True Innocence

From the TLS website:

In October 1977, she reviewed The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, which, she said, ‘contains vast areas of tosh’. But Brookner was not naturally harsh. After quoting a lengthy passage – ‘You’re the most fascinating man I’ve ever met … But I’ll make you sell yourself like any painted whore’ etc. – the gentle critic could say, ‘This is not merely bad writing; it is true innocence, and it should be respected’.