Alice Hoffman, author, attacks Roberta Silman on a lukewarm review of her book The Story Sisters:

Now any idiot can be a critic. Writers used to review writers. My second novel was reviewed by Ann Tyler. So who is Roberta Silman?

Roberta Silman turns out to have a hell of a literary career. But that’s not all. Entertainment Weekly writes:

… Hoffman’s next tweet bordered on harassment: “If you want to tell Roberta Silman off her phone is [Silman’s number here]. [Silman’s email here]. Tell her what u think of snarky critics.” Now, Hoffman is free to form her own opinions about her reviewers. But at what point does she go too far? Releasing the email and phone number of a reviewer to her fans? Is it acceptable for novelists to exact revenge on their reviewers, especially considering the fact that Hoffman is already a successful author who hardly needs to rely on good reviews for sales?

It is not. I find this behaviour disgusting and childish, even if it’s not unknown in digital fiction circles. I do believe, however, that the appropriate response to a negative review is always – always – dignified silence. (via)