OPINION —
It doesn’t matter whether the writer has already published or is a novice seeking glory. When a writer sees that new critiques of their work are available on Goodreads, they anticipate that these readers wrote nice things about their book. If the work is fiction or nonfiction, they may say, “Bring it on.”
Yet when they find that many readers gave them just 1-star or 2-star ratings, those who are already accomplished will be surprised and angered. Those who think the ratings will be very good for their first book are sometimes devastated to see that most of the reviews were rather disappointing.
In the case of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the new book “The Snow Forest,” she found a career crisis. The story features a Russian family that escapes Bolshevik, Russia and lives decades in remote Siberia. The subject was thought to be one that would inspire readers as Gilbert’s previous two did.
“A week later, users were enraged by the book’s Russian setting,” recalled Angela Lashbrook, a Slate writer. “They launched a coordinated attack on the book’s Goodreads page; Gilbert pulled her novel “indefinitely.”
The “they” she is presumably talking about are people who hate Russia and the Communist Revolution that birthed there. Or it could be a country that is an enemy of Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
I see a lot of irony in these “review bombing” incidents. Goodreads has been widely praised since it began in 2006. It has encouraged people to read more, and by contributing reviews, readers are more engaged. Yet now Goodreads is a hostage of people who don’t even read most of the books and have positive reviews from others.
“Review bombing” is another rung in how big-fist ideological people are hurting our civic life. If they were less abrasive I would welcome them to the marketplace of ideas. These acts to earn a large say-so in schools and with intellectual activities are largely on the Right now.
But in other states, that are not conservative, one can record similar strong approaches from the Left. As individuals, the activists on both sides are likely easy to talk to. But the groups are the problem, including in the case of Gilbert and Goodreads.
According to Alissa Wilkinson in Vox, in 2019, Rotten Tomatoes revised its operations to stop trolls. (A troll is a person who posts offensive, incendiary or off-topic comments online with the aim to start trouble or “flame” others.) Trolls have been known to cyberbully, discredit or spread disinformation online.
The big change is that Rotten Tomatoes now tabulates audience scores by allowing only users who purchased a movie ticket through Fandango, its parent company. This is the only way to have their reviews count toward a movie’s overall reception. These will be the only “verified scores” and the site will show the verified score first.
“Movie critics are vetted by Rotten Tomatoes before their ratings and reviews are included,” wrote Wilkinson in the Vox article. “But for a long time since its inception, that wasn’t true for the audience score. Anyone could review and positively or negatively rate a movie, and their take would factor into the numerical audience score.”
Besides the concern for member critics to inflate or diminish work of authors they dislike, they say minorities and transgender people are being harassed thru Goodreads. Adibi Jaigirdar wrote by Email: “Authors of color are often ‘review bombed’ on Goodreads, simply for speaking up for themselves and calling out the abusive and often racist behavior of others in this industry.”
In an email, Post-Op Malone wrote: “Just saw another 5-star review for The Transgender Manifesto! I don’t promote the book much because I think it’s pretty dated three years later, but I’m so happy that it still continues to resonate with people.”
As a person who writes regularly about books and reading, I want to bring “review bombing” to your attention. Also, as a political writer, I want you to learn that such Right v. Left, attention to book and movie reviews, is a factor in our partisan divide.
The good news is that Rotten Tomatoes has apparently filled a lot of holes in its movie rating system. Amazon and Goodreads must try harder. Published authors like Gilbert must be protected from people lying about their books. So should writers just beginning their careers.
Greg Markley first moved to Lee County in 1996. He has masters degrees in education and history. He taught politics as an adjunct in Georgia and Alabama. An award-winning writer in the Army and civilian life, he has contributed to The Observer for 12 years. gm.markley@charter.net