Criticism > Contemporary Literary Criticism > Crichton, Michael (Vol. 90) - Patt Morrison (review date 16 January 1994)

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Patt Morrison (review date 16 January 1994)

SOURCE: "From Dinophobia to Gynephobia: She Said …," in Los Angeles Times Book Review, January 16, 1994, pp. 1, 9.

[In the following review of Disclosure, Morrison applauds Crichton's role-reversing plot about sexual harassment but faults the cartoon-like characterizations and the use of "preposterous devices" to maintain the plot.]

At last, at last it's been published, a dead-bang bestseller that puts the explosive social issue of sexual harassment between bestselling hardcovers, not in some incoherent government report destined for the recycling bin.

Here is the predatory, omnipotent, salacious boss, and here is the prey, the dependent employee afraid to say no or even yes to the boss's advances, for fear of losing job and family and reputation.

Oh, wait, sorry. I skipped something. There's this asterisk. The gimmick. The switcheroo.

The predatory, omnipotent,...

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1. Introduction
2. ∗Principal Works
3. Criticism
   1. Pauline Kael (review date 9 November 1981)
   2. David Denby (review date 16 November 1981)
   3. Gary Jennings (review date 11 November 1990)
   4. Ronald Preston (review date 21 November 1990)
   5. J. P. Telotte (essay date 1990)
   6. Robert Nathan (review date 9 February 1992)
   7. Ian Buruma (review date 23 April 1992)
   8. Karl Taro Greenfeld (review date 11 May 1992)
   9. Julian Loose (review date 22 October 1992)
   10. Stephen Jay Gould (review date 12 August 1993)
   11. Christopher Lehmann-Haupt (review date 6 January 1994)
   12. John Schulian (review date 16 January 1994)
   13. Patt Morrison (review date 16 January 1994)
   14. Julie Burchill (review date 22 January 1994)
   15. Geraldine Brennan (review date 30 January 1994)
   16. Douglas Kennedy (review date 4 February 1994)
   17. Michael Coren (review date 21 February 1994)
   18. Francine Prose (review date October 1994)
   19. Publishers Weekly (review date 21 August 1995)
   20. Mark Annichiarico (review date 15 September 1995)
   21. Mim Udovitch (review date 1 October 1995)
4. Further Reading
5. Copyright