Friday, December 10, 2010

How to Handle Book Reviews?

As a child the first lesson my parents taught me was “ always say nice things about people.” I still remember asking mom with all childish  innocence “if there is nothing nice to say about someone, then what do I do?” “Then don’t say anything at all,” she warned.

I adopted this philosophy for life. Though in the company of very close friends I do away with it, as I am guaranteed their silence by their proximity to me.

When I started doing book reviews I tweaked mom’s teaching. I thought it would be cheating my readers if I highlighted only the good points in a book. I had a responsibility to my readers. Based on my review they  would decide either to read a book or not. Some reviewers derive a sadistic pleasure in trashing books, others praise it so much that one wonders about the authenticity of their viewpoint. Seldom does a book get similar  reviews from  many reviewers.

Several months back, I was shocked to read a  reputed blogger trashing a book by a young writer, saying she was glad  he was not planning to write any more books. Another person  who had me gasping with shock was a reviewer who wrote for an English daily “This is a book written by a moron with a plot that is by and large missing. Was the  editor of India’s leading publishing house sleeping  when this book was commissioned?”

Another critic refused to review a book   with the excuse that he didn’t consider it worthy of his time and effort. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We all are guided by our tastes, and it’s not necessary that everyone will like each and every book that hits the stands.  

It was then that I  decided to adopt the middle path when I do book  reviews. I talk about both the good and the bad points of a story (not that I am an expert). But I restrict my comments to the book and the story, never venturing into author/writer territory.  I had reviewed a book ( for the newspaper I write for ) that frankly speaking I had not liked much. For starters, the author’s lack of interest  showed. The ending was  too abrupt, the character was a cardboard cut out. The scenes did not flow into each other. The plot had not been developed fully. The periphery characters just hovered on the fringes. What the book  badly needed was several rewrites ( I later came to know that the book was self- published, hence the lack of editorial feedback, which  is extremely crucial, was missing.) 

But rather than trashing the book I  highlighted its good points. If we look deep there is always something nice about everything. When I reviewed the book I stressed  on the things I had liked about the book: its theme, the way complicated topics were explained to a kid in a simple and effective way and  the crisp language, I winded  up the review  with  what I found missing. As I  had started the review highlighting the good points, the shortcomings did not sting the  writer. She appreciated  my review and thanked me.

What would you have done in my place? Would you have trashed the book? Would you have harped about its shortcomings  or trekked the middle path?  Did I do the right thing? What should I have done? Please help me out.


19 comments:

  1. You did the right thing by not trashing the book. That was sweet of you. :)

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  2. I think you did the fairest thing, Rachna, and your good sense and humanity shines through.
    Keep doing what you do! :)

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  3. You did the right thing. If I write a book, I WANT to know what works and what doesn't. This author owes you a HUGE debt of gratitude.

    I read reviews all the time where the reviewer insults the writer when they are just supposed to review the book. The things this reviewer said were thoughtless, unkind and insensitive.

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  4. I think you did the right thing too. I love that you you would accent the positive in the book as well as in life.

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  5. I think you did the right thing too. I would have done the same. Knowing what it takes to write, it pains me to see any bad reviews of any books. I'm such a softie now!

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  6. I've been in your shoes and have done the same. I have one friend who wont do book reviews because she found herself in that position once. It's a tough choice to make.

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  7. I think we can all see mistakes and faults in others' stuff and it is important as you say to provide a balance of what is good about something with what may be improved. They call it the feedback sandwich which makes the critique more palatable and effective. Good for you for not being mean and trashing the novel outright. i also think that when we read or see stuff on Tv our own experiences and moods at the time may affect how we receive it. At a later date we might feel differently, so it's best to keep an open mind. Good for you. :O)

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  8. You definitely did the right thing. I find it difficult to review a book I don't like. It's a good exercise though -- to find the good and bad points of a book. And I think it's always good to stay mindful of the author. They are real people too :)

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  10. I believe in doing what you do, giving good and bad points. Trashing someone's work never helps because there might be readers out there who enjoy what I don't. It wouldn't be fair to trash the book and discourage them from reading it. Also, I don't understand the mentality of people who trash something. If something is genuinely terrible then there are ways of saying it without being cruel.

    I highlight the good points of any work I read, where I saw the talent of the writer shining through. At the same time I believe in being honest. If I see something that could be improved, then I say it in a nice way because that's what constructive.

    The only time I might ever be harsh in a review is if I feel that the writer's intention was not good or sincere. Sometimes I suspect that a write's intention might even be downright harmful. That's when I do speak out bluntly and with force.

    Jai

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  11. Hi Friends...I am relieved as everyone agrees that I did the right thing. We all concur that trashing someone's work is not the done thing. I checked out two other reviews of the book in question; both reviewers praised it a lot and found no fault whatsoever with it. From the three reviewers, I was the only one who did not like the book much.

    Adopting the middle path during book reviews helps as the review then becomes easily palatable to the author, as we have highlighted/discussed both the good and the not so good points. Then they realize that the review has been honest and the reviewer has taken time and effort to analyse the story.

    I agree with Madeleine that our own experiences and moods may affect how we receive a certain thing at any point. Maybe a reread may change my previous opinion of the book.

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  12. I think it is great that you review with such humanity, conscientiousness, and forethought. It's clear that your own sense of responsibility to your fellow writers governs your reception of their work. Would it were that other reviewers too took their tasks as seriously and with as much compassion! And I do agree with you completely that a reviewer has a responsibility to do both--point out the good AND the bad. Thanks for this post.

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  13. I'm so glad I ran across this post. I've been put in a position to review a book that I'm having a difficult time getting through. I can see some great parts, just had some things that kept me from reading on. I'm going to refocus and finish and post the review, per the writers request. I'm just not sure how to handle the star rating. :(

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  14. I think it's important to look at the book as a whole. Was the author true to the genre? Were there surprises that worked in that particular genre?

    I might not prefer Amish fiction (I actually do like it) but if I'm reviewing it, I ask myself "Did the author give the lover of this type of novel a story that satisfies?"

    I might say something like... If you are looking for a typical Amish romance this might not be for you, but if you like surprises then check it out.... unless it's really not good...

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  15. Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I hate the ole "If you don;t have anything nice to say don't say anything at all" saying. Cause to say nothing when something needs to be said (even something negative) is to be a coward. Now that said, let me also say that I think we can be honest without being rude. We can give a negative opinion by stating facts and not attacking the writer as a person.
    I don't review many books because there are few that move me enough to warrant the effort an honest book review takes. But when I find one I love I post it or have the author on my blog. If friends ask for my opinions on bks I give them the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Even if I hated it. I am careful about what I put into writing though. That stuff can come back to bite you. :))

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  16. Rachna, this is SO hard and must totally be a personal decision. It's wise that you are developing your stance now.

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  17. Rachna, you have an award at my blog.

    Jai

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  18. @ Cheryl, I liked what you suggested that I should look out for points such as was the author true to the genre, were there surprises that worked in that genre. Will keep these in mind for the next review. Thanks!

    @ Tabitha, I didn't want to trash the book in a newspaper with a very high circulation, as I have come across critics who have done that and shattered the morale of the writer. Several writers after being publicly humiliated have lost their confidence. I decided to highlight what I felt was good in the story and then move onto what I felt were its shortcomings.

    I completely agree with you that we can be honest without being rude. When I am asked for my opinion by friends then I can be very blunt: I even offer few suggestions to shape the manuscript; but in a public place (newspaper)I felt it was better to adopt the middle path.

    @ Patti..its extremely hard to be fair, do justice to the book and not hurt the writer's feelings. I personally feel I should balance the good with the bad as like what Tabitha said, I don't want my words to come back to bite me.

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  19. I would have done the same thing as you. I lean toward highlighting the positive and will point out things I didn't like in a tactful way. Respect, tact, and grace go a long way, not only in reviews but in relationships and life. I would appreciate being treated this way if the review were about my work. Good topic, Rachna, thanks for sharing. :)

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