I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, so I can't comment on my personal reaction to the book, but one thing that I've found annoying about the reviews is the mandatory mention of clumsy sex scenes. If Morrissey wrote a contrived, stylized, fantasy sexual encounter, I would truly be disappointed. This is a man who has illuminated the darkest, ugliest human emotions, from envy, loneliness, humiliation, and regret to relentless depression. He talks about the universal feelings that we are all suppose to hide behind pleasant facades. Yes, sex can be amazing, but it can also be awkward and embarrassing in certain situations, and I wouldn't expect him to write about it any other way.
Another complaint is his style of writing. The very first words I ever heard uttered from this man were "punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate..."; not exactly the style of a modern pop music lyricist, but that is exactly why I found him fascinating. Morrissey has always written under the influence of the 19th centruy authors that he admires, and if you don't like that era of literature, then you probably won't enjoy his approach.
As for reviews, I do understand that they can be helpful, especially if you are searching for new artists and authors; however, they can't be considered the definitive assessment. I was scanning the television recently and noticed that the movie "Ted" was given four stars. This essentially means that the critic in this case felt that a movie about a foul-mouth talking teddy bear is on par with Citizen Kane, Sophie's Choice, a Clockwork Orange, and other film classics. Ultimately, you have to read the book for yourself and form your own opinion. I'm looking forward to it.
lynnda
