I've gotten my first negative reviews at Amazon. <sigh.> Really, I did think some Austen fans might not quite 'get' the book, so I wasn't entirely surprised, though the initial feedback (from endorsements and such) has been so incredibly positive. I'm trying not to have my feelings hurt, and I'm glad to get a healthy debate going. So if you've read the book and loved it -- or hated it -- please stop by Amazon and post your thoughts.
If you've read the Amazon reader reviews and wonder whether you'll like the book, there are lots of excerpts here on the blog. And just to be clear, it's a memoir / biography / travelogue, so it's as much about me as it is about Jane.
If it makes you feel any better, I'm intrigued by negative reviews on Amazon...it indicates that someone outside the author's immediate family is reading the book. And if what they don't like sounds like something I'd love, I'm more likely to read it myself.
Here's to lots of controversy to build your fan base :)
Posted by: Trish Ryan | November 02, 2007 at 02:27 PM
Thanks, Trish -- that's a wonderful way to look at it. It's a bit of a blow to the ego. I guess, too, it ensures that the book will get into the hands of readers who WILL love it (hopefully!).
Posted by: Lori Smith | November 02, 2007 at 02:48 PM
I think the negative reviewers did get it. It is like they want all things only Jane, and don't see the value in applying literature to self-discovery and understanding. Put it another way, you've internalized Austen, trying her characters on, and examining how they apply to your life experiences. Whereas the detractors seem to be asking not for synthesis but more Austen facts; keeping the literature external.
I thought the book was wonderful, I enjoyed every page, and even bought a copy for a dear friend.
Controversy sells newspapers; maybe it will sell books as well.
Posted by: Miriam | November 02, 2007 at 05:03 PM
Lori, I'm mostly a lucker here at Following Austen, though I have posted comments a couple of times. This post made me decide to actually take the time to write up a review for Amazon. I'm not sure what name I'll come up under, probably "Heather B." Anyway, I hope the review is okay. Thanks for a lovely read!
Posted by: Heather B. | November 02, 2007 at 06:10 PM
OOOpppSSS. I meant to say, "I think the negative reviewers DID'NT get it." Maybe you can make that correction.
Posted by: Miriam | November 02, 2007 at 06:11 PM
I read that negative review and was so sad to see it prominently displayed. I had tried to be the first person to place a review on Amazon, couldn't get my password to work, got busy, then forgot.
The reader's reasons for disliking the book are the reasons I liked the book. Single women can easily relate to your words, so I have no fear you will find your audience. In addition, the reader obviously has no idea how difficult it is to set down one's true feelings and emotions and share them with the world.
As for Amazon's book reviews, it's the number of stars that matter. And I shall make sure to add to them.
Posted by: ms. place | November 03, 2007 at 09:19 AM
Guys -- I've been meaning to reply for ages. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement. I've decided that what I really want to tell them is that they should have read the first draft -- it was MUCH worse! It's tough, because as a writer there's an awful lot of self-doubt, and the writing process is very solitary. It's really just you (at the manuscript stage) getting all this on paper and making it into a real book. And you think all these horrible thoughts all the time. So bad reviews simply echo some of the things you've been telling yourself the whole time. As, actually, do the good ones, because there's that voice in your head as well. Perhaps as a writer I'm doomed to be hopelessly neurotic. Ah, well -- thanks for helping me stay sane!
Posted by: Lori Smith | November 13, 2007 at 11:43 AM