Meghan Markle's 'The Bench' Fails To Top U.K. Bestseller List — Duchess' First Children's Book Was 'Bland' With 'No Substance,' Says Critic
Meghan Markle's first children's book, The Bench, reportedly failed to top the U.K.'s bestseller list on its Tuesday, June 8, release date.
The Duchess of Sussex's book made it to the No. 40 spot on the Amazon U.K. bestseller list, it was reported. Meanwhile in the U.S., her book remained stuck at the No. 100 spot. However, The Bench was named as the top seller in the list of "Children's Black & African American Story Books," Daily Mail reported.
Meghan's first book — which explores the relationship and "special bond" between fathers and sons as seen through a mother's eyes — currently has a rating of four out of five stars on Amazon, with over 46 reviews.
OK! previously reported that the sales of Meghan's book could be in jeopardy due to a row between her publisher, Penguin Random House (PRH), and Britain's biggest bookseller, Waterstones.
A bookseller normally sources a book from publishers on credit and pays them back with the money earned from the sales of the book. However, PRH drastically reduced the amount of credit given to the U.K. bookseller, which limited the number of titles the retailer can afford to buy.
In response, Waterstones reportedly reduced the visibility of PRH books, pulling the publisher's titles from prominent display areas in their 300 shops nationwide. Prior to the release of Meghan's book, there was concern that the companies' feud could have a negative impact on the success of the Duchess' latest work.
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However, it looks like the row may have not been the only reason the book didn't reach the No. 1 spot. According to the reviews, Meghan's first book was "bland" with "no characters, no story, no substance," one critic wrote on Amazon. "Shallow like the author," they added. Another user noted that it was "a nice poem but it's not at all suitable for the age range it's being advertised for."
The new mother-of-two — she and Prince Harry welcomed daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on Friday, June 4 — initially announced her children's book in May. At the time, she explained The Bench stemmed from a poem she wrote for her husband for Father's Day following the birth of their two-year-old son, Archie.
“My hope is that ‘The Bench’ resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine,” the brunette beauty, 39, shared in the statement.
Apart from her probable upset with the book's sales, Meghan has been slammed by critics regarding her own tumultuous relationship with estranged father Thomas Markle. "I don’t know how you can write about a boy, a son or a father, when you haven’t spoken to your own father for years," royal commentator Angela Levin told The Sun.
OK! previously reported that things have been tense for the father-daughter duo ever since he staged paparazzi photos ahead of the Sussex's 2018 nuptials.
