The persistent rumor that Taylor Swift wrote a secret spy novel turns out to be untrue. Reviews for the book have been so bad that some have wondered if the whole situation was just a marketing stunt.
Previously, fans of the 34-year-old musician believed she was the brains behind the spy book Argyle, working under the pseudonym Ellie Conway.
Although not yet released as a book, the tome was made into a movie starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Dua Lipa, and Henry Cavill, and Apple Original Films released an eye-popping 200 million yen for the film. He reportedly paid $.
The film was first announced in June 2021 and was directed by Matthew Vaughn from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs, based on an unpublished novel by a mysterious author named Ellie Conway.
However, Matthew Vaughan denied claims that the hitmaker was the author of the book. He claimed that Taylor didn't have time to put pen to paper and create the thriller between touring with Elas and watching her boyfriend Travis Kelce play.
However, he said she was involved in the project in some way and acknowledged that she indirectly influenced the new film, which is scheduled for release in February.
“There's a real book…and it's a really good book. And Ellie Conway wrote this book, but it's not Taylor Swift,” he clarified in a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
“I read a conspiracy theory and I thought, wow, this leaves no stone unturned!” But that's not Taylor Swift. She definitely didn't write that book. ”
“And I say that because I think Taylor Swift has a lot of people left, right and center who are trying to jump on her bandwagon, and I don't want to be a part of that club. I don’t want to.”
Matthew admitted that the superstar inadvertently inspired the film.
Taylor is the proud owner of two Scottish Fold cats, the same breed that appears in the movie.
Matthew revealed that the cat appeared in the film because the family was inspired by Taylor's pet and bought one.
“One day, it was Christmas, and I came home and I was like, 'What's that noise?'” I was running around the house when I heard a noise, and my kids were watching a Taylor Swift documentary. It is [Miss Americana] Among them was a Scottish Fold, and they persuaded his wife Claudia to [Schiffer]to get a kitten for Christmas.''
“It was purchased without my permission and was hidden from me.”
Matthew revealed that he had originally cast another cat actor, but that didn't work out, prompting him to ask his daughter if she could borrow her cat, Chip, for the role.
“The first day of filming with the cat we had (this actor's cat) didn't go very well, so I literally went into my daughter's bedroom. The cat sleeps with her, so I said, “Here, I'm going to do it.” Borrow the cat. ” And she said, “Okay.”
Now, this rumor is being further discussed following the publication of book reviews, many of which are far from positive.
Some of the content is so bad that people are wondering if the rumor that Taylor wrote the novel was just a marketing ploy to get people talking about the project.
Among the worst reviews on Goodreads (3% of posts gave the book one star), one reader simply wrote, “There was nothing new about it.” Nothing new. ”
Many others feature rumors of marketing stunts in their reviews.
According to one, “I started this just because of the Taylor Swift rumors and I couldn't get over it.” There's no way she wrote this. ”
Another added: “This book is terrible.” He completed this piece purely for the Taylor Swift hype. I admit that if she wrote that book, it would be an amazing feat.
“The characters are the stupidest people I've ever met. It's like they were written by someone who doesn't know how humans talk to each other, how humans interact with each other, and has never seen a spy movie. It seems so.
“Let's hope the movie turns out better.”
Additionally, a (looking angrier) critic added, “This movie follows me like a shadow…This marketing strategy is shit.”
On the other hand, another reviewer was too unimpressed and shared another theory about how the book came together.
They write: “DNF in Chapter 5. I agree with others who read this.” That's not the plot of the movie. There is no author or cat. How can you “suck the bone marrow out of an eyeball”? The writing is terrible. The sentences don't make sense. The author's notes are meaningless, especially compared to the back cover regarding the author's blurb. I have a theory. This book was generated by an AI to promote the movie. ”
Meanwhile, there were some positive reviews on Amazon, but some readers seemed to feel they had been misled.
Among the 10 percent who gave , some reviewers were a little more generous. Despite the novelty of the two stars, rumors of conspiracy theories remained rife.
One person wrote: “This is a stupid novel. It's the kind of thing you buy at the airport or take with you on vacation.” – An Ordinary Life, 1997
“I bought this at the airport and took it with me on vacation, so that may have some influence on the outcome, but it's not a particularly deep book.'' It was removed with such delicacy.
“I will reconsider my rating and review after seeing the movie this book is associated with, but for now I'm giving it 2 stars.” This is her worst work since a work titled “And when she wrote this, she was about 12 years old.''
Another said, “If this is really Taylor Swift, I should just stick to her absolutely heartbreaking songs that have obsessed me since I was 9 years old. Because this book is just…terrible The body,” he added.
Many people refused to believe the rumors from the beginning.
One person wrote, “I saw the trailer for the movie a while ago and thought it looked interesting and ridiculous.'' When I heard that Taylor Swift wrote this song, I became interested. I consider myself somewhat of a Swiftie because I love her music and enjoy her romance with Travis Kelsey so much, but I don't mind spending hours posting social media posts trying to piece together conspiracy theories and easter eggs. I'm not really interested in deciphering it. Swift was secretly publishing a book, so when this appeared as this month's Libro FM ALC, I was excited to read it.
“But this is clearly not a Taylor Swift novel, folks.”
Similarly, another reviewer added: “There's no way Taylor Swift wrote this.” Whoever started that rumor did the author a favor and I'm thrilled that such a big movie was made from this book. Maybe they will fix the problems this book has…it had some boring aspects and clunky writing. I had no choice but to give up on it, but I wish I had borrowed it from the library instead of buying it. ”
