Meanest Reviews

[Russ Whitfield]

I think that there are two types of bad review. One that says something about the book and the other that says something about the reviewer.

[Misfit]

However, one person's "vile" can easily be another person's "best I've read in years."

And that is it in a nutshell. I want to know about the bad along with the good i.e. extreme sex and violence, graphic rape, etc. I always go to the critical Amazon reviews - and I'm not talking about the *this book sux* reviews either. The scorchers can be kind of amusing at times when someone is clearly ticked off at a book. There was one on Dracula in Love that was quite clever...

[M.M. Bennetts]

Some of the Amazon reviews of Wolf Hall were scorchers. They hurt me and I didn't write it...

[LoveHistory]

Who was it who posted Twain's review of The Deerslayer?

That was a fun read, though not free from flaws in itself. Twain was such an amusing curmudgeon sometimes.

[G. Alvin Simons]

[quote=""LoveHistory""]Who was it who posted Twain's review of The Deerslayer?
That was a fun read, though not free from flaws in itself. Twain was such an amusing curmudgeon sometimes.[/quote]

I believe you're talking about the reply I sent to a thread in the Classics section. Kenny from Praque asked about Last of the Mohicans which reminded me of Twain's essay on The Deerslayer. I said that it was hard for me to take Cooper's work seriously after reading Twain. The thread's still there & I pasted some of the essay that Leo62 is referencing. I thought it was funny, too.

G. Alvin

[M.M. Bennetts]

Well, I rather like Cooper and I don't like Twain--not as a novelist anyway. He bores me witless.

So, as in reading film reviews, the critic themself is also at issue. I mean, most film critics, if they love it, I know I'm going to hate it. If they diss it, I'll probably like it fine--we're obviously looking for completely different things in a film.

That said, there was a review of Graham Swift's latest book in the Telegraph--a few years ago this was--that was eye-wateringly funny. The critic who adored everything Swift had ever done prior to that book absolutely HATED it. I may see if I can find it...

[LoveHistory]

Oh yes, please do M.M. Bennetts!

[cw gortner]

Thereviewon Franzen's Freedom is brilliantly composed. I cannot of course tell if the reviewer has a personal ax to grind but it reminds me once again of why I tend to shy away from the much-touted "modern literary novels" and stay close to historical fiction. At least in most historical fiction, there are large themes at work that can illuminate the human condition - odds to overcome, great risks, etc. Based on this review, Oprah's latest book club pick sounds . . . well, banal.

But then I couldn't even get halfway through The Corrections, either. And trust me, I tried.

[Miss Moppet]

Now, granted that I'm one with a reputation for not pulling punches, but there really are times when a book really deserves it.

This thread wouldn't be complete without a link to the Shelf of Shame (disclosure: I am among the contributors). My favourite review: Electra Galaxy's Mr Interstellar Feller by Candace Sams.

[Misfit]

[quote=""Miss Moppet""]This thread wouldn't be complete without a link to the Shelf of Shame (disclosure: I am among the contributors). My favourite review: Electra Galaxy's Mr Interstellar Feller by Candace Sams.[/quote]


I'd almost forgotten that book/review . Wonder if Sams will ever show her face in the publishing world again?

PS, I do have one in the works. Harriet raved about it and the other two reviewers were asking how it ever got published. Just waiting for copy to come in at the library