We all know book reviews are way different from plot summaries. Their purpose is to give readers an idea about whether or not they might enjoy a particular book. If we love a book, we want to sing its praises. And if we find ourselves let down, we may want to give others the heads up before they commit. Since they're for people who haven't read the book, giving away too much of the story line is a big no-no. It's generally recommended that nothing which happens after the 50% mark should be written about in great detail. Some say it should be only 25%.
I know some people who are walking, talking plot spoilers (most definitely talking). My husband is King Plot Spoiler. He only needs to mention the name of a story and our nephew has learned to poke his fingers in his ears, shout out, 'LaLaLaLa,' and dash out of the room. My husband is the sort of person who shouldn't write reviews, and thankfully he doesn't.
I make an effort to stick to the 50% guideline when I write reviews, but on rare occasions someone will respond, 'Thanks for the plot spoiler' or some equally snarky comment. It's easy to feel chastened, but I've come to believe that spoiler accidents are a peril that goes with the territory of book reviewing.
It's a problem that seriously bothers some people. I've met several lovely ladies, who are courteous, considerate and understanding in the normal course of a day. Yet if they think they've got the whiff of a plot spoiler, they turn into raging beasts. It's like waving a red flag in the face of a bull. They hurl abuse at the poor reviewer as if she's gone on a killing rampage rather than let a few details about a story slip.
But I believe we would be kind to cut reviewers a bit of slack, if they are genuinely trying hard to do the right thing. Just as chocolate bars come with the warning, 'There may be traces of nuts', perhaps book reviews should have similar disclaimers. 'While great care has been taken to keep this review spoiler free, there may be traces of story line due to the nature of the processing'. I've read a number of articles about the art of writing excellent reviews. Here are some random snippets of advice which might help to prove how murky the waters can get when it comes to making reviews completely uncontaminated.
1) Tell us who your favourite character was, and why.
Well, just say the author planned him to be a red herring. From what we know of him in the first few chapters, he may well be a heartless criminal. And maybe that's exactly what the author intends us to wonder at that stage. Yet if enough reviewers write something like, 'I really loved Alex,' then surely we approach the book with a bit of a spoilerish impression that he'll be sound.
2) Explain why the book made you laugh or cry.
I picked up a novel that seemed set to be a whimsical, light-hearted comedy. Yet a few reviewers had written, 'The ending was absolutely gut-wrenching.' Even though no specific details have been revealed, isn't it still verging on spoilerish when we know from the outset that we have to brace ourselves for something?
3) What was your favourite part of the book?
Here's my warning to reviewers. If it happens to come after the 50% (or even 25%) mark, you should tread very carefully indeed. Don't be fooled by the community of seemingly docile readers. They may well take your vague impressions like a whiff of blood.
If you are trying your best to stick to the rules when you're writing reviews, I wouldn't feel too devastated if somebody accuses you of spreading plot spoilers. Read over it to see if they have a point, then either edit it, delete it, or ignore it. And readers, if you're the sort of people who need a guarantee that everything is completely spoiler free, then maybe you should treat all review forums as a bit of a land mine area and stay out. Or if you do enter, do so at your own risk.
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Some great thoughts Paula. Another inadvertent spoiler comes with synopses of books in a series. I love the Flavia de Luce books and was almost through No. 5 when I saw No. 6 had come out. I clicked on the description and there was a huge plot spoiler in the first line of the synopsis that totally ruined the ending of No. 5 for me. (Though the author was clever and it still ended up being a bit different to what I imagined). I'd really been enjoying No. 5 and it just killed it for me. So I guess that's a lesson for both readers and writers. For readers, don't read the synopses of future books in a series until you're up to that book. And writers, be careful what you say in your back cover blurbs.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, another example of reader beware. Thanks Nola. Now that you mention it, I've come across a couple of good novels just recently which have had disappointing little plot spoilers in the back cover blurb. One in particular took the surprise out of the three quarter mark completely. And that blurb is something which should be guaranteed safe if anything should.
DeleteReally good points. Thanks Paula. And whoops, I've done it with the blurbs. (Book 5 blurb could ruin book 3. It was only an afterthought addition to the blurb, too - I should know by now to be wary of last minute additions!). Never really thought about it before. Will be careful in the future.
ReplyDeleteOh Jenny, I'm sorry to hear it. These are the sorts of things it's hard to discover in retrospect. So easily done too. Perhaps in your case here it would only affect people who read each blurb one after another before reading any of the series. And there might not be all that many of those. We live and learn :)
DeleteI reviewed one novel about the Titanic, and commented about the excellent writing in the sinking scene . . . and got accused of adding a spoiler. Most of us wouldn't consider that a spoiler, but the reader was from Hong Kong, and had obviously never heard of the Titanic. Oops.
ReplyDeleteNola makes a good point about novels in a series - when the plot question for novel one is "will she survive?", but the back blurb for novel two makes the answer obvious. Another oops.
I've even come across novels where the spoiler was in the book description (big oops) or the title (even bigger oops).
As a reviewer, it can be difficult to tread the line between telling a potential reader enough that the review helps them decide whether or not they want to read the book, and telling them so much you spoil the plot.
I'm reviewing a novel on my blog tomorrow where I had this problem: it's a brilliant novel, but there are some plot points which could be triggers for some people . . . and they come towards the end of the novel. I hope I've hit the right balance!
Hi Iola,
DeleteI had to laugh at your Titanic example. Wow, that really proves the care we must take. I couldn't believe it.
I've had several times of trying to grapple with that fine balance. I'm glad you feel the same way. And I'll be curious to read your review tomorrow.
There is at least one reviewer that I tend to skim through because of their tendency to give a synopsis of the plot. I read the first paragraph & the last for the evaluation.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if 2) is a bad thing - for instance if you pick up a book expecting a light read, you might actually want to know that it has a heart wrenching ending (without being given the specific details as to why it's so heart wrenching). As for the Titanic - isn't that part of the suspense in the movie. We all know (except for some apparently) that the boat will sink (it's wreck is shown at the bottom of the sea right at the beginning of the movie), we know that Rose survives (she is telling the story) - but how does she manage to survive and will Jack survive too.
Hi Jenny,
DeletePersonally, I don't think #2 is such a bad thing either. I like to be warned if a book isn't anything like I might be expecting. In a way, it's just revealing genre, but I've spoken to some people who really hate it.
As for the Titanic, I remember lining up at the movies in 1998 and hearing people at the cinema call out, 'I've got to warn you all, the ship sinks!'
LOL Yes, 'the sink ships' - bit like going to a romantic movie and getting upset because someones says 'they get their HEA' Some stories are more about how they get there than the outcome.
DeleteOne of the best things about Goodreads is that you can tell them if a review has a spoiler in it and they will hide it so that an individual has to click on the 'spoilers' tag to see the review. I've used it a couple of times with spoilers for my trilogy.
ReplyDeleteI've used it too, Lynne. I love that function in Goodreads. I wish Amazon had it too.
DeleteI try to be careful when I'm writing reviews but I don't mind reading spoilers. Sometimes I go deliberately looking for them if I'm not sure about a book.
ReplyDeleteI'm on your side, Susan. To be honest, I've even been known to sneak a peep at the last page sometimes, just to be on the safe side. People sometimes seem horrified if I admit this, so I don't admit it often.
DeleteOh, I do that too (peep at the last page). Sometimes I need to know if the ending is a place I want to go. I don't usually admit to it either. It's remarkable how upset people get if you tell them!
DeleteYet it definitely makes a lot of sense if we know what we're looking for, and potentially saves a lot of time.
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