Marquise > Status Update

Think of the most remarkable thing you liked or disliked about the book, and write a brief (I said brief, Marquise) summary of it. Briefly. Succinctly. And with pith.

Or not, because we all love your… ahem… lengthy reviews!

How long qualifies as "brief," Chief Scottie? 😄

Shorter reviews are more circumstantial than scienced, for me, so I don't think I can offer anything substantial here. Maybe if you can emphasize the one or two things that stuck out most, and build a structure around that / those?

Your reviews as is are quite good, so I'd hate to see them suffer in the interest of haste or an increased emphasis on brevity.

Marquise wrote: "How long qualifies as "brief," Chief Scottie? 😄"

ONE cleverly written paragraph!

I’m not sure if my reviews are succinct or pithy but they usually are short. In my case, they are short because I struggle with words and generally don’t have a lot to say. If I’m very enthusiastic about a book my reviews will be a little longer.
I like your long reviews but I imagine they would be pretty time consuming to write.

Ironically, my reviews are usually longer when I’m REALLY mad about the book in question 🤣 I think mine are usually moderate in length, but lately if I do more than leave stars, I try to offer 1-2 lines about what I liked/didn’t like, 1-2 lines about what was done well or that Id have liked to see built upon, and I try to leave a line about what I think the target audience would like if I wasn’t in that audience. I used to be much more detailed, particularly in my blog days, but my time and energy are lacking these days.

Depends on how much I have to say about a book whether the review ends up long or short—it’s certainly not planned either way! 😂 And your long reviews are great, don’t feel the need to change if you don’t want to. I love your detailed analysis on books!

I am so ashamed of my earlier reviews that I am thinking of deleting them, pure and simple. Reviewing a book is not summing it up- spoiling much of the plot while doing so, it is explaining in your own words why a book appeals (or does not appeal) to you. In this regard, I guess practise makes perfect. As for the length of the review itself, it surely mostly depends on how you feel about the book. When a book is a waste of time, I don't want to add to the waste with writing much about it. And it's quite a tricky job to say how much you don't like a book without ruffling some feathers, as readers on the opposite side are often prone to bone-picking. However, as far as I'm concerned, well-written reviews help me a lot pick up my next read. I always go for the lowest ratings. They are the ones I trust most before making up my mind. I suppose it just goes to show how choosy I am.

Try to really think about the core of what you really want to say before you start typing your review. Then try to phrase that as short as possible. So if you want to write say three paragraphs about the characters, maybe you can start by just writing three sentences that are the core of those three paragraphs you had in mind, then go from there if there’s still something you really want to add or elaborate. Hope that helps?

You just finished a book and walked into an elevator. You see a friend who knows you're an avid reader. How do you use the limited time of the elevator ride to tell them what you thought of the book you just finished?
That's kinda what I do, so sometimes my reviews only say "bruh 💀"

My short and pithy seem to be reserved soley for just blah books. Horrible books get a dissertation on just how much they annoyed me hahahaha.

I kinda just try to encompass the feeling I got while reading it. Something like: "Similar to Fourth Wing except it doesn't go anywhere fast. Engaged while I'm reading but don't have a drive to go back. Just blah."

Usually for short-ish reviews, I'll say whether or not I liked the book, something I liked about a book, something I didn't like or something that might've not been my favorite thing in the book, talk about the characters and who my favorite and least favorite characters were, then wrap it up by saying whether or not I'd recommend it and who I'd reccomend it to, and I'll usually keep each section to a few sentences at the most

I love your reviews! They're funny :D
Sometimes I rant in my reviews and then force myself to rewrite the inevitable paragraphs that would come about into one single sentence, which ends up summarizing the vibe into one line. Some books are so good that I don't even have words for the review haha so there's that

Just a quick note to let you lovelies know I’m reading you, but Christmas is chasing me like it wants my blood and I’m outta free time till the 25th! 😭

Keep commenting! You’re my oasis’s of weird sanity in this world. ❤️🤗

Thank you Marquise for asking this question! I too tend to be overly verbose in my reviews. And I'm loving the advice you're receiving😀.

Mine are short lol. The pithy part not so much!

Commenting so I can receive future notifs haha because I too am interested in what the good people of Greads have to say

There is no review, book, song, painting etc. that's going to please everybody. Recognizing that, I just write what I wanna write and if people like it, fine, and if not, there's plenty of other reviews out there for them.

Just be yourself, Your Highness, is what I'm sayin'.

I usually do not write reviews. I mainly just rate the books that I read. When I do feel the need to write a review, I just concentrate on the basics of what my overall impression of that story is, and if I think it's worth the read. I do not like to spoil things for others so I tend to keep the few reviews I write, short, sweet and to the point.

My reviews are generally no spoilers and whether or not I liked it or not.
What kind of impression it left on me.

I agree with GiGi. Elevator speech is my favorite. & possibly add how the book made me feel. For example, when I read "Pay it forward" I cried. And I don't know all the acronyms like MFC or whatever, so I dont use those.

I have to comment here, because it is just too ironic that I find this question immediately after posting the longest review I've ever written!

I do sometimes write short reviews though, one or two liners. They always come to me that way--just some succinct phrase that sounds perfect to me.

I go either way

For me, this depends.. I can write a short review or a medium to long one. It all depends on what I'm feeling or meditating on about that story at the time..

I also always have to review a book as soon as I finish it.. Otherwise I will miss out on sharing all the high or low points of the story that are still fresh in my mind, and the impressions I had once I closed the book. I never want to lose that once I finish a book so I write the review immediately upon finishing it.

I don't really write reviews, but maybe try thinking in bullet points? That way you'll summarise the main point of what you want to say in fewer words (hopefully).

I think of what I want to say and then I write it down. :P
Lots of impressions probably get lost by the time I put the book down and start typing, though.

I don't have any advice and, frankly, I don't want to give any, either, because I enjoy reading your long reviews. I understand that it can feel overwhelming and exhausting, but essay-writing is definitely your strong suit, Marquise, just as the short-story format is mine. ;)