NY Times Review for Alain

The NY Times has reviewed Alain de Botton's latest book and they offer the first chapter of his book for your reading pleasure.
Now, I'm delighted that the NY Times has given an overall positive review just in time for busy Christmas shoppers to see, but whenever anyone speaks in less than glowing terms of my favorite living author, then I feel somewhat obliged to rally in defence of even minor points.
I find the critique that "this one contains its quota of piffle dressed up in pompous language," to be a little at odds with a previous admission of eloquence. Perhaps it's necessary to dissuade the rabble? It seems irritating that these days, one can't be too highbrow in one's tastes and the qualifiers must be interjected for fear of seeming elitist... in the New York Times Sunday Book Review. I mean come on. Has this bastion of literary elitism fallen? I suppose some people would say, "yes, years ago, get up to speed," so oh well.
The critic also writes, "Focusing on happiness can be a lovely way to make sense of architectural beauty, but it probably won’t be of much help in resolving conflicts of taste." This kind of observation seems to be the second criticism that a reviewer will cite. To everyone who might agree with it... when you picked this book up, did you think that Mr. de Botton was trying to help you resolve you own conflicting issues with architecture and aesthetic beauty? Did you expect to receive a diffinitive answer on the subject? Do people not understand the value of someone's thoughtful discussion acting as a catalyst for one's own ruminations on the topic? Of course his happiness is not everyone's (though to gush just the once, to be the source of Mr. de Botton's happiness would certainly secure mine) -- but his lovely, meandering approaches to issues of architectural beauty will elicit similar thoughts in the reader. This novel's goal is to raise questions and put forth opinions that readers can then pose to themselves. You are asked to see something commonplace in a new way and decide if its value is greater than you had otherwise realized. It's rather rare to find writers that can allow for the possibilities of other opinions and Mr. de Botton's ouvre seems designed to provide an educated opinion and yet still allow for the cultivation of the reader's.