tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post115791882696800257..comments2024-03-12T06:01:22.059-05:00Comments on Reading the Past: Always say something niceSarah Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1158780884776138882006-09-20T14:34:00.000-05:002006-09-20T14:34:00.000-05:00As both an author and a reviewer, I can honestly s...As both an author and a reviewer, I can honestly say that, for me, being "fair" is the trickiest part of reviewing. "Fair" to me means not being mean-spirited or judgmental to the point that it overshadows your job as a reviewer, i.e, to let potential readers know about the existence of this book. I do my best to judge the book on its merits and its intended audience. I've reviewed books for HNS Reviews that weren't my cup of tea, so to speak, but I always seek to read as if I were the audience I think the author (or was told by the publisher's accompanying press release) aims toward, and to examine the writing itself. Was the plot engaging, well constructed? Were the characters interesting,unexpected, or mere cliches? If I offer criticism, I strive to balance it with something positive, something I liked. If there was nothing I liked (and this hasn't happened yet, thank God), then I'd contact my editor and tell them, "Hey, I personally think this sucks," and give her the option to submit it to someone else. I will not blast an author. Just a rule of mine, and possibly a silly one, but as a writer I know all too well what it takes to actually complete AND get a book published. That said, the same knowledge influences me as a reviewer: I know what it takes and I expect authors to give it their all, even if I'm not their preferred ideal reader.<BR/><BR/>As a writer, I've been fortunate to have had mostly positive reviews of my work. I've also been ignored. Nothing is quite as deflating as having your publisher submit your book to a review source and to not even recieve a no-thanks (but you get used to it). And I've had readers on my book pages at amazon call me anything from "a master" to a "pot boiler" and a "disappointment," so again, you learn. Criticism is all part and parcel of the biz: you can't expect to please everyone. In the final say, reading and reviewing are subjective; what one person likes, another may hate. One thing, however, stands out: GOOD writing. It can be about a 24-hour dig for one lone potato during the famine, but if the writing is good, the book will shine.C.W. Gortnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11881402758065602605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1158013618875573102006-09-11T17:26:00.000-05:002006-09-11T17:26:00.000-05:00Actually, Hensher's a novelist himself (The Mulber...Actually, Hensher's a novelist himself (<I>The Mulberry Empire</I>, which is historical, and others) though he's definitely more accomplished than the author whose novel he reviewed.<BR/><BR/>I once made the mistake of agreeing to review a novel written by a friend of a friend, as nobody else would review it. I didn't care for it and was somewhat kinder than I would have been. That was a while ago; I wouldn't do that now.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1158005327858408142006-09-11T15:08:00.000-05:002006-09-11T15:08:00.000-05:00I thought that the Hensher review was a "fair" one...I thought that the Hensher review was a "fair" one--not a kind one, certainly, but an objective one that he supported with specific examples. I'd be reluctant to write a review in the style of Hensher--aside from the fact that I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it, that's the type of review that's best left to professional reviewers who don't have to fear having their own publications savaged in revenge.<BR/><BR/>When I write a negative review, I try to give very specific examples of what bothered me. I do also try to find something positive to say about the book--not so much out of kindness, I think, but so as to let the reader know I'm not deliberately overlooking the book's good points, assuming there are any.<BR/><BR/>I've never been assigned or promised to read a book that turned out to be so bad that I didn't want to review it, but there have been a couple of books I've avoided reviewing on my blog because I figured the authors were already so down and out that they didn't need me adding to their misery with a bad review. One was a book that had been on Amazon for two years without selling until I bought a copy, and the other was a book by an author who had apparently been dropped by her publisher, for reasons that became all too clear upon reading the book.Susan Higginbothamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517907583894026599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1158005088660850052006-09-11T15:04:00.000-05:002006-09-11T15:04:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Susan Higginbothamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517907583894026599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1157999171871818512006-09-11T13:26:00.000-05:002006-09-11T13:26:00.000-05:00John - you mean that people should be honest yet a...John - you mean that people should be honest yet at the same time respect the author's efforts? I can understand that; even if I dislike a novel, I think it's possible to give an honest opinion without being mean-spirited about it.<BR/><BR/>Laura - I admit I've yet to write a sarcastic, zinging review, although I have written some critical ones. I can agree with unbiased, maybe, if it's meant in the sense of "open-minded." Part of reviewing, imho, is about expressing a personal opinion, so I would find it hard to be dispassionate... but if a reviewer's any good, it should be pretty apparent what his/her opinions are. <BR/><BR/>I should also add, I can enjoy reading a snarky review without necessarily agreeing with it. (Haven't read <I>Book of Kings</I>, though, and won't; Hensher convinced me of that.)Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1157996776594142772006-09-11T12:46:00.000-05:002006-09-11T12:46:00.000-05:00I'm just a reader, but I admit that I like fair re...I'm just a reader, but I admit that I like fair reviews better than sarcastic, zinging ones. Yes, I want to know what in the book didn't work well, but if the criticism is dispassionate and free of the reviewer's biases and opinions - or of those are included, that the reviewer note them as such - then I can better judge for myself whether or not I want to read the book.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17775836987596716063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1157985847270932392006-09-11T09:44:00.000-05:002006-09-11T09:44:00.000-05:00I've never reviewed anything professionally, so I ...I've never reviewed anything professionally, so I can only give my ten cents from an author's viewpoint. When I asked family and friends to read my 400-page manuscript, I said, in essence, "Be honest in your reaction, but take the following into consideration: visualize 400 blank pages and think about what is required to fill those pages with an original plot, compelling characters and plausible motivations, all of it written in distinctive prose and crisp dialogue." There was no guarantee, of course, that I was successful at achieving any of this, but it does put things into perspective. (I could also have added the immense difficulty of acquiring an agent and the agent successfully finding a publisher).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com