The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Published 2020 · 368 pages · 85,000 words · about 6 hours at an average pace · Feminist Literature, Literary Fiction, Satire & Humor

How hard is The Authenticity Project to read?

The Authenticity Project scores 15 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it relatively accessible. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 15 out of 100
Simple, accessible language. Social media vocabulary. No specialized terminology.
Sentence structure: 15 out of 100
Abstraction: 12 out of 100
Concrete character-driven narrative. The theme of authenticity is shown, not theorized.
Information density: 22 out of 100
Light density. Character sketches and London settings add moderate texture.
Narrative indirection: 12 out of 100
Linear progression of the notebook through characters. Each section is transparent.
Symbolic density: 15 out of 100
The green notebook as symbol of truth-telling. Each character's secret as metaphor for modern disconnection.
Ironic distance: 15 out of 100
Light comic irony, especially with the social media influencer. Overall tone is warm and sincere.
Resolution withholding: 12 out of 100
Each character's truth is revealed within their section. The convergence is anticipated and delivered generously.
Structural complexity: 18 out of 100
Ensemble structure organized by the notebook's journey. Multiple POVs converging in the final act.

How The Authenticity Project is regarded

The Authenticity Project holds a literary regard score of 13 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

Clare Pooley