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About the author and blogger ...

Anne Goodwin’s drive to understand what makes people tick led to a career in clinical psychology. That same curiosity now powers her fiction.
A prize-winning short-story writer, she has published three novels and a short story collection with small independent press, Inspired Quill. Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize.
Away from her desk, Anne guides book-loving walkers through the Derbyshire landscape that inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.
Subscribers to her newsletter can download a free e-book of award-winning short stories.

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How to write a negative review

18/8/2017

12 Comments

 
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You’ve read the book, and now you wish you hadn’t. You begrudge the time or money you’ve given to words of little worth. You hated it and don’t care who knows it. Which you are entirely at liberty to do. But before you give vent, do give a little thought to how to go about it. Read on for the who, how, what, why, where and when from someone who’s been both author and recipient of negative reviews.

Why review
 
Do you review to put your thoughts in order? Do you write to warn or inform other potential readers? Are you hoping to help the author write a better book next time? Your reason for reviewing in general, as well as your reason for choosing to give a bit more time to a book you haven’t liked, will shape your review. But bear in mind that a review written to vent your spleen or to show off your own superior skills as a writer could reflect badly on you.
 
Who wrote the book
 
Although reviews are written for an audience of readers rather than the writer, you might still want to take the author’s sensitivities into account. However, if the writer of those unworthy words is a Literary Great who ought to know better, feel free to let rip – although you might want to be careful in your phrasing not to evoke the ire of their myriad fans.
 
If the author is a novice without a Publishing Giant behind them, you might want to bear in mind the emotional risk they’ve taken in opening up the inner workings of their minds to public scrutiny. Consider being a little gentler than you might be with a writer with a stronger track record who might be more robust.
 
What to include
 
Tempering your criticism doesn’t mean you have to lie. A review has to be your honest opinion and, if you hated the book, it’s perfectly acceptable to say so. But must you include everything you disliked about it? If you do, your review risks being dismissed as over the top. A balance of positives and negatives is generally more persuasive but, if you really can’t find anything within the book that’s praiseworthy, a character sketch or short synopsis of the plot will add ballast to your views.
 
How to write it
 
A totally negative review is often easier to write than a positive or balanced one. Mockery, jest or a parody of the story or style can be fun to write as well as to read – except for the author who bled to write it. In composing your piece, do consider whether or not the author is likely to read your review.
 
Bear in mind also that opinions are subjective. Own your perspective and, if relevant, put it in context. Consider phrasing in the form I felt that … rather than This book is … For example, I’m known to be critical of inaccurate
portrayals of fictional therapists, but try to acknowledge that readers without my background would not be so readily put off.
 
Where to place it
 
If you’re a reviewer for one of the quality papers, you’re not going to learn the craft from me. I’m thinking of the amateur reviewer and book blogger who regularly posts their opinions online. I’m assuming you’d post your negative review in the same places you’d post the positive ones, although you might want to hold back from some sites, or repeated tweeting of your less than enthusiastic reviews.
 
Some book bloggers have a policy of reviewing only the books they’ve enjoyed. Others feel it more honest to review everything they read. Some, if they’ve received a review copy directly from the author will let them know the negative review is coming; I appreciated this when it happened to me, but I think authors need to accept that, as with stocks and shares, we’re taking a risk that our reputation can go down as well as up.
 
When
 
If I’m sent an advanced reader copy of a novel, I generally try to publish my review on publication day. Unless I haven’t enjoyed it, in which case I’ll post a (hopefully balanced) review a little later, when the time for celebration has passed. After discovering
a one-star review of one of my own novels on the eve of publication, I’m even more committed to this practice.
 
Have you read, received or written a negative review? What are your thoughts on how reviewers should proceed with a book they strongly disliked?
 
For more on writing reviews, see my post
READIN for HER reviews.


America, and particularly her president, is currently in receipt of a lot of negative reviews. For that reason, while not denying the grounds for criticism, all-American rancher Charli Mills,
invites us this week to compose 99-word healing stories. Here’s my contribution:

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An open letter to the Voters of America from The Association of Former First Ladies
 
Dear Voters of America,
 
We, The Association of Former First Ladies, feel your pain. We too have forced a smile when all we hold dear is demolished around us. And not, we might add, beneath a hood and shapeless shift, but in a designer dress destined to be picked apart by the tabloids the following day with greater gusto than they devote to our minds. We too have stood aside, abandoned careers to champion those of lesser individuals (in our case, our husbands’). We offered you Hillary; sadly, you declined. Just asking, but would you consider Michelle next time?

Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
12 Comments
kalpana solsi link
18/8/2017 07:17:51 pm

Your detailed lists under the heading of Why, Who,What,How where, when are a complete guide book for book-reviewers.

Reply
Annecdotist
19/8/2017 03:39:04 pm

Thanks, Kalpana, glad you thought so.

Reply
Charli Mills
19/8/2017 01:12:33 am

I had much I wanted to say (and will) upon reading your post, but then I got to your flash. It struck a deep cord in me and actually brought tears to my eyes. I thought, American women, especially the leadership of the First Ladies, are going to be the thought and heart leaders as we go through this difficult time in our history. Thank you for your beautiful, healing and wise story.

Back to your post. I'm not a book reviewer. I greatly admire your capacity for it because I benefit as a regular reader of Annecdotal. You offer informative insights that make me feel plugged into what contemporary authors of modern literature are writing and how they are pushing literary techniques. I've decided not to pursue books you've reviewed not because you gave a "bad" review, but because you offered enough information I could recognize a style or topic I wouldn't be interested in pursuing. On the other hand, I've purchased (and read) numerous books you've reviewed because you gave enough information for me to know, that's my kind of read. In fact, I've purchased books you've reviewed and said they weren't your type. So, your "subjective" opinion isn't what influences me -- it's whether or not the style, topic of genre is one I want to read. I think you give readers a balanced review to decide for themselves. But I know reviews are not my strength. I have strange, disruptive reading habits and committing to one book is not the kind of monogamous relationship I have with books! And what I like or appreciate about a book has to do with western eco-writers, history or research, knowing and supporting the author, or my favorite kind of escape. I try to offer reviews as a gift to the authors I love and support which seems completely biased. For those reasons, I don't consider myself a true book reviewer.

But I understand their importance. I once gave a bad book review and it haunted me until I figured out why. About the time I had decided to draft my first complete novel, I purchased a local historical fiction book about an era I am interested in. But I felt the book was awful -- it was polished but had no luster. The characters fell flat and the plot was hokey. The more I read it, the more frustrated I grew. By the time I finished it, I felt I had wasted my money on this local author with a small press. I took it out on the review. It bothered me that I wrote a bad review. Then, several years later, I started my first draft of Rock Creek. It was my third attempt to write a historical novel. The first two failed to fruit. And it hit me. I was so worried that I would publish my book only to realize the errors every novice author makes. Every one of us learns more of the craft with each subsequent book, and none of us learn to master novels without first being vulnerable with our earliest works. I recognize I'm often forgiving of a beloved Great's first work because he or she is beloved. And I see their early attempts, delighting in the fact that they improved and continued to work through with different themes or styles. I think about this with the authors I follow and actually look for the brilliance I know is there and will emerge. My biggest fear, and why I think I felt so frustrated with the book I gave a bad review to, is that one day, I too will be vulnerable and the great story and great passion to tell it will be felt and lacking luster. That review was more about me and what I feared. As soon as I recognized this, I took the review down. Now, I don't review anything less than a 3, and I look for balance and a heart to support the writer.

Thank you for this post and your flash!

Reply
Annecdotist
19/8/2017 03:37:29 pm

Thanks for your profound and detailed response to my post, Charli. I’m moved that you are moved by my flash, especially as I don’t think I do hope particularly well. It might be a case where I’ve been influenced by you in more ways than I was consciously aware, in terms of your own particular focus on restoring women’s rightful place in history. I’ve always considered the position of president or prime minister’s spouse somewhat demeaning, even when in the UK we’ve now had that role twice occupied by a man, but Michelle Obama has played her part with such intelligence, dignity and charm. (It seems to be about combining a sense of humour with gravitas – never an easy combination to pull off – and perhaps (of course, I have no way of knowing) genuine love between husband and wife.) It would be great to see her, or someone like her, in the White House.

Thanks for your loyalty to, and kind words about, my reviews. Although part of me would like to be in total control everyone’s reading, I love it when a review of a novel I haven’t been particularly enthusiastic about prompts a reader to pick it up. I know you did that recently with Sixteen Trees – and at first I was surprised, then realised I already knew that you liked more story than I do. (Makes it a bit like Carrot Ranch with a diversity of perspectives feeding off each other and respecting difference.)

I think it’s inevitable that our own biases will creep into our reviews. I know I have to be careful when I’m criticising what I consider to be an overly hyped novel. How much does this come from a position of envy versus a reasonable (albeit unrealistic) desire that publishers should promote books more on their literary merit than a commercial tag? Like you, I also struggle the other way with books by people I know. I am praising unduly? A couple of times when I have taken such books to my book group, the others haven’t enjoyed them as much as I did – but then I’m often out on a limb in that group in my dislike of some novels. But I’ve also chosen not to write a review for books I really haven’t enjoyed by people I know.

It’s really difficult in cases like the example you give when we are heavily invested in a book because of its topic or location. If it doesn’t work for us the disappointment is much stronger and a bland “didn’t work for me” doesn’t do justice to our reaction. It can be hard to be objective but some books really shouldn’t have been published. When you are striving to improve with each draft and holding back on publication until it’s right, it can be disconcerting to find someone else doesn’t have those standards. But we can never judge our own work objectively and I often wonder if my mediocre response to some novels echoes other readers’ responses to mine. Probably inevitable given we all have different tastes. I can’t imagine Rock Creek, when it comes, lacking lustre but I hope you’ll be forearmed against any reviewer who thinks so.

Reply
Charli Mills
21/8/2017 07:00:31 pm

I'll consider myself forewarned, Anne! And I'm pleased a ray of hope might have crossed your path in an influencing way. Certainly Michelle Obama has demonstrated how a woman can be in a challenging and even diminishing position, yet remain empowered, thoughtful, impassioned and lending hope to others. Especially to other women. Reviews are not easy to give, or receive. My best hope it when I get poor reviews, which oddly, I look forward to because that means I've triggered the status quo among the dominant male thinking of Western history, I will have articles ready to publish based on researched historical facts. If the books are not liked because of the writing, ah, that's a sting I'll have to thicken my skin against.

Reply
Annecdotist
26/8/2017 04:31:31 pm

That’s a good point, Charli, that criticism can sometimes mean we’ve unsettled a reader by bringing a new perspective. And a double use for your research, to inspire the fiction and to defend it. Seems you’re well prepared for any potential backlash.

Reply
Irene Waters link
22/8/2017 10:41:04 am

Thank you Anne for your guide to writing a negative review. I think your points hold not only for books but for any time when we are evaluating a performance. When reviewing I think that you have to be very aware of your own mental state at the time and that what you may hate another is sure to love it. I know that I held one book as my favourite for many years only to reread it quite recently. I couldn't get into it and wondered where my head space was at the time of the initial reading. I have had two bad reviews - one was a competition that sent feedback. In this case I think the judge had her own problems when reading the submissions because she hated them all so much that they decided not to award the prize. The other was my thesis where one examiner loved the creative work and the other hated it. It always hurts but I think I have now thickened my skin but I am as a consequence much more aware of what I might put on paper. I agree there always has to be more positives focused on than negatives. This way the writer may grow. More negatives they may just throw away the pen or worse.
Loved your flash. Funny but true.

Reply
Annecdotist
26/8/2017 04:37:33 pm

I had the opposite experience recently in my book group, Irene. I was really unhappy with the choice of See Under Love by David Grossman having tried to read it when it first came out and gave up. This time round, I loved it!
That’s rather shocking for competition to decide none of the entries was worthy of the prize. And you mentioned the strange experience with your thesis previously, and a brilliant example of how these judgements are subjective. I think we need to respect our own opinion when critiquing/reviewing but also come to it with humility (which I’m not sure I always manage).

Reply
Liz H.
23/8/2017 05:28:25 pm

Michelle, for sure. And let's keep an eye open for Chelsea, for support.

Reply
Annecdotist
26/8/2017 04:42:12 pm

Interesting to bring Chelsea into the arena. She certainly had a hard time growing up under the spotlight, with no choice about it, although I think the position for the children is different to that of their wives. I think the kids would be better following a career miles away from politics, otherwise it looks too much like a dynasty (George Bush and George W) – anyway, isn’t Trump grooming his daughter to step into his shoes?

Reply
Norah Colvin link
29/8/2017 11:06:27 am

Great post and discussion, Anne. I appreciate your advice and see the wisdom in it. I'm not much of a reviewer and would really rather not review a book that I am not wild about. I guess I do promote books in my blog posts and especially with author interviews. However I only do it for ones that I think have merit. I rarely put a review on Amazon or Goodreads but do occasionally. I always find the star or point system difficult. I remember one writer not being happy with a 4 star rating. I don't know. I think you've got to be pretty damn good for 5 stars. If little things niggle I can't justify 5. I thought 4 was pretty good.
Love the discussion here and am silenced by the wisdom being shared, listening attentively.
Your flash is wonderfully unexpected. Good on you for voicing such an optimistic opinion.

Reply
Annecdotist
29/8/2017 02:07:40 pm

Not happy with a 4-star rating? In that case, perhaps s/he should have held back from publishing until they’d written a perfect book. And no need for you to be silenced. I’m sure the authors you promote on your blog are grateful for your good opinion (as I certainly am).

Reply



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    Annecdotist is the blogging persona of Anne Goodwin: 
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