Rating: 
Summary: Que the Unwitty Anecdote
Review: As far as content is concerned, Words Fail Me does its job. It presents some of the most boring material a person could endeavor to write about in a manner that is mildly amusing. Emphasis on the mild. Unfortunately it falls short on just about every other attempt. The humor was childish and not amusing in the least and her examples were redundant as well as overdone. Often times I found myself glazing over pages that were just examples of a certain point that most people learned in fourth grade grammar. I'll probably keep the book as a grammar reference because it's at least well organized, but I wouldn't recommend reading this if you don't have to.
Rating: 
Summary: Punishment
Review: Who would have thought that reading,about writing, could be fun? Patricia T O'Conners' Words Fail Me is a fun reminder of the basic rules of writing. Her clever use of puns makes the information seem seem fresh. Not like some of the musty writing texts I have used in the past.
Read it, use it and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Not as helpful as her "Woe Is I"
Review: After reading Patricia T. O'Conner's grammar book "Woe Is I," I was looking forward to reading what she has to say about the craft of writing. What I found was underwhelming."Words Fail Me" is the author's atempt to distill many years of writing in the newspaper realms into a manageable book for would-be writers. Her wit, charm, and way around a pun makes this smooth, fun reading. Tackling issues like writer's block, grammar, writing humor, smoothing out word order in sentences, and more, O'Conner gives us a handy book that nails all the basics. But therein lies the problem: the book is too basic. There are dozens of books on the market that mine this same territory, a few better, most worse. While "Words Fail Me" is well-written and informative, it simply does not go into the level of detail that will help writers rise above the mundane. Nor does the author dish the dirt that writers need to know to get their work published. It would seem to me with her outstanding experience that O'Conner would do a better job with the "deep knowledge" she possesses about publishing as an industry. While this may be another book that she has in her, any book like "Words Fail Me" has to do a better job of helping writers distinguish themselves from the vast pool of writing talent. Millions are writers, but how do you take the craft to the level needed to stand out from the crowd? You won't be any closer to grasping this after reading this book. And that's too bad. If you can write a decent sentence, you won't need "Words Fail Me." Sol Stein's "Stein on Writing" is an excellent next step instead, that author providing the inside knowledge sadly missing from O'Conner's book. The only thing unique about "Words Fail Me" is the fact that it may be the only book of its kind ever written that includes a lone appendix containing a joke about a duck in a hardware store. Other than that, it's just not in-depth enough to justify it as a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Not as helpful as her "Woe Is I"
Review: After reading Patricia T. O'Conner's grammar book "Woe Is I," I was looking forward to reading what she has to say about the craft of writing. What I found was underwhelming. "Words Fail Me" is the author's atempt to distill many years of writing in the newspaper realms into a manageable book for would-be writers. Her wit, charm, and way around a pun makes this smooth, fun reading. Tackling issues like writer's block, grammar, writing humor, smoothing out word order in sentences, and more, O'Conner gives us a handy book that nails all the basics. But therein lies the problem: the book is too basic. There are dozens of books on the market that mine this same territory, a few better, most worse. While "Words Fail Me" is well-written and informative, it simply does not go into the level of detail that will help writers rise above the mundane. Nor does the author dish the dirt that writers need to know to get their work published. It would seem to me with her outstanding experience that O'Conner would do a better job with the "deep knowledge" she possesses about publishing as an industry. While this may be another book that she has in her, any book like "Words Fail Me" has to do a better job of helping writers distinguish themselves from the vast pool of writing talent. Millions are writers, but how do you take the craft to the level needed to stand out from the crowd? You won't be any closer to grasping this after reading this book. And that's too bad. If you can write a decent sentence, you won't need "Words Fail Me." Sol Stein's "Stein on Writing" is an excellent next step instead, that author providing the inside knowledge sadly missing from O'Conner's book. The only thing unique about "Words Fail Me" is the fact that it may be the only book of its kind ever written that includes a lone appendix containing a joke about a duck in a hardware store. Other than that, it's just not in-depth enough to justify it as a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, Not good either.
Review: After reading the book entitled Words Fail Me, by Patricia O'Conner, I would rather not rate it at all. It is hard to rate a book you do not choose to read on your own. So I give it three stars. For not being bad nor good. Parts of me are glad this was an assignment because it has some useful information. The information is given in a form that is easy to understand. On the other hand it was a little long winded and boring. O'Conners' jokes were a little much.
Rating: 
Summary: Sugar-flavored medicine for bad writing disease.
Review: From the writer of "Woe Is I" comes the companion volume "Words Fail Me", full of invaluable insights on clear and correct writing, and as instructional, informative, practical and witty as its predecessor. This book, written in an engrossing, humorous and charming style, offers useful advise on effective writing, including topics such as subject, time and place, point of view, repetitions, rhythm, emotion, writer's block, sense and reason, and even the writer's audience.
It is extremely well organized for quick checkups, and covers both the basics and the not so basics that any decent guide on good writing should. The examples presented are carefully chosen to perfectly illustrate the advice given, and the tips and tricks included will permanently help you avoid the common errors that usually hinder the flow and smoothness of fine writing.
No book can make you a better writer, but this book can make you better at writing. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, a fiction or nonfiction writer, or simply someone who loves writing but dislikes studying the nuts-and-bolts of English in droning grammar and composition textbooks, this book will prove itself to be a priceless reference.
Besides the author's "Woe Is I" I also recommend, for equally sound advice on writing, minus the added wit and humor, Zinsser's "On Writing Well" and Strunk's "The Elements of Style".
Rating: 
Summary: Everyone?????? Give me a break!
Review: Now, the title of this book is about the best marketing ploy I can think of to enhance sales, so I must congratulate the author for that (or the editor who picked it for her). Yes, I do believe everyone should know the simple rules and conventions provided by Ms. O'Conner, but they've been available in other sources for years. I suppose if you can't write a decent cover letter when applying for a job or don't know the difference between "its" and "it's," this book might provide you with some basic information about writing that any high school student who pays attention should already know. Otherwise, it's simply a rehashing of a hundred other basic writing books on the market. The "hook" with this book is that the author attempts to maintain a breezy, humorous tone although I found it rather irritating and unctuous. We are also treated to several anecdotes from her career as a journalist (or news writer)for a mid-sized daily newspaper. While it may be important to distinguish between a restrictive and non-restrictive clause, and that writing shouldn't be boring (Orwell said that a long time ago) there are some things beyond such basic issues that begin to address what the purpose of powerful writing is all about. If you believe writing is at its best when it serves a social, civil, political, revelatory or aesthetic function in our culture, I don't think there's much here. If you want to learn basic Strunk & White conventions of writing, you can find dozens of university websites that do the same thing and for FREE! I can imagine the author sitting around the table with our "founding fathers." It would probably go something like this: "Gee Benjy, hey Thom, doncha think we should get rid of "more" in that opening line, 'We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union....' I mean doncha KNOW you shouldn't modify the word 'perfect.' You guys need a book on proper usage. And I have JUST the book for you." Personally, I'll stick to Orwell's "Politics and the English Language," written some 50 years ago. It says more, says it better, and without the pedestrian "case studies."
Rating:
Summary: A Meeting of Art, Reason, and Fun.
Review: Patricia O'Conner's Words Fail Me presents so many practical insights into effective writing that I suspect it would be valuable to almost any writer. And there's a bonus: she has a great sense of humor. She debunks the faux pas fallacies that snobbishly tell us how not to write -- don't use contractions, don't start sentences with conjunctions, etc. And she tells us how these supposed 'rules' came to be. Wisely, O'Conner's most important rule is this:
"Your first duty to the reader is to make sense. Everything else -- eloquence, beautiful images, catchy phrases, melodic and rhythmic language -- comes later, if at all. I'm all for artistry, but it's better to write something homely and clear than something lovely and unintelligible."
I read quite a lot, mostly nonfiction (philosophy, reference, science, theology, and wilderness travel). Inevitably, reading compels me to write -- I've submitted more than fifty book reviews to this forum. Yet I'm never quite happy with my writing. This is not unusual. "Your favorite novel or history or memoir is just someone's last revision," says O'Conner.
As a student I disliked studying the nuts and bolts of English. Words, their accuracy, economy, and artistry, interest me far more now, and this book is the first "how to write" text I have read. At the risk of belaboring the obvious (because good writing doesn't): it was a good choice.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Title Says it All!
Review: That a book on grammar, syntax, and word usage could be readable is unusual in itself. That the reading could be a pleasure, rendering this a book which you will find tucked under your arm as you travel through your day, awaiting any opportunity to continue the read is astounding. Patricia T. O'Conner is a writer's writer. Your passion for words -- and your delight at a bit of humor on the side -- will be fully indulged in this magnificent guide to the proper use of the English language in writing. This sequel to the marvelously informative and light-hearted Woe Is I should be on the shelf of any serious writer or linguist. A Must Have title, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: I few too many Puns
Review: We were required to read this book for an English 101 class. I find that a straight forward and to the point approach is more useful to me than one that is presented with humor. I'm not quite sure why I would, but if I were to read this book for fun I would probably enjoy this book for its humor and accesibility, but in the classroom, I think I would much rather use a book with alot less puns and more information. All in all, a funny approach to grammer and the English language.
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