A Little Family Spat Plays Itself Out in the Amazon Reviews
By Jane • Jun 13th, 2008 • Category: Publishing News • •Usually when Amazon reviews are penned by the family members, it is done so with the intent to bolster star rankings but maybe the most effective Amazon reviews are ones that generate controversy which in turns stir booksales.
According to GalleyCat, Rachel Sontag wrote a memoir, House Rules, about growing up with an emotionally abusive father and her attempts to escape. Sontag’s father wrote a scathing two part response. Well done Mr. Sontag, because there’s nothing like this little online drama to give readers a taste of what a drama filled party the memoir will be. It’s viral marketing at its best. (trying to see the silver lining here folks).
Jane is a long time romance reader whose passion is, you guessed it, reading. Jane also does not like to talk about herself in the third person, but apparently this is the way that this biography thing works (although in a true biography, someone else would be writing this blurb). Anyway, currently Jane loves urban fantasy authors Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. She's really excited about this year's crop of historicals including Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady and Sherry Thomas' Private Arrangements and the upcoming Loretta Chase Her Scandalous Ways.
She's looking for a good contemporary author. Email her with a recommendation!
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Did you notice that even Rosie O’Donnell chimed in on that fathers letter?
Did you also notice the ones marked un-useful where the ones that supported the father and disregarded Rosie’s comment?
Jeez, that’s even more unedifying than the continuing Takenouchi saga. I find train wrecks as compulsive as the next person, but there comes a point where watching other people destroy themselves in public just makes you feel queasy.
Rosie had reccomended the book on her blog, one of her blog buddies wrote her and told her about the fathers review… thats why rosie went and commented. I think the father did no real favors to himself, because his “review” came off exactly as the daughter portrayed him in the book. As a complete control freak..
Wow, that father is seriously messed up- total control freak.
Yeah, I can’t imagine a better recommendation for the book than the father’s comments. They were not only in poor taste, but demonstrated exactly the kind of arrogant blindness the book appears to complain of. And that creepy bit about how she played the victim to draw attention to herself and dressed “like a tramp” for church? Yuck.