Books, Arts & Manners: Brother Dearest

Brothers No More, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Doubleday, 294 pp., $23.99)

REVIEWING a novel by a famous editor in the magazine that made the editor famous can’t help being a tricky business. To impartial ears any praise will seem suspect, any criticism catty. All a reviewer can do under the circumstances (I’ve decided) is read the book, tell the truth, and cash the check as quickly as possible. And if the novel is worthy of high praise and mild criticism, then the reviewer should consider himself a very fortunate fellow. At the moment I consider myself a very fortunate fellow.

About the Author

Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson, a former columnist for NR, is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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William F. Buckley Jr.

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Brothers No More, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Doubleday, 294 pp., $23.99)

REVIEWING a novel by a famous editor in the magazine that made the editor famous can’t help being a tricky business. To impartial ears any praise will seem suspect, any criticism catty. All a reviewer can do under the circumstances (I’ve decided) is read the book, tell the truth, and cash the check as quickly as possible. And if the novel is worthy of high praise and mild criticism, then the reviewer should consider himself a very fortunate fellow. At the moment I consider myself a very fortunate fellow.