Beware of the Critics' Spoilers and Spoiler Alerts
Sometimes while I'm browsing the reviews of books, I'll run across some variation of the tag "***WARNING: SPOILER ALERT***". The goal is to let the reader know the reviewer is about to talk about how a book ends or give away a key plot point. It's sort of like on the TV news when the sportscaster is set the announce the final score of a big game you haven't yet watched on TiVo or on a repeat broadcast.
The sportscaster warns you to leave the room before the score is reported. Sometimes they only give you a few seconds to make your getaway out of earshot. Or perhaps you can mute the TV remote's volume and close your eyes. If you are like at our house, you'll never find the elusive remote in time.
By learning how the book ends, you don't have as much fun reading it. In other words, the guilty party has "spoiled" it for you. When I write reviews, I try to be sensitive about giving any spoilers. If I see one, I'll delete it rather than run the Spoiler Alert. I've gotten so now I'm even sensitive about commenting on the ending like saying it was disappointing, surprising, or corny. One thing I've noticed about new movie trailers is they can tip off the plot and ending too much. But that's a different topic for another blog post.
The sportscaster warns you to leave the room before the score is reported. Sometimes they only give you a few seconds to make your getaway out of earshot. Or perhaps you can mute the TV remote's volume and close your eyes. If you are like at our house, you'll never find the elusive remote in time.
By learning how the book ends, you don't have as much fun reading it. In other words, the guilty party has "spoiled" it for you. When I write reviews, I try to be sensitive about giving any spoilers. If I see one, I'll delete it rather than run the Spoiler Alert. I've gotten so now I'm even sensitive about commenting on the ending like saying it was disappointing, surprising, or corny. One thing I've noticed about new movie trailers is they can tip off the plot and ending too much. But that's a different topic for another blog post.
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Randy wrote: "I try to avoid having to give that spoiler alert as well when I review a book. Mostly i try to give a flavor of what the book is about and why I liked it.Don't always succeed I guess. I was excor..."
I had a similar experience. Someone objected to a spoiler I'd put in my review. I went back and read it and didn't see it as one at all. Right, I just be careful as I can, too. Thanks for the comments, Randy.
I typically give my thoughts on the book and stay away from describing the story all together. The jacket cover or description of the book does a good job of that. I simply offer a couple sentences about why I liked or disliked the book and if I would recommend reading it. There is nothing worse than too much info about the story before even opening the book!
Hey Brandon, The newspapers are like that and give away too much information about the movie plots. I like your approach--simple and short.
generally, I don't read critics. I read based on the blurb on the jacket or back of the book or word of mouth or if I've read other books by the same author and enjoyed them. If I do write a critique on goodreads or amazon then it's why I enjoyed the book: strong plot, good dialogue etc.etc. I might warn that there's a twist or two to enjoy but NO SPECIFICS.
Michele wrote: "generally, I don't read critics. I read based on the blurb on the jacket or back of the book or word of mouth or if I've read other books by the same author and enjoyed them. If I do write a critiq..."Right. Give enough description of the plot to set up the premise, then stop there. I believe saying there are twists is fair enough and might encourage another reader to try the book. Thanks, Michele.
I also agree that any reviews should be short and sweet ~ why you like or dislike the book,who you would recommend it for, the setting, maybe the basic plot. A summary ~ not the whole story!
Agnes wrote: "I also agree that any reviews should be short and sweet ~ why you like or dislike the book,who you would recommend it for, the setting, maybe the basic plot. A summary ~ not the whole story!"You make a good point about who the reviewer recommends the book for. Sometimes I try to compare the author to other better known authors to give an idea of who I think might like the reviewed book. Thanks, Agnes.
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Don't always succeed I guess. I was excoriated by a woman once for a review, she saying it was no point in reading the book now.
I do try to be careful.