Reviews

The Columnist by Jeffrey Frank

newfylady's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book because David Sedaris recommended it at a reading I attended. I found it to be every bit as amusing as Sedaris promised. However, a friend who read it after me hated it. I don't think she realized it was supposed to be funny and that you are NOT supposed to like the narrator.

anderson65's review against another edition

4.0

I finished reading The Columnist by Jeffrey Frank. It is a satirical account of a pompous journalist who becomes a Washington columnist and "talking head" on cable news channels. He is a composite of several self-important journalists that often pop up on cable news. Written in the voice of the lead character as he pens his memoirs, the name dropping and anecdotes are self-serving, witty, and pathetic. A quick read, this book left me feeling very sad for the lonely character of Brandon Sladder.

betsyellis's review

4.0

This is a very unusual book because it is a fictional memoir, if there is such a term. But that’s what makes it fascinating. As you read you think your mind is playing tricks on you because this person and the people around him are so real. I loved this book because it was so incredibly clever and so different from the usual genre that I read.