Blog 4-Literature Reviews

Personally, when I go and research a new book, I will often look at the customer reviews to see what other people have to say about it. After all, these should be people who have read the book and be informed on it, and I want to see whether it will be worth my time. However, I am now realizing that there is a big flaw to this approach. Not only am I seeking the approval of strangers, but I am also basing whether or not I will read a book off of these reviews. If a book was critically acclaimed by the general public, or given “5 stars” I am more likely to see the book as a quality work and read it. However, if it has “3 stars” or fewer, I will often wonder why that is and be less inclined to read the book. I think this approach is a flawed one because we are essentially basing our opinions of literature on strangers we don’t know, who may or may not be educated on what good literature contains, and in the process conforming to what society favors. A book may have a bad rating on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other online review service, but still be quality literature. The reasons it has a bad rating may be because it talks about a subject that society doesn’t like to talk about, or has a different view on touchy subjects like politics, religion, etc. That doesn’t mean that book isn’t worth reading or worth your time, simply because it isn’t rated highly by society or because it doesn’t conform to popular culture. Have you ever turned away from a book simply because it was given a poor rating online?  

However, reviews do provide a good sense of whether an author has a strong fan base, and a strong fan base usually means that the author is a good one. For instance, JK Rowling has an average review of 4.5/5 stars on Amazon, and she is known for a strong fan base (with me as a part of that).  They also serve the purpose of giving the public a forum to share thoughts on the book, what they liked and disliked, and see what others thought on the book, perhaps leading to discussion and a sense of community. On the other hand, Amazon and sites like it take advantage of reviews to encourage sales. If it’s a “5 star” book, it can be advertised as a “must read” because others liked it, and that will probably encourage sales. Most people who read a book won’t write a review on it, as there are about 3000 reviews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and I know that particular novel sold millions of copies. That says a lot about who we are as a society, as most people choose not to post a review, because it demonstrates that most of us simply don’t want to write one. For me personally, after I read a book, I might tell my friends or family about it if they ask, but I don’t have interest in writing an online review. I want others to form their own opinions on the book first without seeing what I have to say about it, as I believe that is how we grow as people. Any piece of literature doesn’t have as large an impact if you know what to expect, and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone. Have you ever written a review?