*Question*
Title: a very strange, ..and not very good..., effort by James M. Cain Review: 'Serenade' is one of the oddest books I've read, and unfortunately it is not among the author's better efforts. Although quite readable and, at fleeting moments, very interesting I found 'Serenade' to be a rambling mess. The characters were not well developed, or believable, and the plot was absolutely ludicrous. I think it would be merciful for fans of James M. Cain, and indeed mankind, to let 'Serenade' and his equally miserable 'The Butterfly' go quietly out of print.Oh, let me add some words about the plot. We have a washed up American opera star trying to scratch a living in Mexico, circa 1935. He meets a prostitute, falls in love, then brings her back to America. Miraculously his voice is restored to Caruso-level brilliance. Oh, they then run into misadventure. And we also discover our opera star had a homosexual dalliance with a rich British promoter. Shock, horror, boredom.Bottom line: a real mess. Does this product review convey a negative or positive sentiment?
**Answer**
Negative

*Question*
Title: Not the best Review: I can't say much for Mary Martin. In the song "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" she has no expresion. I sugest getting the Ethel Merman version or waiting until the cd with Bernadette Peters as Annie comes out. Does this product review convey a negative or positive sentiment?
**Answer**
Negative

*Question*
Title: Buy a Harlequin Romance instead Review: I wanted to rate this a "zero." WHY can't there be a minus stars rating. Totally disappointed. Over-the top melodramatic and predictable, especially since the ending is revealed in the first 5 pages. AWFUL, totally dreadful, prose. WHY, would ANY publisher (other than Harleguin Press) pick this tripe up! Thank god I got this from the library and didn't pay $$$ for this.I suspect this may be one of those rare instances where the film version might be better (but only if they make the orig novel unrecognizable). It certainly couldn't be any worse. I listened to the audio version while exercising and could not reach the fast-forward button--made my workouts twice as difficult. ;-) Does this product review convey a negative or positive sentiment?
**Answer**
Negative

*Question*
Title: *YAWN* Review: What and incredibly poor book. The old concept of time travel has rarely been done so poorly. Read something else by Crichton, this is far below his usual great writing. Hell, I even liked "Congo" beter than this dud. Does this product review convey a negative or positive sentiment?
**Answer**
