What happens when you don’t like the “it” book? For years, people have raved about Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin—it’s one of those cult books. I just read it for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge, and I’m stumped as to my response.
I prefer not to disparage any book, as I don’t want to deter readers who might love said tome. I myself have been burned by people warding me off great reads. Coincidentally, on Sunday, The New York Times Book Review asked: “Do We Really Need Negative Book Reviews?”
To The Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf, was on our high school syllabus, but my teacher resisted since she didn’t like it. She read a few passages aloud, but we never delved in. I just assumed it wasn’t a good book. (Perhaps not a good teacher?) What a surprise in college to discover the magic of Woolf’s “stream of consciousness.”
Likewise, Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain languished on my shelf nearly five years because a few friends had panned it. That book wowed me and I think is one of the best American novels written—ever. Recently, I was the only member of book group to adore Julie Otsuka’s lovely novella The Buddha in the Attic, which I had almost skipped owing to email grumblings.
Clearly I am not a good indicator of popular culture, because I didn’t love Gone Girl or Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I am dazzled by her writing ability, but I didn’t really care about the characters or the plot. I’m not sure why, because Graham Greene has repeatedly invested me in unlikeable characters and twisted plots—as did Aravind Adiga with The White Tiger, which I could not put down. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, was very readable, but I felt that it simplified some issues. Even books by a favorite author are not a safe bet. I love the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series but have not been able to make a similar connection with other books by Alexander McCall Smith.
However, these books are beloved by many readers. Thus, I don’t want to subject anyone to my own literary fickleness. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but I’d argue that you can’t judge it secondhand either.
Back to Winter’s Tale: it moved slowly and felt rather inaccessible. When, in a moment of melodrama, the hero and heroine first kiss … I laughed. I am actually an inveterate shipper, so this was a red flag for me. I did love the horse, though.
Still, I don’t want to discourage readers (or offend the legion of Winter’s Tale fans). Plus, I’d hate for someone who might “get it” to miss out because of me.
So what to do when you don’t like the “it” book? Pass it along for someone else to try. A friend was eager to claim my hardcover of Winter’s Tale, and she really likes “it.”
“Do We Really Need Negative Reviews? from The New York Times Book Review
Great post, and so true! I know a lot of people who are refusing to read “Wild” because it’s an “it” book. (Which makes me sad, as I loved “Wild”– I read it right after Dwight Garner posted his review in the NYT. I pretty much seek out and devour any book he praises so highly, and he wrote a beautiful review for “Wild.”) A lot of people avoid buzz books, including books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, because they’ve had too many other instances in life where an “it” book didn’t appeal to them on any level. What always makes me happy though is that there are “it” books like “Eleanor & Park” and “This Is How You Lose Her” that I just fall in love with, and think, “I’m so glad this book is getting all the buzz it deserves– people should read these books!” And I like reading bad book reviews because I like reading the evidence people use to pan a book– I like knowing what people were bored or disgruntled by, because spending 8 hours or more with a story is a huge time commitment, and if the experience isn’t rewarding, I appreciate someone warning me beforehand. I had a similar experience with “Gone Girl”– dazzled and delighted by the prose, but did not bond with, or care about, any of the characters (though the twin sister had her moments, she was just such a tiny part of the overall novel). It takes a lot of thought and consideration to be intelligently critical of a book, and the same goes for books that wow us on every level– we have to be able to think about them deeply to understand why certain stories affect us in such powerful ways. This is why my two favorite (nationally recognized) critics are Dwight Garner and A.O. Scott– I’m always in awe of the critical reviews they write, for books and for movies, and when they write that they love something, I am ON IT– I seek and consume. When they are critical of something, they are highly critical, but when they love something, they really, really love it, and that’s really motivating as a consumer.
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Hi Melissa! I’m also a fan of Dwight Garner and AO Scott. They give you the essence of the experience reading a book, w/o too many spoilers. I will never forgive Michiku Kakatani for ruining Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go by telling the whole plot and the big surprise point-by-point in her review! I never read any of her reviews now until after the book.
You are right though, that I need to more actively pursue their recs.
I’m SO glad your name now links up to your website and blog!!! I need to spend some time exploring that.
http://melissastacy.com/
Thank you so much for a great and insightful comment. Much appreciated! Almost like a counter post … “Don’t Be Afraid of the It Book.” I resisted “Eat, Pray, and Love” forever and then I read it and … wow, Elizabeth Gilbert is a damn good writer. I have WILD and need to get on reading that. So many books, so little time…
🙂 🙂 Sarah
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Well I’m guilty of not liking ‘it’ books and writing negative book reviews, and quite recently I may add hahaha! In my defense I wrote that more to be funny than to really stop people from reading certain books.
But personally I don’t think writing negative book reviews is a bad thing. It’s just one person telling you why he or she doesn’t like a particular book. In the end, it’s still your decision whether or not you will be swayed by that person’s opinion.
Sometimes I see other people’s negative opinions of a book I want to read as a challenge and it makes me want to read it more. Sometimes their negative opinions are spot on.
Anyway, ultimately it’s still your choice as a reader to choose what books to read.
By the way, I loved ‘Cold Mountain’ and really enjoyed ‘The White Tiger.’ Also I was curious about Winter’s Tale because it has recently been turned into a movie.
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Wow, I think you are my book twin. I love love love Cold Mountain. Last year I dubbed Gone Girl as the best book I really hated. But I think it is ok to give a negative review, it’s just your opinion. I wish more of us would speak up. I somewhat wrote to this same subject in my TBR blog post this month, too. Just hated one of the books I read that I had felt guilty for not having read. If I had read a negative review by a fellow book reading friend with similar likes / dislikes, I might could have spent my time better elsewhere. I just think we have to take reviews with a grain of salt, and with some knowledge of the reviewer’s literary bendings. I know some friends of mine who will probably read the book I just blasted, since they tend to like things I hate. And that’s ok by me. 🙂
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I just read and hated Tampa, which I think became an ‘it’ book on the back of the controversial subject matter and little more. Sometimes if I hear about a book too often I subconsciously avoid it (The Fault in Our Stars, The Rosie Project). There is a word we use here in Northern Ireland, to be thran. It means intentionally stubborn and I can get a bit thran about books I’m told I will love! For the record, I wasn’t too bothered with David Nicholl’s One Day which seemed to be universally loved.
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I felt the same way about Gone Girl – such a writing talent, but I didn’t enjoy the story at all. Ditto for The Goldfinch, though my issue there was more about an obvious lack of editing. But I do know people who have loved both and what keeps the “It” book interesting, whether you are a fan or not, is the discussion that they provoke. Terrific blog!
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