'Top of the Morning': great word-of-mouth, but not such good reviews
There's been plenty of talk about 鈥淭op of the Morning,鈥� journalist Brian Stelter's inside look at TV's morning news shows. But when it comes to book critics, not all of the words have been kind.聽
鈥淭op of the Morning,鈥� which hit bookshelves today, aims to examine the 鈥渃utthroat world of morning TV,鈥� according to the book鈥檚 subtitle. Grand Central, the book's publisher, calls the expos茅 鈥渁 gripping look at the most competitive time slot in television, complete with Machiavellian booking wars and manic behavior by the producers, executives, and stars."
The book is released following the firing of 鈥淭oday鈥� co-host Ann Curry by NBC. It also details 鈥�Good Morning America鈥濃�檚 attempt to defeat 鈥淭oday鈥� in the ratings struggle as well as 鈥淕MA鈥濃�檚 Robin Roberts鈥� battle with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome).
Stelter is a New York Times reporter, but even the 聽 wasn鈥檛 enamored of the book, with reviewer Ed Bark complaining that it 鈥渆nds up being like a breakfast made not quite to order鈥� and saying that the book has 鈥渕ore than a little overblown prose, some of it just plain silly.鈥� Bark does suggest, however, that Stelter is 鈥渏ust 27, so there鈥檚 ample time really to get the hang of this.鈥�
Bark also notes that both 鈥淭oday鈥� anchor Matt Lauer and Curry declined to be interviewed, which necessarily limits the access to the story of Curry鈥檚 departure.
reviewer Henry Goldblatt also found the lack of direct quotes from Lauer and Curry disappointing, opining that while the book's jacket compares 鈥淭op of the Morning鈥� to writer Bill Carter鈥檚 books about TV, including 鈥淭he Late Shift,鈥� there's a big difference between the work of Stelter and that of Carter.
鈥淚n Carter鈥檚 books, you get the sense that the author was in the room when big decisions were made,鈥� Goldblatt wrote. 鈥淚n Stelter鈥檚 debut, you get the sense that he was staring at his smartphone.鈥�
In addition, Goldblatt found Stelter鈥檚 prose distasteful, writing of his 鈥淗emingwayesque sentences (in length, not substance), hackneyed analogies (Today is Coke! Good Morning America is Pepsi!), and antipathy for the medium he covers.鈥� Stelter 鈥渟eems to have a vendetta against Lauer,鈥� he wrote.
Meanwhile, writer Andy Lewis said the book 鈥渇lops.鈥�
鈥淪telter is at his best when he lets the story carry itself, offering a fly-on-the-wall view of key moments (including the drama of Curry鈥檚 last day),鈥� Lewis wrote. 鈥淪till, his enthusiasm often gets the better of him, and the purple prose, strangely dated analogies (the Today-GMA rivalry is like 1971鈥檚 Ali-Frazier fight) and fondness For Capitalizing For Emphasis overwhelm the story.鈥�
Lewis was also displeased that the book鈥檚 hype presented some of the details inside as Stelter鈥檚 own.
鈥淪telter conducted about 350 interviews, but many details and quotes have been reported in the Times and elsewhere, including by THR,鈥� he wrote.
