Reviews: Reading with Judgement
By LMReviews on Sep 17, 2008 in Multicultural Lit Reviews, Multicultural Writing
As a newly published author I was becoming very perplexed by some of the reviews I was receiving. My book is relatively short at a little over 130 pages, but in writing it that way, I felt I gave myself many options for sequels. I wanted it to be about the journey taken when unrequited love in a long-term interracial friendship finally becomes mutual. I wanted to express the exploration the African American heroine undertakes when the recategorization of one friendship requires re-examination of her other relationships. I wanted to explore the difficult path the Caucasian hero would take in satisfying the desires of his best friend, the African American heroine, while not betraying his own needs and desires. I wanted to see how he’d make the desires involved congruent.
Some just didn’t seem to get it and said the book “didn’t go far enough” or “it was lacking”. Where was it supposed to go? What exactly was it lacking? No one really said. I wasn’t seeking to write an epic saga. I have no problem with criticism, but give me something I can use. I could have beat the proverbial interracial horse to death with the common issues new interracial romances often face, but that wasn’t where I ended up. Maybe it wasn’t where my characters wanted to go. I have not bloomed to the point where I feel my characters “speak” to me but I do know what feels and sounds “right” as I write.
It seems like many have an opinion on how something should have been written (myself included) when sometimes we should just focus on the journey provided. Was it believable, entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, raw…etc.
Do we as readers approach books with too many preconceived expectations? And then give bad reviews when the book takes us on a different journey? As many rightfully say, the journey belongs to the characters that have endeared us writers with the opportunity to entertain, enlighten, and inform others with those experiences. That should be the common thread between readers and writers.
As a writer I understand that hard-earned money is spent on books and for that reason there is a level of expectation. The book’s back cover should match what’s inside the cover, the book should be free of grammatical errors and should have pacing that is easy to follow. A writer, just like any artist, but be prepared to take criticism and that critique may not always be fair or agreeable. As a result, we have to take the culmination of these reviews and see what the common remarks were. Most writers grow in their careers. If you pick up your favorite author’s first published book and his or her most recent release, you will see marked improvements even if that first book was released with much critical acclaim.
In my attempts to review books here at Sable Lit Reviews, I hope I can introduce you to some interesting reads you might not have considered before. I also hope to give authors who have submitted their work for review some valuable feedback on how their book may come across to someone who is not as heavily invested in it as they are.
I hope you enjoy the reviews!
Sincerely,
Sable Lit Reviews
Laura,
I couldn’t agree with you more. You wrote your book according to the characters in their world. They did not have the preconceived notions that some readers might have about interracial relationships, and what should or should not be highlighted as part of the romance. You have to write your characters as they appear to you.
If the story is entertaining and well written, but a reader finds it lacking because it doesn’t live up to their expectations based on their world views, there is absolutely nothing a writer can do to change that.
Authors create to entertain, enlightenment is up to the individual.
Thanks you so much, Isis! I didn’t want to come across as a whiny writer! LOL After all I understand that I won’t please everyone and not everyone fits in my target audience. I really appreciate your comments.