Wednesday 19 February 2014

Hatchet Job

Have you ever heard of The Hatchet Job website? I had not - until today. A quick glance, after following a link on Twitter, and I see it is a collection of negative reviews on books. I glanced through the one on Morrissey (of whom I have never heard, but appears to be a pop singer) and Anne Widdicombe, and will probably go back later for a more detailed session with the site. How many more poor unsuspecting authors have been humiliated like this?

A A Gill, reviewer, claims
"Morrissey is plainly the most ornery, cantankerous, entitled, whingeing, self-martyred human being who ever drew breath. And those are just his good qualities."
He goes on : "It (the biography)  is a heavy tome, utterly devoid of insight, warmth, wisdom or likeability. It is a potential firelighter of vanity, self-pity and logorrhoeic dullness." Logorrhoeic? I'd have to reach for dictionary to understand that one. Potential firelighter of vanity? Really?
Read it for yourself here:
http://www.theomnivore.com/hatchetjoboftheyear/

It leaves me wondering if there is a site that keeps negative reviews of reviewers? It seems to me that they are often guilty of the same faults as the people they chastise. Perhaps there ought to be such a site.

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