Review Writing Part 3 – So you didn’t like the book

We are faced with the reality that we do not always like what we read or we do not agree with the material presented in bound form. So, what do we do about it?

When discussing fiction, there are probably more good books then bad out there, and with so much good, why waste your time on the bad? Try to remember that your favorite author cannot always crank out a good book. We all have our moments of glory, and then there are the dogs. Please note that even dogs can make it to a best seller list.

Dealing with fiction can also be messy if your opinion of the book does not match the opinion of the fans. Fans – short for fanatics – can be just that, fanatical. Nothing their favorite author can do is poor or bad. And should you decide to go against the grain, you will find yourself swimming alone in an ocean of sharks ready to bite your head off.

I decided long ago that writing a good review of a really good fiction book was well worth my time, but writing a good review about a bad book was a challenge. While trying to say somewhat nicely that “this is not the best thing this author has written“, I also did not want to just leave it at that. I found that emphasizing some good aspects of the book while mentioning the downside made for a better review than just bashing the book all together. That is the challenging part. Good plot with poor character development is a good way to say the story could have been good had the author created better characters. The author can be over descriptive, which means wordy, or the author applies a short, abbreviated style, meaning he is not descriptive at all. It is all a matter of how you play with the language in your review.

Mind you, I have also read some really bad books that deserved bashing. And going to my favorite review website, I have found that most often there were many other reviewers who felt the same way as I did and they saved me the time of having to write a review to repeat what they said. Then again, I have considered that it would speak poorly of me if I left my voice out of the crowd of reviewers who stomped all over a particularly bad piece of writing, and have added my voice in more than the usual “This book sux” manner.

When faced with “how to” manuals, technical journals, or historical books where we find blatant flaws or incorrect information, what can we do about this? Especially, for example, when the author is a well known “expert” in the field and you just tried out his favorite “trick” and it came up flat or found a blatant date error. Do we, the non-expert, point out the flaw, the inaccuracy, the obvious error, or can we do this with a bit of class and look like a really good reviewer?

When dealing with historical information as I have, it becomes a matter of research, and this is where the really good reviewer shines. Quote two or three other experts in the field who do not agree with the author’s evidence and then make the statement that the author “goes against the modern consensus of other experts in the field”. This is a good way of making a clear statement. Of course, if there are blatant errors, pointing those out is not considered out of line; rather it is a sign of good proof reading or knowing your topic well.

Technical manuals are really for the enthusiast who wants to shine. I am an IT person, and I have to say there are numerous books out there that discuss “how to”, yet fail when applied in the field. Sometimes it is because the material was tested only in the lab, or only tested on certain equipment. Then there are the errors which cannot be explained – it just never will work and you really cannot figure out what prompted the author to include the information. Maybe someone else told him it would work and he wrote it without testing it. In these cases, personal experience inserted into the article is the best method to add to the review and is the preferred touch.

There are things that are not worth trying to review if you were not pleased with it. Rather, return the book and ask for a refund or resell it on eBay to get your money back. Some authors are very sensitive and will either have the review removed, or even go so far as to scream defamation of character if they feel that you have gone too far. If the book is really bad, unless there is a life threatening reason to write a review (other than mentioning that the reader will lose precious time from their life if they bother with it), the best you can do with a book like that is to recycle it into the fireplace. At least it will keep you warm for a few seconds or add to the ambience of a good evening with a choice bottle of wine.

Which brings us to another note: never write a review about a book when you are angry at the content or the author. That can get you into more trouble than it is worth.

Of course, if you feel especially driven, you can write the book smashing review that will deal a blow to the author, and take your chances that others will feel the same way. I suggest you write the review, put it aside for a few days, and then go back and re-read it. If you still feel the need is warranted, then go for it and hope for the best. But be warned it can backfire.

There are ways to write a review without giving the book a stamp of approval. There are ways to politely say a book is not the best you have read. Add a bit of class to your writing and it will make your review stand out.

2 Responses to “Review Writing Part 3 – So you didn’t like the book”

1. Review Writing Part 4 – ARC- Inspired-Quill says:

   January 29, 2010 at 3:18 pm

   [...] do we handle the issue of good author/bad book? We did cover this a bit in the last article – So You Didn’t Like the Book. But in this scenario, you received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, you have [...]
2. C.W says:

   April 3, 2010 at 4:23 pm

   Thanks, very interesting article, keep up it coming