Into the Fire

Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God

recent posts

about

Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

A lesson on reviews . . .

                              ThZ6XOWDLR
       

Those who visit here regularly know there will be novel reviews posted. There will be books I love and books I don't and many – possibly even most – of them somewhere in between.

Those of us who read a lot of novels and write reviews decide if and what we can recommend to others. We've all read those books we've hated for whatever reason(s), and we know there is next to nothing good we can say about them. I've read a few that kept me shaking my head as I dragged through them because I was obligated to write a review. The obligation makes it very difficult to find a way around insulting the author. 

As I pointed out in Monday's post, snarky, super-critical, and insulting reviews serve no purpose other than to flaunt an opinion. Telling the truth without decimating an author creates a fine line but a necessary measurement of a particular book's appeal. It's okay not to like a novel. I don't know any author who can please all readers.

I once reviewed a novel I thought was written poorly. Badly. I didn't like anything about the story. I said so but tried not to be mean. I got some critical feedback. I reviewed another book I didn't enjoy even a little bit and explained why. I got some insulting feedback. All the negative comments were from people who enjoyed the books. One gal was not nice. All this over books.

Is there a lesson to be learned about reviews? Perhaps. However, those who might need the lesson probably aren't interested in hearing it. They're entitled to their opinions after all. And we are. As readers, most of us realize now and then we're going to buy, borrow, or get free a story we don't like. If we're obligated to give a review, the least we can do is state our opinion with some dignity and respect for the author and for ourselves.

And never forget: an opinion is just that. Nothing more. No more valuable than someone else's.

 

Father, help us to be kind, decent, and honest. Help us to remember there are people at the other end of our words. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Posted in

4 responses to “A lesson on reviews . . .”

  1. Normandie Fischer Avatar
    Normandie Fischer

    I struggle with the whole reviewer thing and usually just keep my mouth shut!

    Like

    Reply
  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    That’s definitely a safe response, N. Honestly, I decided to take it up because it was a more economical way to read some CBA novels. There have been some books outside of reviewing obligations that I’ve chosen not to review for a few different reasons.
    Reviews generate the least comments so it’s certainly not a way to create traffic. 😉

    Like

    Reply
  3. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    I’ve listened for years to the opinions on how/when/where to post book reviews. For many years I’ve disagreed with the common notion that if you don’t like a book, don’t review it. I disagree only in the sense that if a poor book is not reviewed, then other potential buyers will be mislead by the cookie cutter “Oh my I just loved this book” reviews that have no critical substance.
    I will also say, though, I need to develop my skill at writing reviews. Choosing the right tone for a review isn’t as easy as it sounds. I rarely even adhere to the same format and coverage from review to review, on the odd occasions that I post one.
    I must’ve read a review where you didn’t like a book but I don’t recall an instance. I do think you take a good approach when you say something to the effect of “readers who enjoy (XYZ) will enjoy reading this book.” That’s a good way to approach the middle ground. You give your opinion, but still leave the gate open for people to decide.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Brenda, I vary the format somewhat for my reviews because some novels allow for more plot points to be revealed than others. I hate spoilers without warning. It’s difficult at times to not give them because the story is so plot-rich. Other times, frankly, there’s just not much to say about a story – even a good one. It speaks for itself and trying to dissect it ruins the effect of the book.
    Acknowledging here that there are real formats for professional reviews, I don’t use them because I don’t think they’re particularly relevant for all novels. JMO.
    I’ve determined to be less “strong” in my expressions of dislike. I want to be honest and fair, but reading one-star reviews and some two-star makes me cringe at someone’s ability to decimate an author – even if the book is truly bad.
    If you know me, you can pick out key words which will indicate I really didn’t care for a book. Sneaky, I know, but perhaps less harmful.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to BK Jackson Cancel reply