Comments on: Sleazy Dirt

By: Book Review: Fault Line by Barry Eisler | 1800blogger

Book Review: Fault Line by Barry Eisler | 1800blogger — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:28:46 +0000

[...] as to if I can and will be able to give the book the attention it deserves . One of the most negative reviews I’ve ever published was for a title this particular publicist had sent me and truthfully, I [...]

By: Book Review: Fault Line by Barry Eisler |

Book Review: Fault Line by Barry Eisler | — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:03:52 +0000

[...] to if I can and will be able to give the book the attention it deserves . One of the most negative reviews I’ve ever published was for a title this particular publicist had sent me and truthfully, I [...]

By: pussreboots

pussreboots — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:43:00 +0000

It’s nice to know I’m not the only one writing a negative review. Don’t worry about the publicists taking you off their lists. I’ve been doing these reviews now for about 18 months and I’ve written a number of negative reviews. The book offers till keep coming. The good ones will appreciate your honesty because your positive reviews will actually mean something.

By: Alan

Alan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:38:27 +0000

The two books do sound a bit similar. I read fully two thirds of this book, continually hoping that it would get better, but it just didn’t and finally I decided the only recourse was to publish a bad review. Had I not promised the publicist who sent me the review copy to post a review of the book on a particular date, I probably would not have even tried to read more than the first chapter, and would not have published a review of it at all. To be perfectly honest, I am a little concerned that if I publish negative reviews the e-mails from publicists and the review copies will stop. That would be a shame, though I could live with it. But I definitely will Not recommend books that I don’t like or honestly believe that some target audience probably would like. My credibility is my number one asset, imho, and I intend to maintain it.

Thanks for your kind words, BC. It means a lot coming from you.

By: Alan

Alan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:23:08 +0000

Yes, it does sound somewhat similar, though I read fully two thirds of it, all the while Hoping it would get better. On the surface, the premise Sounded interesting: ‘The son of a US Presidential candidate does something shocking and strange and his father (and his father’s staff) must find and stop the son to protect the family’s name’ It was a very New England story, set primarily in New Hampshire , Vermont and Maine, but rather than quaintly creepy (like Stephen King or maybe Peyton Place) it is just bizzarly unappealing in LaFlamme’s novel. Given my fairly high level of interest in politics, a better writer could have left me typing ‘not to be missed’ rather than ‘save your money’ with some variant of this story.

I am, honestly, a little bit afraid that the publicists will take me off their lists for writing negative reviews, but I believe that my credibility is my most valuable asset as a book reviewer and I Really will Not recommend a book if I don’t like it or think that my reader will probably like it. Thanks for your kind words, BC, I really appreciate it.

By: Book Calendar

Book Calendar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:14:04 +0000

It is nice to see a not recommended book. It shows a certain character. Most people refuse to write about things which they can’t stand or take. The hardest book I ever attempted to read was The Mad Man by Samuel R. Delany. It was a dystopic novel where the object was to offend you as much as humanly possible (the book was about a homeless insane man who used drugs, was promiscuous and had AIDS). I couldn’t get past the first chapter. This sounds similar. This is not done very often. It is a literary style that occassionally comes up. It is for a very small crowd of people…