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Original poster

If you loathe Rachel Cusk, you'll love this

46 replies

jujumaman · 12/02/2009 11:07

Brilliant digested read of her new book from the Guardian

Made me rofl.

Safe to say, I won't be buying the book.

Her success is a complete mystery to me. She is so misanthropic, so smug, so lacking in empathy towards the rest of humanity. Though to be fair, the rest of humanity is losing jobs and struggling to survive, while she is being paid to write drivel about a brief holiday in a country where she couldn't even be bothered to learn the language.

OP posts:
Original poster
jujumaman · 12/02/2009 13:34

Really, stinkymonkey?

I bet she's a pillar of the PTA

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giantkatestacks · 12/02/2009 13:24

Good God stinkymonkey that must be awful.

stinkymonkey · 12/02/2009 13:20

I often see her on the school run, giving everybody the deadeye. It's quite intimidating. You wouldn't rush to say hello.

plumandolive · 12/02/2009 13:19

I saw that in Guardy- brilliant! It's been on radio 4 ...my radio has been spat at lots

Original poster
jujumaman · 12/02/2009 13:01

Sorry, here we go again

Can you imagine being one of the mums in her dds' classes, knowing she is watching you all the time, conjuring up insults to skewer you with in her next oeuvre?

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FlorenceAndtheWashingMachine · 12/02/2009 12:56

I'm glad it's not just me

FlorenceAndtheWashingMachine · 12/02/2009 12:56

I'm glad it's not just me

chocolatedot · 12/02/2009 12:37

TOC, I caught some of it too and immediately thought that it was so grippingly awful that it could only be the work of THAT woman.

TheOldestCat · 12/02/2009 12:18

Oh, I listened to that book being read (by the fab Holly Aird) on Radio 4 recently and was spellbound by the sheer horror. So condescending and smug!

John Crace is brilliant.

MaryAnnSweetheart · 12/02/2009 12:17

have forwarded to my book group members - we all endured Arlington Park and had to represent it at the Orange Prize discussion at our library...

orangina · 12/02/2009 12:15

rachel cusk is pants. can't wait to forward this to a fellow rc loather...

(evil cackle)

giantkatestacks · 12/02/2009 12:06

yes they are absolutely fantastic - I remember a great one for The End of the Affair that was just completely spot on.

And yes Rachel Cusk gets my back up - that bit in the book where she is being so awful about baby groups and singing and am getting all grr just thinking about it. So bloomin joyless.

TotalChaos · 12/02/2009 11:55

brilliant link.

for more of the genius Crace's Digested reads, see here:-

www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/digestedread

MaryAnnSweetheart · 12/02/2009 11:53

oh the link didn't work

Original poster
jujumaman · 12/02/2009 11:46

John Crace is a genius

Rachel Cusk is not. Though I agree, BabsP, the misery that is her life is often unintentionally hilarious.

which note, whenever I need cheering up I read her account of joining a book club

Annoyingly, I can't find it - but it provoked a brilliant response from one of the book club saying how RC was so patronising and sneering she had made all the other members miserable and how happy they were to be shot of her.

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 12/02/2009 11:37

Oh, I love John Craces's stuff.

DH and I frequently piss ourselves over his Digested Reads.

Kathyis6incheshigh · 12/02/2009 11:34

ROFLMAO!

Mintyy · 12/02/2009 11:31

Oh that is absolutely superb. Laughing and laughing my head off here! That's really made my day thanks for the link.

MaryAnnSweetheart · 12/02/2009 11:30

yay ! Arlington Park was bad wasn't it...

shrinkingassets · 12/02/2009 11:28

Priceless. Heard some of this book read on Radio 4 the other day and was aghast at its awfulness. Hated the one about motherhood, couldn't finish it.

barbarapym · 12/02/2009 11:19

Also rofl...! I am mystified by her success as well. Arlington Park was dreadful. Have ended up reading most of her things over the years as they tend to get given to me as slightly misguided presents. ( Altho I quite liked A Life's Work - it was so inappropriately self-pitying that it was oddly entertaining.)

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