The advantage of reviewing books by a friend is that you can invite him out for a walk across the South Downs and menace him with blunt questions. Books pages editors call this sort of thing ‘backscratching’ and ‘logrolling’, as if, instead of engaging in proper criticism, you and your mate had spent the time on a sauna holiday in Sweden.
Already a subscriber? Log in
As the US decides, so can you
Subscribe today and get a $50 Amazon gift card if you correctly predict the next US president.
- Unlimited access to spectator.com.au
- The weekly edition on the Spectator Australia app
- Spectator podcasts and newsletters
- Full access to spectator.co.uk
Or
Unlock this article
Alexander Masters is the author of Stuart: A Life Backwards and The Genius in My Basement.
You might disagree with half of it, but you’ll enjoy reading all of it. Try your first month for free, then just $2 a week for the remainder of your first year.
Comments
As the US decides, so can you
Subscribe today and get a $50 Amazon gift card if you correctly predict the next US president.
SUBSCRIBE AND ENTERAlready a subscriber? Log in