I have a dilemma. A publisher sent me a book to review. I didn’t ask for the book. It’s a romance novel, and I don’t read romance novels, at least not ones written later than the nineteenth century (Three cheers for Jane Eyre!). It’s not just a romance novel; it’s a Christian romance novel. And generally, Christian romance novels are, in my experience, not good, certainly not better than secular romance novels, which are— not good.
So I read the book. And I didn’t like it. It was predictable with stereotypical characters and a plot that didn’t hang together very well. It was preachy and sort of saccharine-sweet.
It was the author’s first published novel. I don’t flatter myself that I am some great influential reviewer. But I’ve heard that authors, especially authors with only one published book, look for reviews of their book on the internet. I would imagine that the author of the novel that I’m talking about is a nice person, probably a Christian. Some people might enjoy the book, like people who read Harlequin romances for recreation. (OOooh, I already sound snarky. What would I say if I tried to write a real review of this book?) So I would hate to write a real review and hurt someone just for the sake of ?
I don’t mind saying negative things about books whose authors are already dead and gone. I’m not going to hurt their sales or their feelings. And I wouldn’t mind doing a negative review of a book like, say, The Da Vinci Code because Dan Brown already has his millions, and he wouldn’t care what I said anyway. (BTW: I saw a whole table full of cut-rate paperback copies of Mr. Brown’s opus at the grocery store this evening. I thought everyone who reads, other than me, had already read The Da Vinci Code. Are they going for non-reading public now?)
Do I owe the publishers a review because they sent me a free book? Should I warn people that this particular book might not be exactly what they’re looking for in terms of intellectual stimulation or entertainment? Or do I just keep my mouth shut and sell the book to the used book store? Am I taking this all much too seriously? (Answer to last question: probably)
It’s OK. I think I’ve already decided.
I have had the same ponderings. I received a set of early readers which I felt were exceedingly mediocre verging towards bad. I don’t want to hurt this nice person’s feelings or sales (like you, I am underwhelmed by my own sphere of influence) so should I just do a ‘book report’ and not give my “ultimate” opinion? She did ask if she could send the books to me…I did say yes…Do I owe her a review?
P.S. Boy, do I ever agree with you about the DaVinci Code.
As an interview show host, I get lots of unsolicited free books, and I certainly feel no obligation to do anything with those books. But your dilemma is one I have also faced as an independent Christian book reviewer. What I’m doing now is basically only reviewing books I really like! I would feel bad about giving a negative review to a fellow Christian, but on the other hand, someone may need to do it. You’ve brought up a very interesting point.
I generally don’t like to write negative reviews, because it seems to waste my and the readers time; but I know that if I could review many more books than I do, negative reviews would stand out to regular readers, not because I say I disliked it, but because I barely said anything. (Before I go further, I should say that I don’t think you owe a publisher, author, or agent a review b/c he sent you an unrequested book. The book is an offer or request, not a demand.)
If you want to blog on it, perhaps you should review it briefly. Describe the story, that it’s a first novel, that it didn’t inspire you–the end.
I can’t answer your questions about how to go about reviewing the book, if you indeed decide to do it, but I do have a comment about Christian romances. I avoid them like the plague. A friend gave me one read recently, I almost gagged. I had to go check Wodehouse out from the library as an antidote. But I did smile politely and say, “It was cute.” Hope I am not struck dead this week by lightning. Love Jane Eyre devotedly.