Hi, it's been a while since I read other articles on Medium, and it always baffles me how so many writers drop the ball by writing too long. Your one of the better articles I read, but you can easily cut 1/3 of your wordspace. Why do so many Medium writers think more is better?

Why don't you follow the New York Times or Washington Post guidelines for a book review and keep it to an 800 word limit. Do you honestly think, your writing gets better the longer you drag it out? I suspect it's an ad thing (as in more writing means you can sell more ads per click)?