Criticizing The Critics

In June, author Alice Hoffman generated a storm of controversy when she called out one of her critics.

The Story Sisters didn't send reviewer Roberta Silman into heights of ecstasy, and she revealed more of the plot than the author cared for. No spoiler alert given, so Ms. Hoffman called Ms. Silman a moron in an outraged tweet. A moron and an idiot.

When Ms. Hoffman was then criticized for opening her mouth, she shot back with the observation that she had the right to defend her work. The notion of sitting quietly and taking the abuse didn't sit right with her.

Authors and reviewers and everyone in between jumped into the argument, fueling the Internet that thrives on such vitriol.

Now come musician Chris de Burgh, taking on the music critic of The Irish Times. Not very musically inclined, this critic, according to Mr. de Burgh. Why, Peter Crawley is also the theatre critic so what would he know about music at all?

Mr. de Burgh saw his performance in an entirely different light than did Mr. Crawley. The musician trumpeted his warm welcome, the crowd having a wonderful time, while Mr. Crawley reported on a man who'd been doing the same show, and sporting the same look, for the past thirty-four years.

Roberta Silman's review was reviewed and it failed to make the grade for a book review. In fact, her piece was labeled a book report, not a review. No one is saying anything about that, of course, since all the attention is focused on Alice Hoffman's diatribe.

Chris de Burgh's review of his performance has nothing whatsoever to do with Peter Crawley's intent either. The music critic reported on an a performance as compared to others, while the musician had an entirely different angle on the evening.

Author and musician would have preferred that their reviewers critiqued different aspects of their work than what was covered in the review. Talk about the book without revealing the plot, and talk about the performance without complaining about the smarm and cheese that the audience lapped up like starving puppies.

But complaining about reviews when they don't follow the script? It makes for some very amusing entertaining for those who enjoy the volleys of insults hurtling across cyberspace.