Haters Gonna Hate

December 28, 2021 4:28 AM

The Most Scathing Book Reviews ... [2021] ... [classics] ... [ever] ... [collected]
posted by chavenet (8 comments total)

From the comments on the Grauniad piece:

"Very nice, though there are dull stretches."
Antoine de Rivarol, on a two-line poem.

"Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good."
Origin Uncertain


and one so great, it has its own MeFi Post :
Don’t Make Fun of Renowned Dan Brown
Bonus: The 20 worst sentences of Dan Brown
posted by lalochezia at 6:04 AM on December 28, 2021 [5 favorites]

Most of these are easy and popular targets, but I imagine these lists are increasingly hard to produce - no one is gunning for a first-time novelist or anyone early in their career anymore. A more supportive environment is better for everyone, of course, but it doesn't have quite the thrill of the old public battles of capital "W" Writers and Intellectuals you can see on old Carson reruns.
posted by Think_Long at 7:10 AM on December 28, 2021 [2 favorites]

Eh, I think bad Christian dinorotica is still fair game, though it would be hard to top what is quite possibly the most hilarious scathing review I’ve ever read, with the exception of the review of the werehedgehog romance linked at the bottom. I think probably I discovered this via Metafilter years ago?
posted by eviemath at 8:14 AM on December 28, 2021 [2 favorites]

Oh my god - this gives me the perfect opportunity to link to one of the funniest things I've ever read (I've wanted to make an FPP about it forever if I can find a way around the paywall): The NYT review of a Thomas Hardy biography: Tom the Misunderstood
posted by Mchelly at 9:20 AM on December 28, 2021 [8 favorites]

I've wanted to make an FPP about it forever if I can find a way around the paywall
Archive to the rescue:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200305002923/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/18/books/tom-the-misunderstood.html
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 11:07 AM on December 28, 2021 [4 favorites]

Mchelly: "Oh my god - this gives me the perfect opportunity to link to one of the funniest things I've ever read (I've wanted to make an FPP about it forever if I can find a way around the paywall): The NYT review of a Thomas Hardy biography: Tom the Misunderstood"

Here is an unpaywalled version.

Jinx!
posted by chavenet at 11:08 AM on December 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

the thrill of the old public battles of capital "W" Writers and Intellectuals

Some Letters pages bring out the small sharp carefully considered knives. For live battle, isn’t it Twitter?
posted by clew at 11:12 AM on December 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

I've wanted to make an FPP about it forever if I can find a way around the paywall

Please make an FPP of this!
posted by medusa at 2:41 PM on December 28, 2021 [1 favorite]