Surviving the One Star Review

This one punched me in the gut. You know, like the scenarios in that commercial for insurance. Life comes at you fast. My first one star review knocked me on my butt. Although I never cried, I indulged in a pity party for a few days.

Does this mean I’m a real writer now? I didn’t think my book garnered enough attention to elicit such a negative response from a reviewer, especially a fellow author. Why would one author so thoroughly reject another author? We all know how difficult it is to take rejection. We’ve all been there. So why the harsh review? Why post the review on every social media site available? If I read a book that, in my opinion, is poorly written, I will decline to post my thoughts publicly out of respect for my fellow author.

The book never reached the New York Times Best Seller list. Heck, it’s never even reached the Amazon Best Seller list. The topic isn’t controversial. Yes, the book has some flaws. What book doesn’t? There is no such thing as the perfect book. If I had to do it over again, I’d adjust a few things. But then… I’ve learned a lot from being edited and from being an editor.

I had some concerns. How would this extremely negative review impact my sales? My reputation as a writer and an editor? My chances of ever signing a contract with an agent? My motivation to continue writing? My courage to request more reviews?

From this negative experience, I’d like to share a few thoughts that might help other authors survive the one star review with dignity and class and just maybe give some reviewers a few hints about writing a credible review.

Some advice for writers.

It is far more beneficial to the up and coming author to form alliances with other writers than to make enemies.

I’m going to admit it. My first reaction was the impulse to seek revenge. Retaliating would have accomplished nothing except to start a war, and from my personal experience, revenge is an empty pursuit and offers fleeting satisfaction. Revenge, anger, and hatred are bitter poison pills one swallows with the futile hope of injuring someone else. It is far better to avoid Negative Nancy than to engage her in useless debate over the merits of her review.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

I remember when my eleventh grade American History teacher told me I was entitled to my own opinions. What a revelation. I’ve been opinionated ever since! One harsh review is one person’s opinion. The opinion might have merit and it might not. A series of critical reviews all commenting on the same flaw deserves more attention from the author than a single negative review. What have I learned from my reviews? I know now that subtleties are lost on some people. I need to be obvious about how I close my suspense plotlines, especially in complicated plots with several different threads pulling together near the end of the book.

A good agent considers an author’s entire brand.

A writer friend had some great advice. Would I really want an agent that would reject me based on one negative review? If I ever make it to the NYT Best Seller list, I’m likely to get tons of negative reviews. In the long run, one bad review means nothing. I’m going to continue to write no matter what.

One negative review doesn’t impact sales.

My sales actually jumped a bit right after the review posted. Go figure that one! :) So I’m moving on. And…my book could use a few more reviews. Play nice…please. From everything I’ve researched, read, and observed, writers with multiple works published by the same publisher generate more sales than writers with a ton of 5 star reviews. I am going to admit it. I want my books to sell, not because I anticipate getting rich, but simply because I want others to read my work. There is no greater thrill for this writer than when a fan asks when my next book will be released.

Some advice for reviewers.

If you haven’t read the book, please don’t write a review.

Writers work too hard requesting reviews to receive a bogus review. I love it when it’s obvious the reviewer actually read my work. I don’t put much stock in a review if it’s questionable the reviewer ever opened the book. I’ve read so many reviews that appear to be generated from review services, not legitimate reviewers. $5 for 5 great reviews reads just like what it is. You get what you pay for. Most savvy readers can tell the difference.

When reviewing someone’s baby, please be aware there is a person behind the work, a person who may not take rejection well. 

As a writer, an editor, and a member of critique groups, I’ve reviewed other people’s work for years. The old adage works here. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. The “sandwich” review helps take the sting out of critical comments. Layer one—say something nice. Layer two—discuss the plotline. Layer three—make your critical comments. And I do mean critical, not mean-spirited. Layer four—say something nice.

Slamming a fellow author’s work doesn’t increase your book’s chances of climbing the best seller charts.

This type of competition is petty and wasted effort. With tons of aspiring authors out there vying for attention, dissing a fellow author accomplishes absolutely nothing. Slamming another author reveals lack of knowledge about how the publishing industry works and tarnishes the shine on the author-reviewer’s own brand.

Thankfully, I survived this experience, but not without going through the five stages of grief. I learned a lot in the process, and hopefully it has made me a better, more aware writer.

Review Lucky's Charm by Jenn Nixon

Lucky's Charm by Jenn Nixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Felicia has become a contract killer for “the network”. After her mother dies, her father, Luciano, the original Lucky, spends the rest of his life pretending to be dead so he can track down his wife’s killer. When he dies, his best friend pulls Felicia into the network to take his place and continue his quest. It is tough for Felicia to do what she does and be anything close to normal. All of her interpersonal relationships are strained by the weight of her past. I won’t spoil it for other readers, but I will say I didn’t expect the ending.

I knew I was going to enjoy Lucky’s Charm before I was through reading the first chapter. I love stories with strong heroines and Felicia proved to be a very tough and capable, yet complex character. Nothing about her is simple. Her background as a child adopted by a hit man. Taking on her father’s identity in order to infiltrate the network so she can discover who killed her mother. Her personal, more than business, relationship with her handler and her father’s handler. And last but not least, her very sexy romantic relationship with another hit man. No wonder the woman has trust issues!

It’s hard being a hit woman, and tougher to write a hit woman with any level of credibility. It requires a great amount of suspended disbelief to get into a story of this type. Ms. Nixon does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into Lucky’s character. I confess when I first picked up the book, I expected Lucky to be one-dimensional, as most female characters in the action/adventure genre tend to be. Think, Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a movie to which Ms. Nixon gives a nod. The depth Ms. Nixon brought to this premise pleasantly surprised me.


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Review of Kiss Me by Jan Romes

Kiss Me by Jan Romes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kiss Me has all the elements of a fun contemporary romance. Hunky hero. Frustrated heroine. Wicked stepsister. Improbable situations. Fast and furious romance. Lots of chaos and more than a few plot twists the heroine should have seen coming, but didn't.

Lacy Goodlow comes back home to be a bridemaid for her wicked stepsister's wedding. On the way to the bachelorette party, she's pulled over by Jared Kelly, a very hunky cop. Yeah, the cop and the bridesmaid fall for each other, hard and fast. Unfortunately, handsome hunk cop comes with some relationship baggage in the form of Lacy's stepsister, Angela, the bride-to-be. And Angela is no angel. On the eve of her wedding to Brian, she's still trying to get into Jared's bed. Her attempts to keep Jared and Lacy apart are downright evil. It's been a long time since I've despised an antagonist so much! Romes wrote the character of Angela to evil perfection.

Lacy and Jared both have to overcome some major trust issues to finally get together. Both of them have a bad habit of believing Angela's lies. At times, I want to slap them both for their immaturity and gullibility. In the end, it takes a menagerie of well-meaning family and friends to get them together because the two of them obviously can't manage it by themselves. And yes, there is a happily ever after for them.

My only complaint was I thought the book could have used a better edit. At times, the dialogue from two characters is placed together in a single paragraph so the reader has a hard time distinguishing who is speaking.

Would I recommend Kiss Me? This would be a good beach or relaxing vacation read.

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Review of Disrupted Lives by Brenda Youngerman

Disrupted Lives

By Brenda Youngerman

Disrupted Lives is about injustice—social, economic, and racial. It’s the tale of two families, whose lives intertwine when one couple adopts the child of another couple. The tale of how the mistakes and prejudices of one generation can affect future generations. It is the story of how things beyond one’s control can shape a life and create a lifetime of regret and misery.

Ms. Youngerman weaves her plot with sympathy and understanding, relating how the decisions one person makes can disrupt the lives of so many others. Although the book is set in the Southern United States, it is a story that could have happened anywhere in any time—a timeless relating of the pain of betrayal, the heartache of rejection, and the devastating consequences of stubborn pride.

Her characters are drawn to perfection. Sympathy for Amelia, the woman whose child is taken from her against her will. Anger towards Fiona, whose pride in social standing alienates her from one grandson and sows the seeds of prejudice in another. Disgust for Chad, whose spineless refusal to stand up to his mother causes irreparable damage in his own family. Respect for Ben, who rises above the injustices of his childhood to become a great man.

In the end, Youngerman gives the reader a bright ray of hope. The abused can rise above their situation. The hurting can be healed. The stray can find a home. There is poetic justice for the hard-hearted.

This is both a serious and entertaining read. Ms. Youngerman’s goal is to write fiction with a purpose. She has accomplished her mission with this book. This is a good read for the person who wants to read more than superficial fluff, for someone wants to read something real.

Review of The Girl on Legare Street

The Girl on Legare Street (Tradd Street #2)

by Karen White

4 out of 5 stars

It took me awhile to finish The Girl on Legare Street, not because the book didn’t keep my interest but because my life kept getting in the way. A lengthy road trip gave me the opportunity to finish the second in Karen White’s Tradd Street Series. Despite a few writing style choices that made me cringe, I enjoyed The House on Tradd Street very much and looked forward to reading the second book in the series. I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve come to appreciate an intricately woven ghost story. Ms. White delivers.

In this second book in the series, once again Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm combine complementary skills to solve a decades old mystery. Melanie’s estranged mother Ginette Prioleau returns to town and buys the old Prioleau home. An angry ghost haunts the Legare Street house and threatens both Melanie and her mother. When Ginette begs Melanie for help, emotional ghosts from Melanie’s past start causing all sorts of trouble. Not only does Melanie struggle with feelings of abandonment, but she also struggles with her feelings for Jack. Her love/hate relationship with Jack adds to the suspense. Insert another woman in Jack’s life and Melanie’s mix of emotions turns into a nasty concoction of denial, frustration, anger, and longing. It makes matters worse that Jack’s other woman, Rebecca Edgerton, manages to stick her nose into Melanie’s business.

If you read Tradd Street, then you already know Jack is H.O.T. hot and easily distracted and Melanie is a control freak. I grew tired of Melanie’s whining in Tradd Street and her attitude didn’t improve much until the end of Legare Street. I didn’t feel sympathy for this woman’s whiny attitude and stubborn denial. Most of the time I wanted to slap some sense into her.

Despite my less than warm feeling for the main character, I still wanted a happily ever after for the hero and heroine. I was disappointed. Ms. White takes one and five-sixths books for Jack to kiss Melanie! She keeps her readers anxiously waiting for the big moment when Jack and Melanie confess their feelings for each other. Some very tense writing, but enough unrequited sexual tension already. The important moment of reading satisfaction doesn’t happen by the end of book two. Maybe so the reader will buy book three?

Legare Street is romantic suspense. There is a hero. There is a heroine. There is intense attraction between them. There is suspense. As a reader I want to fall in love with the hero. Jack let me down. His actions caused him to fall from his hero pedestal. If he loves Melanie, why would he do what he did? Ms. White pushed my suspension of disbelief beyond credibility. I can’t give my whole heart to Jack any longer and I’m not sure I want Melanie to give hers either!

Will I read the third book in the series? Yes, despite my lack of sympathy for the hero and heroine, I intend to read the next book. Ms. White writes a good ghost story with some great moments of suspense and some very nice twists. But if I was Melanie I’d ditch Jack, and if I was Jack, I’d forget about Melanie. On second thought, maybe those two deserve each other.

Review of Bahdria by @IngridMichaels

Bahdria: A Love Story by Ingrid Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ingrid Michaels has a crisp, clean writing style that engaged me from the very first word. Bahdria is subtitled A Love Story, and truly this is one of the sweetest love stories I’ve read in a long time. I’m looking forward to reading more of Ingrid’s work.

Jean-Marc is a true hero, practicing medicine for Doctors Without Borders in a refugee camp in the Sub-Saharan desert. The camp suffers from limited supplies and a broken water well. When a preteen boy attempts to fix the ruptured mechanism and falls in, Jean-Marc doesn’t hesitate to descend into the depths of the well to save the youngster. Such is his dedication to saving lives.

The high point of the story centers on the selfless love of Jean-Marc for his wife Sharon, whom he affectionately calls Bahdria. He succeeds in rescuing the boy, but slips and hangs on the side of the well, struggling to gain purchase. Sharon grips the rope surrounding his waist desperately trying to keep her husband from plunging to his death, and in so doing endangers her own life. A light of selflessness shines around this couple. Bahdria is a tale of courage, commitment, and unconditional love. I won’t reveal the beautiful end of this story, but I will tell you this closing scene brought tears to my eyes—something that doesn’t happen very often.


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Review of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With such an incredible title, I expected more from this book. It’s as if Mr. Ford exerted all of his creative energy in tantalizing the reader with the promise of something profound. This is a sweet love story, a coming of age story, a classic conflict between father and son story, all rolled into an adequate effort. Hotel is a bittersweet tale of young love lost set in the backdrop of Seattle during World War II just as Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

Henry, a native-born American of Chinese ancestry, filters his perceptions of his family, his identity, and his sense of right and wrong through the lens of honor, duty, and loyalty. Those bedrocks of Chinese culture are stretched to the breaking point for Henry when he falls for Keiko, a native-born American of Japanese ancestry.

In Seattle, Washington, during WWII, a relationship between a Chinese boy and Japanese girl was unthinkable. Geographical, cultural, and social, the barriers between the two young people were insurmountable until both of their fathers sent them to an all-white prep school on scholarship. The survival of the two outcasts in a hostile environment bonds Henry and Keiko. Although her parents accept the relationship, Henry’s father objects strongly enough to interfere with the young lovers. The two are separated when Keiko and her family are “evacuated” to an Internment Camp in Idaho.

The inciting incident in 1986 is the renovation of an old hotel in the area of Seattle that used to be the Japanese district. When Henry learns of the discovery in the basement of items belonging to Japanese internees, he decides he must find something there that belonged to Keiko. The story flip-flops between Henry’s memories of 1942 and his current life in 1986. As with Henry and his father before him, there is a strain between Henry and his son Marty. It seems some things do pass down from generation to generation. The common quest to find Keiko’s belongings finally bonds Henry with his son and helps Henry understand the actions of his deceased father better.

Other reviewers have addressed the numerous anachronisms in the sections set in 1986. Truthfully, I didn’t catch them. I was so engrossed in the underlying story I didn’t notice. That’s not say Mr. Ford’s voice or writing style was compelling or page-turning. As I said before, the story telling is adequate if not a little overly simplistic and sentimental at times. The premise alone kept me reading, despite some of Mr. Ford’s plot devices stretching the limits of credibility.

I would have given the book three stars had it not been for the underlying bittersweet nature of Henry’s undying love for Keiko, even years later after having lived his entire adulthood with another woman. I’m a sucker for a sweet love story. Mr. Ford did enough research on race relations during that era of American history to give the often used bittersweet story of forbidden love lost plot line a new spin.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Not necessarily a page-turner, but a good solid read-it-when-you-have-a-spare-minute sort of read.



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Review of The House on Tradd Street

The House on Tradd Street by Karen White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first in a series of books. The main character, Melanie Middleton, sees ghosts and doesn't want anyone to know it. In fact, she's been denying her gift for years. That's why she hates old houses and antiques. So inheriting an old house South of Broad in Charleston, SC, filled with ghosts is not on her things-to-do-before-I-die list.

When I first started reading this book, I felt pretty certain I would give it two or three stars. The main character's personality is not pleasing in the least. She's whiney, immature, and prickly. I think perhaps my aversion to Melanie comes from her repeated insistence that she hates old houses. She tells this to anyone who will listen over and over again. After the first couple of mentions, I got the hint. It took awhile longer for Melanie to let the reader know WHY she hates old houses. As the reader, I wouldn't have minded knowing this sooner, since Melanie knew it from before the beginning of the book. I'm not opposed to a less than likable heroine, except when it comes to romance. And this book definitely can be classified in a subgenre of romance.

Ms. Middleton is pursued by two men, Jack and Marc. It doesn't take long for the reader to realize that Marc is not a very nice guy and his intentions are not honest. On the contrary, Jack, although not always honest, at least means well and is truly attracted to Melanie (who knows why?). Melanie's determination to date Marc long after the reader knows she shouldn't is not credible. Jack details Marc's questionable business dealings and shady history to her, yet she still dates Marc even while she imagines it's Jack she's kissing! Her reason for this is thin. I won't spoil it by detailing why. This makes me think Melanie isn't very bright. I like heroines to have a modicum of common sense. How else is the heroine going to overcome her problems otherwise?

This book suffered from the need for a better edit. The text had so many typos, omitted words, and misspellings that it was distracting. I had a hard time getting past the first page. The word house was used seven times in the first seven sentences. Further into the chapter the word room was repeated several times in a close space. The redundancy interrupted the flow of the chapter. The pacing of the first few chapters read very choppy.

So why did I give the book four stars? The premise and the plot line were interesting. Once I got past the earlier chapters and got into the story, the pace picked up and smoothed out. By the time I was half-way through the book, I was in love with Jack and wanted desperately for Melanie to see he was the guy for her. Call me a hopeless romantic. The mystery surrounding the house Melanie inherited was unraveled at a pleasing rate. The suspense kept me turning the pages.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I'll be checking out the next book in this series.

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Review of Bloodroot

Bloodroot by Amy Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, my, what can I say about Bloodroot? I have so many impressions, and the sad thing is they seem to be disconnected and disjointed. Maybe that’s the best way to describe Amy Greene’s book. In a somewhat patched together manner, the book follows the life of Myra (Lamb) Mayes Odom. Even her name presents an inconsistency. Her father’s name was Mayes but the characters called her Myra Lamb.

Myra is a wild child. The woods and the trees and the hills and the animals and the (fill in the blank) inhabit her spirit. Ms. Greene relates this aspect of Myra’s essence to the reader repeatedly. Myra was one with nature, a free spirit. I love great narrative descriptions of setting, especially natural scenery, but I think a good fifty percent or more of this book was descriptions of the natural surroundings. Perhaps Ms. Greene was trying to suggest the deep love for the land and the mountain. Okay, after the first few narrative descriptions, I got it. With very little dialogue, I felt like I had to wade through mountain streams and climb wooded hills to get to the plot of this story. It was like digging out the bloodroots for which the book and the mountain were named.

The book flip-flops between three generations of Lamb descendants--people in Myra’s life, told in first person with multiple points of view, and not in chronological order. The story begins with section one as told by Myra’s grandmother and Myra’s best friend, a boy who loves her with a deep abiding unrequited love. The story continues in section two told by Myra’s twins as they approach adulthood with no grounding in the finer nuances of living in a structured society. Section three backtracks in time and is told by Myra as she struggles with adjusting to life with a man whose violent nature finally overcomes his passionate love for her and then as she tries to hide her twins from his violent and vindictive family. And finally, the epilogue is told my Myra’s husband, years later after he’s been missing for nearly twenty years.

Myra’s grandmother suggests a curse was put on the Lamb family. And certainly, this family had more than its share of tragedy and dysfunction. The story is textured with the definition of poverty, ignorance, and double standards. Girls had few choices for the future and invariably married young. Men held their women under their thumb simply because they had the economic and physical power to do so. Unfortunately, poverty and ignorance often go hand in hand. Not until the fourth generation did anyone in the family have the means to overcome poverty.

Greene finishes the book from John Odom’s point of view. His explanations for his abusive behavior are rooted in the dysfunction in the Odom family. When Myra’s dysfunction and John’s dysfunction combined, the result was disastrous for everyone concerned. His life is a testimony to the truth that an abused child will often become an abuser, yet I still had a difficult time developing any sympathy for his character, despite the uneasy feeling that Greene wanted me to do so. Ending the story from his point of view left a bitter aftertaste.
I gave this a solid four stars. Despite the disjointed plot line and the repetitive narration, I couldn’t put this book down. I think because I wanted this family to overcome its past and find redemption in the triumph of surviving.


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Review of How Not to Write a Novel

How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide by Howard Mittelmark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thousands upon thousands of ambitious writers want to know how to get published. What is the magical key that will unlock the publisher’s door? We read endless books and blog posts on the subject. Join critique groups and subscribe to writer’s magazines. Helping the writer write is a literary genre unto itself.

So in the midst of all this helpful advice, Mittelmark and Newman suggest 200 ways to guarantee a writer’s manuscript will stay unpublished, a sort of backwards way to say the same things that have already been said. This entry into the swirling cauldron of information endeavors to both entertain and inform. At times, the book works as clever and witty entertainment. Occasionally, there are moments of crude or slapstick humor. But does this book work as a guide to writing? Not so much.

Each point is made with an example followed by an explanation. Indeed, each of the cases presented are prime examples of what not to do. Where the premise breaks down is in the following explanations. Even though the examples are sometimes humorous, the explanations are often vague or even sarcastic. There are few follow up examples of how the passage could have been written better.

An entire section is devoted to sex scenes. This section could have been written about any action sequence, not just sex scenes. The focus on sex seems more like a crass attempt to titillate the reader rather than an actual attempt to explain what not to do when writing action sequences. (And yes, sex scenes are action scenes.) As in fiction, a scene is included if it progresses the plot, not solely for the sake of writing the scene. This concentration on one aspect of writing action sequences might even been considered how not to write a how to book.

Will the reader learn something new from this book? Maybe if he or she reads between the lines and interprets everything in reverse. Will the reader be entertained? Sometimes. Depends on the reader’s definition of funny.


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Review of This One and Magic Life

This One and Magic Life by Anne C. George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of a not necessarily typical Southern family. Possibly one of the best examples of Southern Lit I've come across in a long time. Ms. George creates an ensemble of memorable characters. Sarah and Thomas, the first generation of Sullivans in Harlowe, Alabama. Artie, Donnie, and Hektor, their children, who share a horrible secret. Mariel, Donnie's wife, who feels that Artie "stole" her daughter, Dolly. The story opens with the last moments of Artie's life and unfolds after her death. Emotions are stirred when the lawyer reveals Artie's last request. She wants to be cremated. Her family divides on the subject, as they are Catholic. Each of the second generation deal with Artie's death through their own lens. Donnie honors her last request and has her cremated in Birmingham. Mariel fakes the funeral with a closed casket. Hektor has his own private funeral with some of Artie's ashes and a questionable priest he drags out of the swamps of Mississippi.

As with most families, there are triumphs, tragedies, misunderstandings, and varying degrees of dysfunction. Through flashbacks and dialogue, Ms. George reveals slowly and precisely the events and relationships that create dysfunction in this family. The roots of jealousy and misunderstanding which began with Sarah and Thomas are revealed as each character examines their relationship with the deceased. Perhaps, the character that grows the most throughout the experience is the sister-in-law, Mariel, as she redefines and rebuilds her relationship with her daughter.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves Southern Literature.

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Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I usually can't wait for a new Mary Kay Andrews to hit the shelves, but it took me a while to get around to reading Summer Rental. I looked forward to this read with anticipation. The book is basic chick lit. Three friends, Ellis, Julia, and Dorie, go to the beach to get away from their lives and find out what they really want from life... sort of.

Andrews usually writes with charm and wit and just a bit of attitude. Her stories are generally full of southernisms and over the top characterizations and just to the edge of belief situations, which is what makes an Andrews read so much fun. But I found this book flat. The characters were predictable, their lives were predictable, the ending was predictable, even the hot romance with the hot guy was predictable. And where were the slices of Southern Americana I was waiting for?

The introduction of a fourth character added the suspense element to the plot, but I found the telling of Maryn's story redundant. First Andrews tells the reader about Maryn and her woes though an information dump, and then she retells her story through lengthy dialogue chunks several chapters later. It would have been far better if Andrews had never added Maryn's POV, but rather told her story through the other characters's interaction with her. Or even better if Maryn's story had been one of the three main character's story, and her character omitted.

The most distracting element of the read was Andrews head-hopping. I'd just get settled into one character's point of view when she'd cut to another character's point of view mid-scene, and then switch back before the scene was over, sometimes bouncing between three points of view in one scene.

I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the end to see what happens because the narrative seemed to drag on and on. This is the first time I've had to talk myself into finishing an Andrews. Would I recommend this book? Well.. If you've never read an Andrews, I'd suggest reading Hissy Fit or Little Bitty Lies first.

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Review of The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I struggled with the rating and review for The Help, a story about a white woman writing a book about oppressed domestic help in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. Usually, the sign of a compelling read for me. But I never considered giving it a 5. I flip flopped between 1 and 3. The book bothered me (not its subject matter, but its execution), and I couldn’t rest until I’d untangled what kept pushing me toward the lower rating. I admit I settled on 3 simply because I couldn’t put the book down. I kept reading because I wanted to know what Celia’s secret was and what the heck Minny put in that pie. And I think that’s what bothered me. In a book whose underlying subject has so much more relevance than these details, the trivial captured my attention.

With so much about the book and the movie already discussed, I wasn’t sure I could add anything to the public discourse. As a white woman who grew up in the south in the sixties and came of age in the seventies, I don’t feel adequate to address the social issues underlying the debate. I was either too young, or too oblivious, or too sheltered to understand or recognize the racial tensions in our community during that era. Even going to a mixed race high school in the seventies, I had little personal experience with racial conflict. After reading the book, I have a difficult time believing Ms. Stockett has any more personal experience than I do. Not that a writer can’t write about things they know little about. Ordinarily, adequate research solves the lack of knowledge. I do, however, have a difficult time believing Ms. Stockett’s characters, both white and black, are anything more than caricatures or stereotypes.

If The Help is supposed to be a commentary on social injustice or an attempt at recording history through fiction or even a story about overcoming oppression, it fails miserably. If it’s supposed to be a entertaining, fun read, it fails just as much. For me to find the underlying premise of a work of fiction credible, especially one that attempts to address such a charged issue, my disbelief has to be suspended. I have to find the situations and characters, emotions and reactions, believable. The premise of the book has been minimalized by the devises Ms. Stockett chose to move her plot. The conclusion of the book breaks down. For the central characters, everything is wrapped up in a happily-ever-after ending. The way in which Hilly confirms Aibileen contributed to the book is weak. The use of the pie and its secret ingredient is disgusting and unbelievable. The naked man in Celia’s backyard adds little to the plot except some comic relief. The contrivance by which Hilly is silenced and the maids escape retaliation is thin. If this were a true story, recriminations would have been swift and harsh. The subject matter is too serious to be taken lightly.

There is hypocrisy in the way Ms. Stockett portrays her heroine. A lot has been written referring to the character of Skeeter Phelan as another white-savior protagonist. I really don’t see her as a savior. She reads more like a selfish little white girl, anxious to get away from a miserable life and an overbearing mother, whose social mores are skewed to say the least. How many white girls in the south endured similar pressures? Much pressure was placed on little white girls to find a husband. If we dared to desire a career, then we were pushed toward nursing or teaching, traditionally feminine roles. Did the desire to be a catalyst for social change prompt Skeeter to write about the oppression of black maids? No, I don’t think so. Ms. Stockett gave some lip service to this notion, but Skeeter’s true motives were revealed in her actions.

There is nothing heroic about pushing Aibileen and Minny to risk their lives so that Skeeter can get a job in New York in the publishing industry. Without their stories, Skeeter had no book. The social ostracism she endured was nothing compared to what might have happened to the maids. No one forced them to tell their stories. They made their choice despite the threat of great personal harm. Disappointment, anger, frustration, indignation pushed them to cross the lines drawn by powerful people. For me, the real heroine is Minny. She contributed to the book and urged her friends to do so as well at great risk to herself and her family. Then she included the one story that would bring the wrath of Hilly on her head, providing a buffer between Hilly and the other maids. Ms. Stockett’s choice of Skeeter for her main character minimized Minny’s larger role in the story. I think the premise would have benefited greatly if the story had been told strictly through Minny’s point of view.

The real story is the abuse of power by those in authority. There is more than one kind of oppression here. The white women over their black maids. Leroy over Minny. Charlotte over Skeeter. Elizabeth over Mae Mobley. Hilly over Celia. Hilly over the women of Jackson. By submerging her story in the hot topic of racism, Ms. Stockett diminished a more fundamental aspect of the human condition, one human being’s capacity to torment another human being simply because she (or he) can.



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Review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I would give this three and a half stars, leaning more to the three. The novel started slow, but picked up as the story progressed. Backstory bogged down the first chapter. Most of the narrative in Chapter One could have been woven into the remainder of the novel. There was a lot of narrative and little dialogue throughout the entire book, and the pacing seemed off at times. This is a story that screams for action sequences, fast paced and full of dialogue. The settings are shown to the reader in wonderful detail, artfully written, but the characters reactions in action sequences sometimes read choppy and forced.

This story concept has potential that was wasted. It's a relatively short book, and I can't help but wonder if some of the long passages of Jacob's inner thoughts were added to fluff the word count. I enjoyed the pictures. They added a unique twist to the novel.

As far as plot and characterization, I think the novel suffered from lack of credibility. Not of the situation, but of the characters actions and reactions. If I found myself in such a circumstance, I don't think I'd react as calmly as Jacob. This would be a harrowing situation for anyone, let alone someone of Jacob's seemingly weak character and immaturity. I expect stronger reactions to nightmares come to life.

I would have liked to get a better idea of the inner conflicts Emma might have felt. Her character is important to the story, but so little of her personality was shown to the reader. As was the case with all of the peculiar children. They are written more as caricatures of carnival freaks than humans with real emotions. Their personalities were one-dimentional at best.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe. If you don't have something more compelling waiting.

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