one), this is the perfect book for you. Similarly, if you just enjoy a good rant about the importance of grammar and punctuation, you can't go wrong with Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
You can get your copy here (ad).
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