Thursday, April 21

Doing "it" Again and Reviews

"It" being nit picking. Yesterday I read Christina Dodd's contemporary Almost Like Being in Love. I absolutely picked this book apart as I was reading. It did nothing for me, in fact at times I found myself wondering if it could really be this bad or was it me. The dialogue was horrendous.

So, after I finished it I went in search of reviews--RT 4*, oh well, I rarely agree with RT. AAR a B, oh boy, I must have missed something. Mrs. Giggles a 57, now, that's where I would have put it, a solid D. In fact Mrs. Giggles used the word "archaic" for the writing style and that really fit how I felt about this book.

Reviews are so individual. Once again, there was a question about reviews over on the RT's Readers Roundtable board. Maybe we are finally getting that reviews are just one person's opinion. Sometimes you can find a reviewer with similar tastes to your own, but no one's taste is exactly the same.

The question on the RT board was whether or not RT is overly generous with their reviews of popular authors, and an author gave her opinion not as a reader, but as a writer. I'm curious about what readers feel when authors offer opinions on "readers" boards. Do you think if an author is posting not as a reader (because obviously all writers are also readers) but by giving her/his opinion as a writer are they inhibiting readers who don't agree with the author or don't even like the authors writing?

And, why is it that if you voice an opinion different from an author that said author's fans all seem to think it's okay to go into attack mode?

Was that to convoluted??--LOL

One more thing...

Mary Stella has an interesting blog today or maybe it was yesterday about the men in romance novels and soap operas ability to actual listen and not be completely self-absorbed. Does anyone know a man that's actually like this? I've never met a man that isn't this way on some level. I posted over there that my MIL swears that no matter how you raise them boys become men, no matter how hard we try to fix this self-absorption thing. What does everyone else think??

Now, I'm done (this one was kind of long sorry).

Have a great day. Happy reading.

2 comments:

Angry Woman said...

I would have to agree with your comment about RT being generous with their reviews for the more popular authors. I've had stuff that I bought on the basis of their reviews and I found it less that satisfactory. And honestly, I've become afraid to voice any opinion regarding any author. I've seen what the more rabid fans will do to you if you even dare to voice any sort of dissent.

Amy aka Unemployed Chick

Angry Woman said...

Anne

That's the one I was thinking about. I access Nora Robert's bulletin board also and when that incident broke out, the more rabid fans encouraged others to post their venom on the RT board. I was so sickened by that incident that it took me almost a year to revisit the NR board. That is what I call the extreme in fandom.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions about who their favorite or not so favorite authors. I wish some of those fans would respect the opinions of others who are not a big fan.

Amy