And Now A Scathing Review!
So yesterday I posted a "sweet" review of my novel, "Playing the Field." For those of you who missed it, I re-posted it in my blog.
In order to be fair and balanced, I need to present the other side as well. So here's one review from someone who didn't exactly like my work (to put it midly).
Now whenever I read a review like this, a few things come to mind: First, I always think about the expression if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it all. Then I also wonder if the person actually read the book. On top of that, a note the irony -- the book isn't meant for adults; it's meant for teens, and one of the themes of the novel is that so many adults have no clue about this generation of teens. Reading a review such as this only serves to prove that point.
Then I conclude with this thought: Those who can will write, whole those who are frustrated by their inability to write will angrily attempt to review.
"Darcy Miller loves baseball. More than anything, she wants off her high school's abysmal softball team and onto the almost-champion boy's baseball team. The principal, who is dating her mother, has other ideas, until his son, Darcy's long-time crush, takes matters into his own hands by telling everyone Darcy is a lesbian. Suddenly, "Now batting, the pitcher, Darcy Miller.o Bildner packs his debut novel with gimmicks and little else, and these contrivances muddy whatever he is trying to say about sexuality, teens, and the high school experience. The "pretending to be a lesbian" twist makes little sense except as a way for Darcy to walk a mile in the shoes of her estranged friend, Josh, to experience life as a gay teen. Unfortunately this ploy has no impact because Bildner summarizes the experiences rather than letting readers watch Darcy live them. Darcy is not a sympathetic character and never sounds convincingly like a girl. Brandon, the principal's son, is just a stereotypical cocky jock until he wows the Gay-Straight Alliance with research on the struggles faced by gay teens. Mild cursing and offensive terms for homosexuals are sprinkled gratuitously throughout the book, and other minor problems are just irritating. For example, Darcy's fashionista best friend, Samantha, calls Darcy by her last name, yet the baseball coaches call everyone by their first. Bildner's love of baseball does shine through and is the only thing that could possibly recommend this disappointing novel."
In order to be fair and balanced, I need to present the other side as well. So here's one review from someone who didn't exactly like my work (to put it midly).
Now whenever I read a review like this, a few things come to mind: First, I always think about the expression if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it all. Then I also wonder if the person actually read the book. On top of that, a note the irony -- the book isn't meant for adults; it's meant for teens, and one of the themes of the novel is that so many adults have no clue about this generation of teens. Reading a review such as this only serves to prove that point.
Then I conclude with this thought: Those who can will write, whole those who are frustrated by their inability to write will angrily attempt to review.
"Darcy Miller loves baseball. More than anything, she wants off her high school's abysmal softball team and onto the almost-champion boy's baseball team. The principal, who is dating her mother, has other ideas, until his son, Darcy's long-time crush, takes matters into his own hands by telling everyone Darcy is a lesbian. Suddenly, "Now batting, the pitcher, Darcy Miller.o Bildner packs his debut novel with gimmicks and little else, and these contrivances muddy whatever he is trying to say about sexuality, teens, and the high school experience. The "pretending to be a lesbian" twist makes little sense except as a way for Darcy to walk a mile in the shoes of her estranged friend, Josh, to experience life as a gay teen. Unfortunately this ploy has no impact because Bildner summarizes the experiences rather than letting readers watch Darcy live them. Darcy is not a sympathetic character and never sounds convincingly like a girl. Brandon, the principal's son, is just a stereotypical cocky jock until he wows the Gay-Straight Alliance with research on the struggles faced by gay teens. Mild cursing and offensive terms for homosexuals are sprinkled gratuitously throughout the book, and other minor problems are just irritating. For example, Darcy's fashionista best friend, Samantha, calls Darcy by her last name, yet the baseball coaches call everyone by their first. Bildner's love of baseball does shine through and is the only thing that could possibly recommend this disappointing novel."