[Idiom] How to understand "it is interesting to point out that ........"

[JamesStephan]

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding how to understand "it is interesting to point out that...... ". For example.

1. It is interesting to point out that even though this book is not popular, it is really a helpful book.

Does this sentence mean "pointing out the fact that even though this book is not popular, it is really a helpful book is interesting"? Or does it mean that "I feel the fact that even though this book is not popular, it is really a helpful book is interesting. So it deserves to be pointed out."?

Thanks.

J.S.

 

[Raymott]

It's badly written, and one can only guess what the author means. The author might find it interesting to point it out, or he might find that others are interested when he points it out. He's asserting that the "pointing out" is interesting. But his intention is probably to say that the fact that is being pointed out is interesting.

 

[JamesStephan]

Thanks Raymott,

I agree with you. I think the author wants to say that the fact that is being pointed out is interesting. We can ignore "point out" and say "It is interesting that even though the book is not popular, it is really a helpful book./Interestingly, even though the book is not popular, it is really a helpful book. Does that sound better?

By the way, could you share synonymous idioms/phrases that deliver the exact meaning as "the fact that is being pointed out is interesting"?

Thank you in advance.

J.S.

 

[Raymott]

Yes, your sentences do sound better.
No, I can't think of an idiom with the same exact meaning. Why not just say, "He's pointing out an interesting fact"? "What he's saying is interesting"; "It's interesting that this book is very helpful and yet not at all popular."
Of course there are other ways of saying this. Why do you want a phrase with the same exact meaning?