'Bad Karma' by Tamara Sheward.
UGH.
She deserves bad karma. One of the most irritating books of all time. I should have known by the awful prologue but her ignorance was so profound I foolishly read on, thinking that at any moment I would turn the page and enjoy her downfall and finally her epiphany (ie: when she wakes up and realises what a dopey, annoying, arrogant, self-absorbed ignoramus she really is).
Sadly, I am now at page 281, desperately trying to find the strength to finish the bloody thing so I can destroy it (oh, how I wish. Sadly it is a library copy and I have to return it in 'good as' condition. Actually it is worth the $20 fine to burn the bloody thing...)
For the first couple of months of our travels in the UK we were so green it is embarrassing even to ponder the memories. A few pub humiliations, a tour guide who put us in our place and a local job with local mates soon set us straight. Naturally we continued to make cultural errors (like the time I got into an argument trying to assert that nobody in Scotland had a washing line because it rained too much while out the window behind me was a load of washing flapping...ON A LINE) but we did assume some AND I am proud to say it was not long before we stopped comparing everything to Australia and (for myself at least) I can safely say I soon preferred the way things were in Scotland and couldn't give a rats about the fact they wash their dishes in a plastic tub instead of the sink, put vinegar on their chips and have rain that blows sideways for 300 days of the year...
I suppose we were fortunate that we were a) not in London and b) not surrounded by other Australians. It gave us a chance to lose our cultural arrogance and "go native".
This became apparent while we were working under the table in Kyleakin where busloads of Antipodeans, fresh from their 2 year stint in Earl's Court and doing the obligatory tour of the rest of the British Isles before returning home to 'real life' in Australia, would unload each night at sunset. It was reinforced a year later when my sister and I unwittingly booked seats on a bus tour of Ireland with 30 of the bastards...but that's for another time.
Back to Tamara: she is probably worse than the above, because she recognises that these obnoxious twits exist, but then goes on to behave in much the same way: moaning about local customs and culture, refusing to eat different food, complaining about everyone they meet, smoking in totally inappropriate places. And the ADJECTIVES. God, she just goes on and on and on and on and on and on...ARGH. It makes my brain hurt trying to read. And it is the WORST kind of writing - you can tell what she is writing is simply not true.
I had to go online the other night simply to google "Tamara Sheward = crap writer" and make sure that SOMEBODY out there agreed with me. My sister called me a cybernerd but boy it felt good to see that others felt the same way, and here are a few who agree with me:
She deserves bad karma. One of the most irritating books of all time. I should have known by the awful prologue but her ignorance was so profound I foolishly read on, thinking that at any moment I would turn the page and enjoy her downfall and finally her epiphany (ie: when she wakes up and realises what a dopey, annoying, arrogant, self-absorbed ignoramus she really is).
Sadly, I am now at page 281, desperately trying to find the strength to finish the bloody thing so I can destroy it (oh, how I wish. Sadly it is a library copy and I have to return it in 'good as' condition. Actually it is worth the $20 fine to burn the bloody thing...)
For the first couple of months of our travels in the UK we were so green it is embarrassing even to ponder the memories. A few pub humiliations, a tour guide who put us in our place and a local job with local mates soon set us straight. Naturally we continued to make cultural errors (like the time I got into an argument trying to assert that nobody in Scotland had a washing line because it rained too much while out the window behind me was a load of washing flapping...ON A LINE) but we did assume some AND I am proud to say it was not long before we stopped comparing everything to Australia and (for myself at least) I can safely say I soon preferred the way things were in Scotland and couldn't give a rats about the fact they wash their dishes in a plastic tub instead of the sink, put vinegar on their chips and have rain that blows sideways for 300 days of the year...
I suppose we were fortunate that we were a) not in London and b) not surrounded by other Australians. It gave us a chance to lose our cultural arrogance and "go native".
This became apparent while we were working under the table in Kyleakin where busloads of Antipodeans, fresh from their 2 year stint in Earl's Court and doing the obligatory tour of the rest of the British Isles before returning home to 'real life' in Australia, would unload each night at sunset. It was reinforced a year later when my sister and I unwittingly booked seats on a bus tour of Ireland with 30 of the bastards...but that's for another time.
Back to Tamara: she is probably worse than the above, because she recognises that these obnoxious twits exist, but then goes on to behave in much the same way: moaning about local customs and culture, refusing to eat different food, complaining about everyone they meet, smoking in totally inappropriate places. And the ADJECTIVES. God, she just goes on and on and on and on and on and on...ARGH. It makes my brain hurt trying to read. And it is the WORST kind of writing - you can tell what she is writing is simply not true.
I had to go online the other night simply to google "Tamara Sheward = crap writer" and make sure that SOMEBODY out there agreed with me. My sister called me a cybernerd but boy it felt good to see that others felt the same way, and here are a few who agree with me:
and here is Audrey again (I think) keeping up the good fight:
There was another very inspiring negative review but damn it, I can't find it.
I think it was the cultural insensitivity that really got me. I was continually thinking: who the hell does this moron think she is??
Oh yes, found it: EXCELLENT review:
Have to go and supervise some playdough squishing, but if you have had the misfortune to read this book, please use the links above to help you vent some of your rage.
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2 comments:
loved that last review! saved me the pain of reading the book.
Thanks for your comment...although must admit after finishing the book last night I now have "bad reviewers remorse"...Tamara is only human after all (even if a very annoying one). She has a bit of other stuff around the net and if I find any that is worthwhile I will pass it on!
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