Ouch! Olivia Nuzzi's new book, "American Canto," is taking a beating worse than a pinata at a toddler's birthday party.
The political journo, 32, who recently landed at Vanity Fair after a stint at New York Magazine, has found herself in the critical crosshairs, and it ain't pretty.
You might remember Olivia from headlines involving some alleged racy texts with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He denied the whole shebang, naturally.
Her book, described as a deep dive into the Trump era and how it warped reality, promised a personal yet insightful journey. What readers apparently got instead was... well, let's just say it wasn't what they ordered.
The official blurb boasts a "mesmerizing firsthand account," but critics are singing a different tune entirely. A sour note, if you will.
The Atlantic's Helen Lewis didn't mince words, calling "American Canto" a "tell-nothing memoir." Ouch again!
According to Lewis, Nuzzi seems oddly reluctant to actually reveal anything, declaring she "does not wish to be understood." Which, as Lewis points out, is a peculiar stance for someone writing a memoir.
The New York Times review was equally scathing, deeming the book "self-serious and altogether disappointing." Not exactly a glowing endorsement, is it?
Reviewer Alexandra Jacobs lamented the book's lack of focus, stating it leaves the reader "longing for the sweet relief of a detailed policy paper." Ouch cubed!
And it gets worse. The Washington Post branded "American Canto" as "highly uneven and largely forgettable."
But Becca Rothfeld really went for the jugular, calling vast portions of the book "impressively and aggressively awful." Aggressively awful? Those are fighting words in the literary world!
Rothfeld also took a swipe at Nuzzi's writing style, claiming her syntax becomes "tortured and halting" when she tries to sound literary. Double ouch!
Slate's Scaachi Koul delivered the knockout punch with a headline declaring, "Olivia Nuzzi’s Book Has the Audacity to Be Boring."
Koul suggests the book could have been a redemptive moment for Nuzzi, "if only it was interesting." Instead, she claims it's "illegible in ways you can’t imagine."
And the ultimate zinger? "Historians will study how bad this book is." Talk about a legacy!
The New Yorker chimed in, noting that anyone hoping for clarity on Nuzzi's connection to RFK Jr. will be sorely disappointed.
Molly Fischer of The New Yorker went on to say that the book sometimes reads like "fan fiction about herself." Yikes!
But wait, there's more drama! Remember that Vanity Fair gig? Sources are whispering that her time there might already be up, according to Page Six .
One insider revealed, "It looks like they are getting rid of her." Another source added that she hadn't contributed any stories to upcoming issues and seemed disengaged from the magazine.
Did "American Canto" contribute to a career canto, or will Olivia Nuzzi rise from the ashes like a phoenix? Only time will tell.
One thing's for sure: this book is generating buzz, even if it's mostly negative. Maybe that's the point? After all, as Oscar Wilde said, "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
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