Published : 2021 || Format : print || Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El
Anyways, the point of this post isn't Sarah McCarry's questionable and disputable analysis about 'faking niceness' = women. Rather, it is about a tangential thought that slipped into my mind as I was reading her post.
How do you write a negative review?
When I read a book, my reactions are, well, very sharp. If I am reading a WTH scene, I will respond exactly like that. I will even have conversations with the bookish characters, questioning their actions or decisions. In fact, an alternate storyline will already be forming in my mind, where I am part of the book and talking to the characters. Be it a great plotline or a ridiculous one, my reactions can be very emphatic. If I didn't like the book at all, I will fake throwing it across the room (Of course, my conscience won't let me to really throw it).
And then I try to review it a few days later, when my reactions have simmered down. So that, no matter how much of an issue I had with the book, I am able to present my thoughts coherently and not emotionally. Because, no matter how awful the book is, or even that it may not be geared towards me, the book is still someone's baby, a result of someone toiling for months, maybe even years. Which brings me to wonder, is it wrong to post a negative review? I guess not. In that case, how nicely can you write a negative review?
As I was growing up, one of the most useful lessons I've learnt is that if you really want someone to correct a mistake, be nice about it. Instead of saying "You were clumsy on stage today" (which is the truth), you could say "Try not to shift too much on your legs while standing on a stage" or many such variants. If a friend of mine walked up to me and told me rudely that I am an annoying bug and a very bad person, I will be really upset at first, then offended, and finally angry. Why? Didn't she give me an honest opinion? Shouldn't I appreciate it and thank her for having told me what others were too shy to tell me? Maybe if she sugar-coated her words, I may not feel angry. Probably still upset, but I would be in better control of my emotions. Is that what we should do in reviews?
Which brings me to this - there is a thin line between not liking a book and really hating it. I'm sure we all have our list of books that no matter what, we can't bring ourselves to talk about nicely. In such a case, is it justifiable to just give vent to your emotions and rant all you want? After all, you just spent some valuable time on something that didn't justify it.
I doubt there's really a right way to do this. When I watch a movie, I rarely worry about how vehemently I express my opinion, since I'm sure that the director is not sitting in my living room, gauging my reaction. I think it's a good thing that we struggle to write negative reviews. That shows we have big hearts. Ha!
I'm curious about what you think. How do you review a book you didn't like? And what about a book you hated?
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Comments
I just had to write a negative review of a book that an author sent me, and he seemed really nice, so I felt bad and tried to be honest but still be nice. I'm sure I erred on one side or the other. It was a pretty uncomfortable feeling and I was relieved when that review was written and posted.
What if I just don't like it much but I do finish it...I write an okay review. I point out that this book wasn't for me and why, but I also try to find some positives because I think there are always people who will like a book. I am so embarrassed to admit I couldn't finish The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but obviously, others love it. So, I don't trash a book in a review.
Thanks!
Steph
Very, very rarely do I hate a book...and then I usually do not finish it. Then I don't really write a review - I just share my thoughts as to why I couldn't get through the book - often it is a style I just didn't enjoy.
Writing about books we don't like can be tricky, but I think it can be done with respect to the author ...and as someone else said, focus on the book, not the author.
I think that it is wonderful that so many people have put their work out there to be judged by others...but they also make money from it. Because of that, I think I also should be able to say that a book is good or bad. I spent money/time/energy reading the book too and while it isn't as much as the author did, I did put something into it and if I find something I really love, I want everyone to know about. When I find a book that I can barely stomach, I post the review and consider it done. I don't feel the urge to mention about how much I dislike a certain well loved authors books everytime someone mentions her. If someone asked me personally I would respond but I think after posting a review of a book you didn't like, discussion of the book is over. At least it is for me. I think more good can be done from telling people about authors you love then continuing to harp on books you dislike. If people don't talk about an book beyond the first, "I didn't like it" I think those books die just as easy as books that keep getting talked about succeed. And the book I really like talking about, are the ones I loved.
For me, I do not like being harsh in my reviews, but I am willing to say what I didn't like. There are very few books that I have read and hated, usually it's either a character or style that bothers me. Coming from a management background I like to look at both the good and the bad in a book and note both accordingly.
Us gals can't win,if we are nice, then we are weak, if we are harsh, then we are b**ches.
My reviews are more personal than professional, but whatever my opinion, I try to give more details than "It was stupid and I hated it" or "I just love this book." I think the specifics are helpful for readers who're deciding whether to read it themselves. When I'm reading a review I always want to know WHY the reviewer feels the way they do. (And if I read that reviewer a lot, I know what their taste is and can factor that in.)
Also, I'm always willing to acknowledge that the "problem" might be me and my perspective!
Also, just to harp for a minute, it is so not true that "faking niceness" is women's sport. My boyfriend does it all the time. He is a male, just to clarify. So do most of the men in my family, come to think of it.
I try to point out what works for me and what doesn't.
as such, i have no trouble telling people what i think of a book. though very very rare, i have even personally lambasted a couple authors (eg. sloane crosley).
the reason i do this is for balance. There are too many people out there tiptoeing through a review, trying not to be too harsh. as such, in many cases, a review reader ends up with the "maybe it will be different with me" feeling. i have been one of these people.
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essentially, i am a firm believer that if 9 people say jumping off a building is a great idea, a 10th person should say, "lets wait just a second.. here is why". people can still jump off the building, but they are given a bit more info/emotion to base their decision off.
much like your comment about being vocal regarding films, let it go with books as well. if you have something to say, say it. its very unlikely anyone else will...
(great question! thanks for opening the forum on it :) )