Closer (Closer Magazine)

Member Name: moog27

Product:	Closer Magazine
Date:	06/12/08 (100 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: entertaining, easy reading, attractive, reasonable price, variety

Disadvantages: quite a few advert pages, could have more

I tend not to buy magazines much these days due to having no money nor time to read them. However, having been signed off sick this week with laryngitis I had become bored with television and was pleased when my mum turned up with the essentials (lucozade, painkillers, chocolates, flowers) and a couple of magazines. One of them was closer as she knew that when I do buy magazines it is one of the ones that I prefer.
The front of the magazine features photos and headlines of the key stories, almost all of which are celebrity based. Inside the magazine the stories and features are mostly celebrity based by about 20% are about real people which I feel is a reasonable balance. The celebrity stories are mostly the main stories of the month and in this particular issue focus on Cheryl Cole, Billie Piper, Charlotte Church, Britney Spears, Kerry Katona and the Beckhams. Most seem to be based on the words of friends of the celebs although a couple include direct quotes etc and a few of the articles are actual interviews.

At £1.20 the magazine has around 115 pages and this includes a television guide which is quite useful as it saves you buying one separately. 32 of these pages are adverts and whilst I would say that this isn't as many as some magazines - there is not a single advert page in there that interests me.
There are a few real life stories - these often tend to include the couple of bizarre ones which keep me entertained - such as the man who has made himself a robot woman.

There are a few fashion pages and I enjoy browsing these without being bombarded by them so no complaints in that section. There are then the other usual sections such as body pages giving food and diet suggestions. There is a page where readers can write letters and then there are a couple of problem pages. These include a section for relationship and sex problems which are answered by the sex therapist Tracey Cox and then a section on health problems which are answered by Dr Christian Jessen. These pages often have something that interests me and there are usually some interesting pieces of advice.
The magazine also contains a puzzles section which has a few crossword type things which are generally celebrity based and I actually quite enjoy doing these and find that they keep me busy once I have read the magazine, therefore making me feel that I have got my moneys worth! There are the usual competitions in this section too.

Overall I do quite like Closer magazine and if I were to buy any it is usually the one I would go for. Theres nothing too heavy going and there is enough variety to keep you occupied for a while. It is easy to read and doesn't come packed full of annoying flyers and leaflets! It is attractive and well laid out in a way that probably appeals most to older teenagers and young women. Considering the prices of some magazines I do feel that £1.20 is a reasonable price for this as it doesn't feel like a waste of money.
I would recommend it but as there are still quite a few adverts and sometimes the celebrity stories can be a bit uninteresting I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary: one of the better magazines