This book was a hit in the UK back in 2003 and it arrived on US shores in 2004. Obviously, I only got around to reading it recently (other books got in the way). The review is going to be brief since it wasn’t really what I expected. What was I expecting? A book that might be a refresher course on correct punctuation, some helpful reminders on the usage of commas and other tips to keep my writing intelligible. No dice. It’s a tirade from Lynne Truss lamenting the horrible habits her fellow Brits have developed over the last several decades. She did spare us Americans from what I could tell and focused her rage on UK-based publications, merchants and politicians. The US isn’t completely skipped since she has an intense gripe at Warner Brothers for the movie Two Weeks Notice (there’s supposed to be a hyphen between two and weeks because it’s an adjective modifying notice).
If this book is supposed to be funny then it must be the Big Lebowski of humorous criticism; slow, tedious, overrated and loved by people who won’t leave you alone until you submit to its alleged greatness. Truss has a point I agree with on occasion but I feel she must be traveling in some really odd places to see so many punctuational errors. A few of them she described read more like Engrish than native-speaking ignorance with where to put an apostrophe.
I can only recommend this book to punctuational fanatics who enjoy finding fault with everything. For me, this book was more similar to an unsatisfying, gruelling part-time job I couldn’t wait to finish. Much like half the boring novels one is subjected to in high school. Lynne Truss has her point about how sloppy punctuation is detrimental to society and our era’s legacy. She just needs to find a better way to articulate it than her I’m always correct attitude.