More than Just a Rating discussion

Ok, I liked the one for The Overton Window. It was kinda longish, so I skimmed the description of the book part. I love the final paragraph - and the fact that you took the time before that to support your perspective. I liked how I could predict your star rating from your review (nothing irritates or confuses me more than when someone says 'great book' and then gives it three stars).

Wow. Y'know, even though I'm trained as a teacher and love children's books, I've never read Johnny Tremain. Your review does a perfect job of convincing me to skip it.

You're obviously thoughtful and intelligent, so I want to say something more than 'good job' about all the effort you put into your reviews. So, here's a possible suggestion: Maybe for this one you want to try to say a bit about why you think it's so popular & famous. Is it just because teachers need historical fiction to help them reach their students? Is there something the book does that you don't like but other people might like?

Oh, and possibly you might want to offer other related works that readers could choose instead of this one, if you know of any worth recommending.

I look forward to reading more of your reviews in the future!

Fair enough!

Hm. I personally would prefer to read reviews with a bit more tact. The review, in my very own personal opinion, shouldn't be too much about the how clever the reviewer is.

And re Blubber, especially, a nod to the fans of the novel, a mention of something redeeming (even if only in the history of the book) would help the review be more believable and effective. Trashing the book in the manner that you did makes it seem like you think people who liked it are idiots. Which means you'll lose credibility, because really, there's no way that all the tens of thousands (or whatever) people who loved the book are that stupid or blind.

Just my own reaction. I do know lots of people here on GR like biting reviews, so I don't speak for that segment of the membership. :)

And of course you are clever, and coherent, and you do pretty much justify your opinions, so keep it up!

Huh? I have no opinion of Twilight, much less of the folks who read it. It's the phrasing of your review of Blubber that's suspect. I didn't mean to start an off-topic discussion, sorry for the confusion.