Blog #4 Literary Reviewer Culture

                The book reviews I examined reviewed were reviews about Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it was an easy choice as I had already read the book and would not have had to deal with “spoilers”, which could have been the case if I had chosen another book.  One particular review that caught my eye was a review by Matthew M. Yau. Upon researching further, I found out that he was an avid reviewer on amazon and had reviewed multiple books. In his review of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, he analyzes the plot and comments on the symbolism behind certain events and characters. It was particularly interesting because of the way he arranged his review where he examined different aspects of the novel in separate paragraphs.

                I believe such reviews serve not only to inform prospective buyers of the books but to also get buyers of the book who have not read it, a sort of idea as to how the book could be interpreted. Another purpose of such reviews is to create a platform for fellow readers to discuss the book. A reviewer might want to post a review because he/she would want to impose their own views on impressionable would-be buyers/readers.  I think book reviews regardless of whether they are positive or negative by credible literary personalities also help generate free publicity for the book, positive reviews might help draw readers who appreciate good writing, it could also be argued that negative reviews could also attract buyers or generate interest in the book because readers would want to find out how bad the book really is and maybe in certain cases it could be so bad that it is good.  Reviews by the public have a certain ability to capture the voice of a particular era; it offers future readers a lens in which to examine the book which is through the eyes of society in that particular era. For example, a book published in the 60’s and reviewed in the same time period, could be reviewed differently in a different era. By reading both reviews a reader would be able to pick and choose the lens in which he reads the novel, and I believe this gives book reviews a certain value culturally.

                Personally I do read reviews posted on book covers and sleeves because they allow me to anticipate what the novel has to offer. Certain reviews serve as warning signs when the book cover does not properly illustrate its contents, especially when I am not the kind of reader who appreciates non-fiction works. Although I have not written a book review, I do share my opinions on books among my friends which serve almost the same purpose as a book review.

                On the question of whether book reviews require one to be well versed in English composition, I would think that it would be helpful in trying to get your point across but certainly it would not be a necessity. I think all writing should be appreciated fairly, but because of how easy it is for members of the public to post reviews on Amazon or other major book distributor websites, such writing is usually ignored or not given the respect it deserves. 

Link to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest review :
http://www.amazon.com/Flew-Over-Cuckoos-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141181222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337915171&sr=8-1