Lord knows I've left my fair share of one and two star reviews on Goodreads, but I've never left a detailed review, usually because the books I'm one and two starring already have thousands of reviews and I feel a consensus is already formed. Maybe time to rethink that, even if only for my own benefit as a writer/reader/creator/human.
I find that I often have much more to say about books I dislike than books I do like. That may say something specifically about me, but I find it useful to understand why something doesn't work for me, especially when it's something award winning and/or widely loved.
I guess it depends on intent, right? I'm reading that Adam Grant book, Think Again, and he talks about how there are negative givers and negative takers. The best teams (apparently) feature negative givers - people who are critical but generous in providing actionable advice because they're coming from a place of caring and wanting to see the end result be better. I suspect you're at least partially in that camp.
Maybe! For me, the constructive criticism for the author isn't really high on my list of concerns (especially if the author is famous), because I do believe that reviews--especially goodreads reviews--are not meant for the author.
It's quite easy to give something 1-Star, but I find myself interrogating these works more than ones that I just really like or that I find very pleasant. This isn't always the case, but I do think that art that provokes disgust or dislike does so often because it's approaching something very interesting. Or it fails in a way that is very interesting. I still often think about books that I hate, whereas the hundreds of books that just kind of slide pleasantly over me tend to slip away and out of memory.
Good points. For me, the discussion becomes especially interesting when the books that provoke disgust or dislike end up being the books that I give four or five stars. If an author can achieve that rare alchemy of making me feel 'negative' emotions while still bowling me over with a captivating and well-written story, that's when we approach magic territory.
Yeah, be critical - Constructive Reviews may be a better sell. Anyone who wants to improve is better served with critical feedback than being told how great their book is. Brilliant, Fantastic! Feels good to hear. But... there is always a but(t). You need to hear, listen and do with it what you will. Be positive about it. 😎
Lord knows I've left my fair share of one and two star reviews on Goodreads, but I've never left a detailed review, usually because the books I'm one and two starring already have thousands of reviews and I feel a consensus is already formed. Maybe time to rethink that, even if only for my own benefit as a writer/reader/creator/human.
"My mom is my dang mom." - This made me lol.
I find that I often have much more to say about books I dislike than books I do like. That may say something specifically about me, but I find it useful to understand why something doesn't work for me, especially when it's something award winning and/or widely loved.
I guess it depends on intent, right? I'm reading that Adam Grant book, Think Again, and he talks about how there are negative givers and negative takers. The best teams (apparently) feature negative givers - people who are critical but generous in providing actionable advice because they're coming from a place of caring and wanting to see the end result be better. I suspect you're at least partially in that camp.
Maybe! For me, the constructive criticism for the author isn't really high on my list of concerns (especially if the author is famous), because I do believe that reviews--especially goodreads reviews--are not meant for the author.
It's quite easy to give something 1-Star, but I find myself interrogating these works more than ones that I just really like or that I find very pleasant. This isn't always the case, but I do think that art that provokes disgust or dislike does so often because it's approaching something very interesting. Or it fails in a way that is very interesting. I still often think about books that I hate, whereas the hundreds of books that just kind of slide pleasantly over me tend to slip away and out of memory.
Good points. For me, the discussion becomes especially interesting when the books that provoke disgust or dislike end up being the books that I give four or five stars. If an author can achieve that rare alchemy of making me feel 'negative' emotions while still bowling me over with a captivating and well-written story, that's when we approach magic territory.
Definitely
Yeah, be critical - Constructive Reviews may be a better sell. Anyone who wants to improve is better served with critical feedback than being told how great their book is. Brilliant, Fantastic! Feels good to hear. But... there is always a but(t). You need to hear, listen and do with it what you will. Be positive about it. 😎