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May 04, 2006

Comments

Cindy

Oh, I love Nancy Pearl and I have the action figure!

Libarians are a superior form of life? Wow... I'll tell my classmates!

Seriously, though, it's very interesting to read about your experiences. I guess I never gave much thought to the writer on the other side of the reviews.

We actually talked a little about book reviewing in my reference services class and the professor encouraged us to get involved in reviewing, if it was an area we were interested in.

I'm not sure what my point is here... just excited about Nancy Pearl. :) I have a picture of my action figure on my blog if you're interested. (http://cindylu322.blogspot.com/2005/02/super-cool-birthday-present.html)

Cindy

That URL got messed up - just take the parenthesis off the end.

naomialderman

Thank you for this! (I found it via my "referrers" page.)

I must say, though, that you're more noble than me - there's definitely a positive side to getting bad reviews, but I don't feel gratitude toward the reviewers. In fact, I have little fantasies in which I encounter them at a post-shul service kiddush and oh, whoops, manage accidentally to stab them in the back of the hand with a cocktail stick while going for the last piece of fried gefilte.

It's just like "love the sinner hate the sin". Er. Except the other way round. "Appreciate the review, loathe the reviewer."

In any case, I'm no saint ;-).

Rebecca Johns

Thanks for stopping by, Naomi. How nice that you found me so soon.

Actually that last line wasn't at all meant to be serious, but the dripping sarcasm you'd hear in my voice isn't audible online. I'm new to blogging and will have to work on that. Really, I spent the week sick in bed after that review and fantasizing about stuffing a banana up the reviewer's tailpipe or stealing his firstborn. But your piece gave me hope that I can have another bad review someday and still recover, to my own benefit and the writing's. So thanks for that.

Also, congratulations on your Orange Prize nomination. Wonderful news.

Brenda

This will be incredibly helpful to me when I finally finish my book and (hopefully) get it published. I will need it to help deal with the criticism also! And a banana up the tailpipe isn't such a bad idea :)

Pygmalion's Wife

Fuck the bad review--I finally (after haranguing you so mercilessly for a copy and then letting it sit and gather dust while I selfishly indulged in legal entanglements) finished Icebergs and may I just say? I am SO HUGELY FLATTERED that you read my former blog and found any merit in it at all. That you found me worthy of emailing. That you would have wanted to meet me, had I not had to blow through IC so unexpectedly fast. That you PERSONALLY sent me a copy (although you forgot to SIGN it, dumbass, and even WITH all of those excess hormones coursing through your system there is NO excuse--I pointed this out to G. as a classic example of why it should have been ME, because if roles were reversed? I'd be signing everything in sight). You suck at fame. But you're going to have to work on that, because I have a feeling you're going to be the friend whose name I drop to everyone who will listen as your star continues to rise, until it becomes exceedingly tiresome. And then, despite the restraining orders, I'll keep on running my mouth to the tabloids, to my mother, to anyone and everyone, until we're both old and gray and you've made the inevitable writerly foray into drink and been portrayed by Meredith Baxter Burney (who will, through science, still look merely middle-aged and be supplementing her Social Security income with Lifetime gigs even that far into the future) in the movie version of your life.
Aren't you glad you know me?

Pygmalion's Wife

And for fuck's sweet sake put me on your blogroll--I need the exposure and Pyg only reads G.'s site. Otherwise I'll be forced to start commenting on a regular basis :-)

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