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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hilarious and a little sad too. It helps to have had a background in academia or at least have had to write letters of recommendation but that isn't necessary.
I'm clearly in the minority but I actually rather liked Jason Fitger. He has no filter and is clearly running out of fucks to give. From one middle-aged curmudgeon to another, he is my hero.
I'm clearly in the minority but I actually rather liked Jason Fitger. He has no filter and is clearly running out of fucks to give. From one middle-aged curmudgeon to another, he is my hero.
This was a sly, satirical collection of recommendation letters written by a put-out English professor to a variety of destinations. The collection cleverly tells a background story about the author and his life. I really enjoyed this book until very near the end, when circumstances for the main character took a depressing turn. I think the book could have been longer, as the story was sort of abruptly ended.
I don't know if I'll read the author's other works, but I found this one (mostly) amusing.
I don't know if I'll read the author's other works, but I found this one (mostly) amusing.
Funny, sweet, genuinely moving. For those of us who have worked in higher ed in a liberal arts institution it is also painfully authentic. A very short but delightful listen. Great reader on the audiobook.
Quite funny, mixed with some serious slices of life. Best not to read in bed with a sleeping partner. LOL might wake them up. The bits concerning LOR done in electronic forms had me rolling.
Could be a quick read, but the form started to feel choosy for me. I took it in short story sized bites and it seemed perfect.
Could be a quick read, but the form started to feel choosy for me. I took it in short story sized bites and it seemed perfect.
I won this book from Goodreads and Doubleday, and I was especially happy about that because I'd just seen it reviewed in the NYT and wanted to read it. What synchronicity! Dear Committee Members succeeds as a witty and farcical account of a beleaguered creative writing professor in the later stages of his academic career. Told in a series of letters of recommendations that the professor writes for students, colleagues, staff, and other unfortunates, we learn about his disappointments and failures, the last of which reveals, finally, a measure of honesty.
This book made me laugh. With satisfying glee, the professor skewers every known academic type and the university that allots fewer and fewer of its resources to the Humanities. He's the Lewis Black of the Creative Writing department, and I think any person in academia will get a kick out of his outrage.
So why only 3 stars? The tone that entertained me so much also grew stale after a while. I craved more depth of the sort that edges its way in at the novel's end--just a little too late.
Still, Dear Committee Members, I recommend this book to those of you looking for some serious levity.
This book made me laugh. With satisfying glee, the professor skewers every known academic type and the university that allots fewer and fewer of its resources to the Humanities. He's the Lewis Black of the Creative Writing department, and I think any person in academia will get a kick out of his outrage.
So why only 3 stars? The tone that entertained me so much also grew stale after a while. I craved more depth of the sort that edges its way in at the novel's end--just a little too late.
Still, Dear Committee Members, I recommend this book to those of you looking for some serious levity.
I enjoyed the experience of reading this, but I kept wishing it was a Tumblr or blog, rather than a book. I would have loved to read one letter a day, rather than 15. My recommendation would be to buy a copy or borrow from a friend -- the time constraint on a library book negatively impacts the experience of the book.
If you've spent any time in academia, you'll appreciate this. Well done, Julie Schumacher (University of Minnesota, Creative Writing Program)
A quick, lighthearted read that is full to the brim with the satirical observations that only a wary English professor could make - this book was quick to win me over. I was so encapsulated in this new world that I didn't put the book down until it was finished! I loved the narrator, the authors choice to make it an epistolary novel, and the way that the world unfolded around us. The best stories are those wrapped up in LOR's for random students, of which we know only as much as the recipient of said letter would know.
Highly recommended to my fellow jaded English majors.
Highly recommended to my fellow jaded English majors.
I enjoyed the format in which this story was presented, and the humor and snark it held. The ending surprised me, though--it was much more somber than the rest of the book. Not bad necessarily, but a little rattling.