Author calls book critic a 'moron' on Twitter after review

by Staff, Brand Republic 29-Jun-09, 11:20

NEW YORK - Novelist Alice Hoffman has used Twitter to urge her readers to tell a book reviewer what they think of "snarky critics" after she took umbrage at the way the Boston Globe reviewed her latest title.

The reviewer, Roberta Silman, began her piece on 'The Story Sisters' by remarking that Alice Hoffman had written one of her favourite books, 'Illumination Night', but that "this novel lacks the spark of the earlier work".

Hoffman started by calling Silman a "moron" on Twitter, asking: "How do some people get to review books? And give the plot away."

She then continued to criticise the review and the Boston Globe, claiming it was the only negative review of the book.

In a stream of tweets over a couple of hours, Hoffman published the reviewer's phone number and email address, so her readers could tell her what they think.

In total, 27 tweets were sent before Hoffman finally stopped.

At the time of writing, Hoffman's novel is at number 35 on the New York Times hardback fiction best-seller list.

Hoffman's other novels include 'Practical Magic', which was made in to a film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.