Negative Positive
Title: an exquisite collection of classic essays
Review: Joseph Mitchell may be the finest, most fluid writer I have ever read.His prose in "Up In The Old Hotel" is sandbaggingly wonderful; it is a remarkable blend of the journalistic eye for detail and the novelist's ability to turn a phrase. Mitchell's evocative description the famous pub in "McSorley's Wonderful Old Saloon" puts the reader in the bar with him. And in addition to describing places with attention and nuance, Mitchell is equally adept at bringing to life a cast of Old New York characters that range from a street preacher to a movie house ticket seller.In the end, Mitchell's greatest achievement is that he evokes a time and place like few works of nonfiction ever do. Writings about New York City are everywhere, but good writings about the Apple aren't so easy to find. And along with A.J. Liebling's "The Telephone Booth Indian," "Up In The Old Hotel" is about as good as it gets.
Is the review positive or negative? 