Comments by Ariel Lerner Most recent public comments by Ariel Lerner https://nowcomment.com/users/23834 That would be a pretty crowded sticky. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56405?scroll_to=635980 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56405?scroll_to=635980 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 16:34:13 -0500 Perhaps if the editors assign works to reviewers who are qualified to weigh in on the particular subject they are reviewing, the result will be better reviews. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56405?scroll_to=635979 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56405?scroll_to=635979 Sat, 10 Dec 2016 07:10:32 -0500 Both the books and the reviews themselves are often viewed through a modern lens as "content" not "works." https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=628894 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=628894 Fri, 02 Dec 2016 11:04:24 -0500 Agreed. Readers can look at the review in the future and take note of how right or how wrong the reviewer was, in hindsight. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=628893 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=628893 Mon, 12 Dec 2016 19:41:09 -0500 The idea of an afterlife means that the review lives on past the initial publication, just as the book does. Future readers can refer back to it when they read the book for the firs time the same way readers in the present can. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=628892 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=628892 Fri, 02 Dec 2016 11:01:59 -0500 Do you think the best reviews come from people who have an inherent interest and foreknowledge in the subject they are reviewing? Isn't it possible that they would also run the risk of being bored by works that cover ground they are already familiar with? https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=621032 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=621032 Tue, 13 Dec 2016 23:33:02 -0500 I think this is an important distinction - enthusiasm for engagement itself, not just blind enthusiasm for the topic that is being reviewed. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=621030 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=621030 Fri, 18 Nov 2016 10:54:11 -0500 Engagement indicates that the review offers the reader an opportunity to analyze and form his own opinion. Cheerleading is just empty encouragement for the sake of bolstering the spirit. It has no substance. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=621028 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=621028 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:03:57 -0500 There is an abundance of new material coming out all the time, and by the time a review is published, it may already be stale. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=616353 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=616353 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 16:55:13 -0500 It is challenging to craft a piece that is concise, with carefully chosen words that get the message across. It can be difficult to trim the fat. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=616352 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=616352 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:29:30 -0500 If the reviewer presents himself as the authority, there is a risk of not approaching the material with a constructive point of view. Nobody wants to read a review with the approach of "I know better," they want to hear analysis & critique. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=616337 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=616337 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:21:55 -0500 The reviewer is suggesting that these biographers have compartmentalized Madison's role as a slave owner in favor of shining a light on other aspects of his life. They are giving him a free pass by underplaying the significance of owning slaves. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612695 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612695 Sat, 05 Nov 2016 00:41:19 -0400 The last sentence summarizes the review by showing that Madison's fundamental beliefs undermined any other good works that he attempted to accomplish by resisting a more tolerant, inclusive way of thinking. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612691 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612691 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 18:44:36 -0500 The reviewer cites specific names, places, and dates that are relevant to the topic at hand. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612688 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612688 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 12:18:35 -0400 This is an inference. There is no way to know for sure what Jennings was thinking, and it is presumptive to state otherwise. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612685 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612685 Sat, 05 Nov 2016 00:42:23 -0400 Dowling implies that a biography of Madison must never neglect to spend significant time on his role as a slave owner. The reviewer has presented his perspective that this book reports extensively on Madison's slave ownership where others have failed to. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612683 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=612683 Sat, 05 Nov 2016 00:41:55 -0400 By alluding to other books about Ted Hughes, the reviewer is collecting facts to corroborate Feinstein's character assessments of Hughes, Plath, and Assia. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56408?scroll_to=588231 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56408?scroll_to=588231 Thu, 06 Oct 2016 23:33:10 -0400 The sentence has more impact when it occurs late in the review. If the reviewer had started out by revealing the fate of Assia and her daughter, it would be hard to maintain the attention of the reader for the remainder of the piece. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56408?scroll_to=588226 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56408?scroll_to=588226 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 16:17:30 -0500 A femme fatale is a character who is irresistible and dangerous to her lovers. By describing Assia in this way, the reader is given a concise summary of who she is - desirable and mysterious in contrast to Plath's "housewife" and "hag". https://nowcomment.com/documents/56408?scroll_to=588222 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56408?scroll_to=588222 Fri, 07 Oct 2016 07:07:01 -0400 A good review cannot just indicate whether the book is "good" or "bad." An in-depth analysis and interpretation of the text is required. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=581920 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=581920 Thu, 08 Dec 2016 21:03:37 -0500 Pool is musing that book reviewing was never such an esteemed tradition to begin with. "Glorious pinnacle" is used in a humorous way. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=581913 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=581913 Sat, 24 Sep 2016 07:16:44 -0400 One issue that is raised is whether or not there is anything left to say on the subject of Anne Frank. Another, to my mind, is why not tell the story of other victims of the Holocaust, being that Frank's is so widely known already. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56406?scroll_to=575946 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56406?scroll_to=575946 Sat, 17 Sep 2016 08:29:00 -0400 The reviewer acknowledges Anne Frank's talent at such a young age, and in his final paragraph, lets the reader imagine how her talent might have continued to develop had she reached adulthood. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56406?scroll_to=575943 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56406?scroll_to=575943 Fri, 16 Sep 2016 11:12:36 -0400 Arthur Miller was once married to Marilyn Monroe, for one thing. Also, his play "Death of a Salesman" contains themes that can be applied to Marilyn's life - chasing the success/notoriety of the American dream, for example. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=570067 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=570067 Fri, 09 Sep 2016 10:07:40 -0400 Marilyn was perceived as the prototypical "dumb blonde" because of some of her film roles but in fact she was more witty and clever than many people gave her credit for. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=570064 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=570064 Fri, 09 Sep 2016 10:00:16 -0400