Thanks, regardless
I’m going to say something here that I say often at events. I don’t understand why people pay any attention to reviews of anything that could be called, however loosely, art, be it written, spoken drawn or painted.
My interest is books, and this is what I believe; every time a story is consumed, that is an intellectual experience unique to that reader. There can be no such thing as a bad book; one that doesn’t work for you or me will be a rollicking good read for someone else. No two individuals read exactly the same work.
What are reviews about, and what drives people to post them unsolicited on Amazon, blogs or anywhere else? Ego? Attention-seeking? A genuine desire to help and guide others?
Probably all three.
This, however, is undeniably true. Those Amazon stars do influence buyers and I’m grateful for everyone I score.
Categories: General
Quintin Jardine's blog 
Occasionally I will post a comment about a book, but it is not very often. When I do I try to be fair, think about what the author is trying to get across, and then put fingers to the keyboard. Today I sent in a comment on a book, not one of yours, I hasten to say, because the author should have taken English lessons first. When the grammar of the narrative offends it interrupts the reader’s attention. You begin to check if what is written is right or wrong, if there is some hidden meaning etc. The problem today was the use of will/shall. The author obviously believed that ‘shall’ sounded posh. In fact is sounded ridiculous. If it had been a character talking, then I would have put it down to characterisation, but if an author gets it wrong it feels as though they do not care.