{"id":4579,"date":"2015-07-08T06:48:07","date_gmt":"2015-07-08T10:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=4579"},"modified":"2015-07-08T06:48:07","modified_gmt":"2015-07-08T10:48:07","slug":"what-i-learned-about-book-reviews-from-writing-them-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=4579","title":{"rendered":"What I Learned about Book Reviews (from writing them): Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"reading,

(photo: El Coleccionista de Instantes Fotograf\u00eda & Video, creative commons license)<\/p><\/div>\n

Component Parts<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I review a novel or memoir, I look for basic elements of character development, plot, <\/em>and setting. (\u201cPlot\u201d in memoir is achieved by the selection of life events included.) Lack of believability in any of these undermines my confidence in the story as a whole.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter whether a book is set in 1800, 2015, or 4500, I look for characters<\/em> who act and speak believably, certain human psychological patterns held constant. A character from pre-Christian Britain will not think like a hipster living in London today. This other-mindedness is what Lauren Davis achieved so well in Against a Darkening Sky<\/em>. Even people who are alike in many ways\u2014siblings, even\u2014will not all think and react the same way. Characters need to be individuals, growing organically out of their time and place, with yearnings, weaknesses, and strengths unique to themselves.<\/p>\n

Since I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, the plot <\/em>needs to be tight, too, with all major questions answered. I\u2019d rather have a character admit \u201cwe may never know,\u201d if something is truly unknowable within the confines of the story, than think the author led me on with certain plot points or clues, then forgot about them.<\/p>\n

An interesting setting<\/em>\u2014place or time period\u2014is always welcome, but even the most unpromising settings can come alive and in some cases can become almost a character in and of themselves\u2014Faulkner\u2019s Yoknapatawpha County, Dickens\u2019s 19th c. London, Hogwarts. These stories could not exist anywhere else.<\/p>\n

Style <\/strong><\/p>\n

A writer\u2019s style<\/em> can add enormously to reading pleasure, and an engaging style can sometimes distract the reader from problems in theme, plot, and characterization. In the end, though, style without substance may feel like the literary equivalent of empty calories, or the movie you enjoy but during the closing credits ask yourself, \u201cwhat was that, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m drawn to books with a rather straightforward style typical of the thriller\/mystery genre (Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos). But I\u2019m a sucker for an apt metaphor (Michael Chabon, Margaret Atwood) and enjoy their liberal use. The key is for the style to match the intent of the book. I\u2019ve read Cormac McCarthy books with a spare\u2014almost barren\u2014style about loneliness in the Southwest desert, and the one I\u2019m reading now (Suttree<\/em>), set in Knoxville, Tennessee, is florid and looping and filled with unsavory bits, like the river the character lives on.<\/p>\n

Cutting Slack<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s something to be said for reader expectations. If a novel is by an unknown writer, readers may plunge in with few expectations, and I tend to cut debut authors a little slack. Points\u2014and lots of them\u2014for effort. But if the writer is famous, especially super-star famous, readers rightly have expectations. Which is why, though you couldn\u2019t fault him on plot or style (some reviewers did ding him on character), Stephen King\u2019s Mr. Mercedes<\/em> was a disappointment. It followed a tried-and-true\u2014or should I say tired-and-true\u2014formula. Expertly. But take me somewhere new, please. You\u2019re capable of it.<\/p>\n

A Note on Errors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Self-published books, print-on-demand books, small press books, and even books from the Big Houses these days contain more errors than formerly. There aren’t the eagle-eyed copy editors and proofreaders around any more to catch these things. The author had read the manuscript a hundred times–it’s hard to see them and out of the skill set, perhaps. Plus, new kinds of errors crop up thanks to spellcheck and auto-formatting. Occasional typos, changes of font, homonym confusion, and the like I can live with, but beyond a certain frequency, they distract and detract. In my reading experience, blatant carelessness about these \u201clittle things\u201d inevitably spills over into fundamental aspects of the work\u2014illogical plot choices, poor character development, tin-ear dialog, hackneyed description.<\/p>\n

A recent book I read, by a highly regarded author, included a kidnapping accomplished with a chloroform-soaked handkerchief. Though an staple of old-fashioned movies and television, this method of knocking someone out actually doesn\u2019t work<\/a>, as I easily found out when fact-checking my own writing. (Yes, fiction does<\/em> need to be fact-checked!) I had to come up with another method. This author didn’t check. The problem isn\u2019t so much the error itself, the greater problem, again, is losing the reader’s confidence and exposing the fragility of the created world.<\/p>\n

Your Criteria?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d be interested to know what aspects of a novel or memoir are most important to you. The uproar over Amazon\u2019s new Kindle Unlimited payment method, which pays authors based on the number of pages of their book actually read, shows that Amazon and authors alike recognize readers often don\u2019t finish books. What about them fails to hold your interest?<\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n