I find this week's Face Off fascinating, because the two covers are so completely different in tone, I'd think they were for totally different books. The book in question if Marthe Jocelyn's Folly, which has a hardcover that is sort of ominous and off-putting (in a good way, I think); it tells you to expect a story that's a little gritty, a little uncomfortable... And then we have the paperback version, and while it still has a little bit of that eerie feeling, it also could be interpreted as a little wistful. This is especially fascinating to me because the word folly, itself, can give such totally different impressions (foolishness leading to a downfall vs. inconsequential silliness vs. a light-hearted musical or burlesque revue vs fancy bits on a building... it's a multi-purpose word). So going on nothing but the cover and the word "folly," I think viewers describing what they think this book is about would conjure up totally different stories. Which is why I'm not going to include the synopsis this week; I want you to judge on first impressions alone. Which book intrigues you more? Which would you reach for on the shelves, to see just what kind of folly it's about? And if you have read the book, which do you think suits it more?
Which one did it better?
Last Time on FFO: Two versions of Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now, a gorgeous (and disturbing) book, went head to head, and though there were positives and negatives for both covers, we ended up with a rare tie!
I prefer the left side (gritty lady staring you down ftw!), but that may be because I'm so over gothic gates on monochrome foggy events. Interestingly enough (to me), they both carry a bit of the historical fiction vibe with them. Not sure why, exactly. Hrm.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read either book but both covers are really awesome. Personally though, I'd go with the cover on the right. I love that gate there and the mysterious but prim and proper air the entire covers has.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this book but I prefer the one on the left. It's more attention-grabbing IMO.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book but looking at the covers, I would not have thought that they were the same.
ReplyDeleteThe one on the left has a creepy feeling giving the idea that this is a scary book while the one on the right is a little spooky but more of a melancholy feeling.
Hmm...I don't know which I prefer.
I am such a mood reader that either could appeal to me, but currently I'm a bigger fan of the paperback. Talk to me in late September/October and I would definitely go for the creepier cover. Love this feature!
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