On the other side of the coin (and speaking as a fiction
writer), any
review of a book in a major news organ is an unspoken assent
that the
book bears serious scrutiny, and the fact that they chose
Joyce Carol
Oates to do the review means the book is being considered by
a (like it
or not) major American writer. Knowing that she took so much
trouble to
dislike it makes me treasure my set even more, but many of
us, myself
included, would rather get a bad review from Joyce Carol
Oates in the
Times than a wildly positive review in the Missoula Daily
Register.
It's the space that counts, not the tenor of the review, and
people who
notice will sometimes buy in spite of the review.
-- ************************************** Robert E. Skinner, Director Xavier University of Louisiana Library 7325 Palmetto Street New Orleans, LA 70125 (504) 483-7303 (voice) (504) 485-7917 (FAX) e-mail: rskinner@mail.xula.edu ************************************** # # To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.