The problem is that a review requires at least some judgement, but also some sense of why the judgement is being made.
I've seen 'reviews' that just say: 'This is a great book. I loved every minute of it.' But that tells me nothing. What makes it great? Why do you love it? If the reviewer just went on to say: 'This is a great book. The romance between the main characters really worked for me. And the scene where they blow up the death star is hilarious. I loved every minute of it.' - that would be a review. Not a great review, but a review.
Similarly, half the capsule reviews you get in most papers these days consist of nothing more than a plot summary. That's a blurb, it might as well be ripped off from the back cover of the book. It does nothing as a review.
I don't mind being told that I'll love a book or that I'll hate it, but I want to know why you think I'll love it. It's that sense of context that I want.
And when you say: 'I want to couch a review in terms that the readers who (I think) will like the specific type of book I'm reviewing will recognize', that is precisely the provision of context I'm talking about.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 10:29 am (UTC)I've seen 'reviews' that just say: 'This is a great book. I loved every minute of it.' But that tells me nothing. What makes it great? Why do you love it? If the reviewer just went on to say: 'This is a great book. The romance between the main characters really worked for me. And the scene where they blow up the death star is hilarious. I loved every minute of it.' - that would be a review. Not a great review, but a review.
Similarly, half the capsule reviews you get in most papers these days consist of nothing more than a plot summary. That's a blurb, it might as well be ripped off from the back cover of the book. It does nothing as a review.
I don't mind being told that I'll love a book or that I'll hate it, but I want to know why you think I'll love it. It's that sense of context that I want.
And when you say: 'I want to couch a review in terms that the readers who (I think) will like the specific type of book I'm reviewing will recognize', that is precisely the provision of context I'm talking about.