Better Than Great

Starred review from April 15, 2011
In each of his well-thumbed books, from The Elements of Editing (1982) to Spunk & Bite (2005), ebullient and witty word maven Plotnik combines technical expertise with nuanced understanding of the odd mental quests, quirks, worries, and pleasures of those who live for language. His newest guide for elevating our speech and writing out of the slog of the usual focuses on our passion for praise, an admirable impulse, yet, as Plotnik observes, Our words and phrases of acclaim are worn out, all but impotent. Were stuck repeating such tired terms as great, amazing, fabulous. What to do? Plotnik has been fervently collecting fresh, zingy, underused, and inventive superlatives, and not only does he list them by the hundreds, he also organizes them within 15 intriguing categories, including Sublime, Large, Delicious, and Challenging Belief or Expression. An indefatigable word detective, Plotnik has also gathered on-point literary quotes and acclamatory terms in textese and provides trump-card sidebars on everything from minerals for metaphors of beauty to terms useful in raving about wine and other comestibles. Original, assiduously researched, and zestfully written, this work of reviviscent, wordy fun is to be read as well as consulted, and what gonzo joy awaits language lovers as Plotnik serves up high-fivable hot sauce for the brain.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)