Quote:
Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I would advise a client that if they're still thinking about it several years later, it has passed from being a concern to the sort of mental illness that deserves clinical attention.
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Most Critics Pan Clinton's Memoir
A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
June 24, 2004 3:15 p.m.
Former President Clinton's memoir, "My Life" drew largely disappointing reviews despite its record-breaking first-day sales at retailer Barnes & Noble. Many critics expressed dismay over the book's sprawling size, saying it serves up too many details, and too little analysis.
More than one reviewer noted that the book was symbolic of the Clinton presidency -- rambling, and heedless of limits. Several singled out portions of the memoir that deal with Clinton's early childhood as the best and most poignant moments in the book.
Here are some highlights of reviews published this week:
* * *
At 957 pages, this is presidential memoir literally writ large and -- as opposed to most contemporary public figures' books -- in the author's own hand. The result is much like the public man, fascinating but ultimately unsatisfying. There are flashes of incisive brilliance and numbing stretches of tedious self-absorption.
-- Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
* * *
The book, which weighs in at more than 950 pages, is sloppy, self-indulgent and often eye-crossingly dull -- the sound of one man prattling away, not for the reader, but for himself and some distant recording angel of history. ...In many ways, the book is a mirror of Mr. Clinton's presidency: lack of discipline leading to squandered opportunities; high expectations, undermined by self-indulgence and scattered concentration.
-- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
Ms. Kakutani's review of the Clinton memoir, which ran in the Times's June 19 edition, was among the first to appear in a major publication and received widespread attention in other news outlets. Five days later, the Times took the unusual step of releasing its planned second review of the book, by Larry McMurtry, in its online edition, more than a week ahead of its scheduled publication in the Sunday book review. An excerpt from that review follows:
Not only is politics the heart of this book, it's also its brain, torso, liver and sweetbreads. Hillary and Chelsea visit often, but this narrative is not about family life or sex, in which area Clinton's failings are acknowledged but not extensively dwelt on. ...I happen to like long, smart, dense narratives and read "My Life" straight through, happily. I may not know Bill Clinton any better than I did when I started, but I know recent history better, which surely can't hurt. -- Larry McMurtry, The New York Times
* * *
For such a big book, there are a lot of things curiously missing. Clinton denies sexually harassing Paula Jones, but doesn't give his account of what did, and didn't, happen during that infamous hotel encounter. He goes on at length about the enemies who whipped the Whitewater flap into a major scandal, but doesn't explain his and Hillary's role in the mess. ...In what may be the best part of the book, he lovingly recreates his boyhood in Arkansas, remembering the names of every teacher, neighbor and shopkeeper. Politics thrills him, segregation appalls him. Everything fascinates him. He poignantly recalls his struggles with weight. But by the time Clinton finally becomes president on page 476, a little of the steam has gone out of the telling.
-- Weston Kosova and Michael Isikoff, Newsweek
* * *
...The book is a spotlighted lectern for a man who likes to talk. And that is part of its problem. ...Regrettably, Clinton's oratorical talents don't readily translate to his writing skills. -- Michael D. Langan, The Boston Globe
There's a wonderful naturalness to Clinton's writing in "My Life" and enough insights into this puzzling man that it's well worth plunking down $35 -- or $26, which is what I paid -- for 957 pages of his almost-unfiltered musings. Even if -- maybe especially if -- you thought he was a bad choice for president, or if you thought he was a good choice who blew his best chances.
-- Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press
* * *
Here is one of the most fascinating figures of his time, a charismatic and brilliant man -- a fatherless boy who rose from humble beginnings to live, in his own words, "an improbable life" -- and he has produced a book that lacks anything more than the most rudimentary insights. This master politician does not even offer a single good discussion of the art of politics.
-- Jerry Schwartz, Associated Press
* * *
President Clinton did a fascinating job analyzing a policy issue or a social trend. ... So I was sure that payoff would come for enduring what Clinton learned in psychological and religious counseling, for wading through his bitter flashbacks to Gennifer Flowers, Monica Lewinksy, Paula Jones and Kenneth Starr. The payoff, I thought, would be sharp analysis on Iraq, Osama bin Laden, the Mideast, North Korea and other ongoing concerns. Wrong.
-- Susan Feeney, National Public Radio
* * *
...It was hard to miss how [Mr. Clinton] hopes to make his mark in history: He was a protector and a defender of the poor and disadvantaged, and his years of standing up for the little guy often made others unhappy.
--Kevin Freking, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
* * *
Clinton's "My Life" is at something of a disadvantage; as the most written-about president since John Kennedy, there is little that we don't know about the events of his life, so we read on for insight into his motivations.
-- Scott Eyman, Palm Beach Post
* * *
"My Life" is not a great book. It's not even a good book, but like its author, it has its moments and flashes of insight. ...Readers seeking an intimate portrait of his marriage to Hillary Rodham Clinton will be disappointed. So will anyone wondering what he was thinking during his "encounters" [his word] with Monica Lewinsky. ...My Life is more likely to appeal to readers who want to celebrate a president who rose from modest roots, survived an abusive, alcoholic stepfather and developed an insatiable intellectual curiosity.
-- Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today
* * *
The author is at his best when relating a folksy anecdote, such as the time he won fourth place -- and got sick -- in a tomato-eating contest on a campaign stop in rural Arkansas. ...He is at his worst when making yet another laundry list of thank-yous, naming names no matter how big or small.
-- Bill Eichenberger The Columbus Dispatch
* * *
Former President Bill Clinton says he wants to write a great book someday. "My Life" is not it. ... Those looking for the personal will find folksy accounts of childhood incidents from which Clinton inevitably learns lessons. A ram on his uncle's farm butts the first-grader in the head until he is bloody, for example, teaching him that he can take a "hard hit."
--Nancy Pate, The Orlando Sentinel
etft -- t. (why? 'cuz that's the kind of nice guy I am) s.
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