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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
An interesting story told through letters of recommendation written by a college professor.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a funny, quick read, written in the form of Letters of Recommendation, that I thoroughly enjoyed. Apparently, books written in the form of candid, witty, and overly verbose letters are my jam.
'Dear Committee Members' hits a lot of the right notes for me. It is a novel in letters, has an academic setting, and is bitingly witty. Professor Jay Fitger, a member of the English faculty at Payne University, is not a happy camper. His building is being remodeled and his office appears to be in the middle of a hazmat zone. The university has appointed an econ professor to head the English department and has downgraded the status of several humanities departments. His career as a novelist is in abeyance as almost all of his books are now out of print. Nobody seems to be listening to his many complaints. Professor Fitger responds by channeling his creative writing into letters of recommendation (LOR) and various pleas for his students. He is often quite blunt and politically incorrect in these letters, making them a delight to read. As the academic year comes to a close, Jay becomes ever more frantic in trying to get the attention of the various powers-that-be.
This reminded me very much of one of my favorite comic novels, 'Straight Man' by Richard Russo. Comic novels are difficult to pull off, but Ms. Schumacher does an admirable job. She also manages to shed light on the increasing endangerment of the humanities on university campuses. There is a real cri de coeur as Jay wears his cynical heart on his sleeve. As someone who has written letters of recommendation for employees, I really enjoyed his truthfulness, even though I would never dare to attempt it.
Highly recommended.
This reminded me very much of one of my favorite comic novels, 'Straight Man' by Richard Russo. Comic novels are difficult to pull off, but Ms. Schumacher does an admirable job. She also manages to shed light on the increasing endangerment of the humanities on university campuses. There is a real cri de coeur as Jay wears his cynical heart on his sleeve. As someone who has written letters of recommendation for employees, I really enjoyed his truthfulness, even though I would never dare to attempt it.
Highly recommended.
Enjoyable... sort of? I doubt this fast epistolary novel would really make much sense to most people outside academia. Passive aggressive is an understatement to describe the main character. It was an interesting schtick at first, but got rather redundant. A fast red regardless.
This novel affords its readers the opportunity to use the word “epistolary,” and add another book to their annual tally in record time.
THe style is intersting, the letters amusing, and the characters reminiscent of people I know, but ithe letter format grew old for me about 1/3 of the way through and I had to really push myself to finish it.