Author Topic: Writing a polite book review  (Read 534 times)

Hanna

Writing a polite book review
« on: July 07, 2020, 11:44:24 am »
I just finished reading a memoir and want to leave a review.  I have strong feelings about being kind, but also want to be honest.

What are your suggestions about writing a good book review, regardless of whether you felt the book was good or bad. Keeping in mind that there is someone who put their energy into writing, how do you be fair but also honest?

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Kimpossible

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Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2020, 11:48:24 am »
Compliment sandwich? I think it is a fair critique to say a book is well written, but it is not to your particular tastes. Something like "Author does a wonderful job sharing x topic with the reader. While I am not a huge fan of the blah blah genre, Genre lovers will really enjoy authors attention to details."
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Winterlight

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2020, 01:48:09 pm »
I definitely think you can be both honest and kind. "The author admits to making a lot of poor choices, but does not appear to take responsibility for the consequences which came from those actions," vs "This bleep is a schmuck who should be ashamed to be breathing the same air as the rest of us."
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bopper

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2020, 01:52:33 pm »
"I have never read anything like this book before. The way the author described things was beyond belief.  "
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Amara

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2020, 02:01:39 pm »
When I ran a professional book review site, the reviews were written with honesty and integrity and they were intended for readers only. Any writer's emotions or feelings about their book or the work had no relevance to us and if they had, the reviews would have lacked integrity.
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Jem

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Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2020, 02:23:19 pm »
I think it depends what the purpose of your book review is, what your relationship is with the author (if any), and who your audience is. I have read books that were well written but on topics that did not interest me, and I have read books that were written very poorly but for whatever reason were an enjoyable way to pass the time (for example, anything by Danielle Steele). If I am understanding correctly, the book you want to review is a memoir so I think it matters whether the particular person is important to you and whether the purpose of the book review is to support the author and if not what the purpose of the book review might be. I also think it matters whether the memoir is lighthearted or instead covering very heavy topics.

Is your critique that the book is poorly written? Or does the memoir contain lies or misleading information? Were you asked to provide a review or do you feel called to write one? I really do think the tone of any book review would depend on the motivation to review the book.

I am reminded of a memoir of sorts that I read by Suzy Favor Hamilton, an Olympic runner who eventually became a highly compensated escort/prostitute and now holds herself out as a proponent for mental health. I read her book "Fast Girl" anticipating insight into her mental health struggles and how she had overcome them and how she can help others who may have similar struggles. Her memoir was NOT that and came across, to me, as more bragging about how hot she is and how she was the best runner and then the priciest call girl in all of Nevada, etc. It was somewhat jarring. If I were to write a book review of her book I would likely be honest about how she came across as narcissistic and not in a healthy place, in my opinion.

But if Suzy were a relative or friend, I would not likely write such a public review of her memoir. I probably would decline to write a review of her book. I might reach out to her privately to discuss my perception of how she came across (to me, anyway) in her book, but unless I was pretty close to her I probably wouldn't unless she asked me.
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myfamily

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2020, 02:43:32 pm »
Why do you want to leave a review?  Did you like the book?  Did you find the book to be poorly written?  Were there factual errors?  And to be polite, you need to be factual, not attack the author, and don't let personal bias be the reason behind the review (ie if you don't like cats and the book is about cat wrangling, so therefore you disliked the book, why did you read it, and why do you need to say that in a review?)
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Hanna

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2020, 02:50:12 pm »
I definitely think you can be both honest and kind. "The author admits to making a lot of poor choices, but does not appear to take responsibility for the consequences which came from those actions," vs "This bleep is a schmuck who should be ashamed to be breathing the same air as the rest of us."

Oh, you read it too.   ;D ;D ;D
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oogyda

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2020, 06:44:52 pm »
Good question.  I had a similar dilemma when I was asked to review a book written by a family friend.  I liked the book. It was interesting and informative from an aspect of learning some things that went on "behind the scenes" of events that happened around you, but didnt didn't directly involve you.

The only issue I had with the book was his pattern of starting each chapter with a story from his professional life and telling a related story from his personal life.  Too predictable.




pierrotlunaire0

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Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2020, 07:47:10 pm »
I acknowledge that my opinion is not The Word Of God. Others may disagree with me.

The example given by Winterlight is excellent. "I have some caveats which prevent me from enthusiastically recommending this book." Then, logical, non-emotional criticisms.  No snarkiness. No cheap shots. (So, in a memoir, I wouldn't sneer at a writer's childhood poverty - they had no control over that).

Try to be specific. "Just could not get into it." That tells me nothing.  In one Amazon review I wrote of a true crime book, I complained that entire passages were excerpts from news reports, which meant some information got repeated five and six times, with no editing to reduce repetition.
I have enough lithium in my medicine cabinet to power three cars across a sizeable desert.  Which makes me officially...Three Cars Crazy
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shadowfox79

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Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2020, 02:21:19 am »
I'm a writer in my spare time, and the one thing that annoys me in reviews is when someone starts it with "I've always hated this type of book, and this was no exception."

This, I should add, was from somebody who volunteered to review it as part of a blog tour. If you don't like this type of book, why did you agree to read it in the first place?

I also had someone who made vague comments about how the novel "ends appropriately", and when somebody commented asking if this meant it didn't have a happy ending, she got all vague and said "Let's just say it's appropriate and leave it at that." It was a romance novel and did, in fact, have a happy ending, so I have no idea what she was going for there.
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Aleko

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Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2020, 06:35:54 am »
I feel there are so many possible scenarios here (e.g. fascinating subject incompetently handled / competently written but dull material / too much detail / too little detail / plausible but dull / story so dramatic you don't quite believe it hasn't been a bit 'improved' / you name it) that no one piece of advice will fit them all. Perhaps you could precis what you liked and what you didn't here, and we could suggest ways of phrasing the negative aspects tactfully and possibly even helpfully?

Hanna

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #12 on: July 08, 2020, 10:48:09 am »
This particular book just got me thinking about the topic.  There are many over the top complimentary reviews of it but also many panning the work.

It made me want to write an honest review that would be fair, productive and also not hurtful.  The woman is a tremendous writer, but at times so self-absorbed and convinced that she herself is fascinating.  That really damages her work. 

Reading the reviews I thought some were just brutal.

I have a pretty good idea of how to write this now. 


Kimpossible

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Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #13 on: July 08, 2020, 10:52:47 am »
This particular book just got me thinking about the topic.  There are many over the top complimentary reviews of it but also many panning the work.

It made me want to write an honest review that would be fair, productive and also not hurtful.  The woman is a tremendous writer, but at times so self-absorbed and convinced that she herself is fascinating.  That really damages her work. 

Reading the reviews I thought some were just brutal.

I have a pretty good idea of how to write this now.
What you just said was very insightful. You almost have to admire the chutzpah of some people.

Lilipons

Re: Writing a polite book review
« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2020, 12:22:23 pm »
Hanna’s gotten a lot of good advice here.  I can’t add much else but I worked with people who published and reviewed books for several decades. 

We always had a good laugh about the ‘5 Big Bad B’s’ of book reviewing.  If you don’t know the joke, I hope you’ll enjoy it.

THE BATCHER:  You’ve written the definitive work on geraniums.  the review should be on the front cover of the    book review supplement.  It isn’t.  Your magnum opus is reduced to two paragraphs in a six book review on gardening in general.

THE BETCHER:  It isn’t a terrible review but the reviewer is of the opinion that ‘What’s his face’ could have done a
much better  job with the topic than you did.

THE B#%CHER:  Nothing more need be said about this reviewer.

THE BOTCHER:  This reviewer iisn’t reading the book you wrote.  S/he’s looking for the book s/he wants to read. 
There’s nothing you can do about that.

THE BUTCHER:  Everybody’s encountered a reviewer who hated you and everything you stand for.  In (usually) his eyes your book is only good for feeding the back yard grill. 
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