J. Robert Lennon explains how to write a negative book review

August 19th, 2012

I agree with this piece 100%. I’d hate to see a world of nothing but positive book reviews. “Negative” reviews shouldn’t be scornful, though. It’s important to respectfully articulate how a book doesn’t work. A good review should engage with—not dismiss—the text. If a reviewer is dismissive, she fails.

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michaeldwaynesmith reblogged this from elliottholt and added:

The case made here is spot on.
This was featured in #Lit
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I'm a fiction writer. My first novel YOU ARE ONE OF THEM will be published by The Penguin Press on May 30, 2013. My short stories have been published in The Pushcart Prize XXXV (2011 anthology) and other places. I grew up in Washington, D.C., and have lived in many cities (Moscow, London, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and New York). http://elliottholt.com/

elliott holt

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