Customer Reviews
A great romp if you like watching Sharon, Simon and Louis at work... - By: Brian Levine, 20 Nov 2008 
Think X Factor pushed to the max in terms of absurdness, & you have 'Chart Throb' in a nutshell. Ben Elton does not remotely try to hide the similarities between his fictional judges & the real ones.
The funniest moments for me in this novel involved one unlikely & well-known contestant in the 'reality' contest. I'm sorry, but the notion of this particular dignitary having a 'pleasant light baritone' & singing the songs he is given by the Cowellesque judge evokes ribald images as good as anything Elton has ever conjured up.
It's a great book, unless you belong to the 0.00001% of the population that doesn't have a TV set.
Chart Throb, its fab!! - By: Mrs. D. E. Manoff, 25 Sep 2008 
You will never look at reality tv in the same light after reading this. It is brilliant. It starts a bit slow, but is compelling, & funny! It makes you think.....just do the math!
Insightful - By: Mr. G. Battle, 06 Jul 2008 Chart Throb is a must read for any fan of X-Factor, Pop Idol, etc. Elton's story follows the next evolutionary step, where the talent search genre is full of exploitation, double-crossing & wierdos. Chart Throb is an unpredictable & entertaining journey through one season of the show, where alll the bets are off (except for alll the rigged entrants!) & chaos reigns. It's a great read, however don't be expecting plenty of belly laughs. The humour is wry & would be entirely missed by those who have never been caught up in the reality TV that spams the civilised world. Interesting characters & an intriguing plot will help the TV stay off until you turn the very last page.
Another Elton page turner - By: A. Jackson, 09 Feb 2008 This book has got quite mixed reviews from people here at Amazon & I can understand why. I find Mr Eltons work very easy to read & I tend to work my way through one of his books in the space of a few days, this is usuallly because I want to know what happens next as the characters are compelling & the observations on humanity very amusing.
I am no fan of 'X Factor' style television, & I would imagine that anyone who is would not enjoy this book as it rips the whole idea to shreds.
Keep up the good work Ben.
Ok, but not great. - By: Dr. J. D. Mitchell, 12 Jan 2008 
No-one would disagree that Ben Elton is a masterful observer of contemporary society. Once again here, he taps into the frustration with the X factor/Pop idol culture that seems to have dominated our "empty lives" in the last few years.
His observations are shrewd, funny & probably altogether true. You'll certainly never take another episode of these dire programmes seriously!!
The problem is that, once the jokes have been told, there is very little else here & the book drags on & on. The plot is flimsy, unfulfilling & ultimately fairly silly (without being clever) & you warm to none of the characters leaving you caring nothing about what happens to any of them.
Sometimes I think that the Ben Elton book machine latches onto the subject du jour much as a stand up comic plan his latest routine. Unfortunately, the book has to be readable & gripping as well & here, with Chart Throb, Mr Elton fails.
