Questions

[kippurbird]

How much lenience should you give to a novel because of conceits of genre?

I'm reading an ARC currently to review and it's a romance novel, but there are still things that are irking me. However some of the things that irk me are things that are sort of 'parts of the genre'. Things like the Love Interest finding the Girl stunningly beautiful the first time he lays eyes on her. Etc.

A lot of stuff is good about it, but the cliches of the genre are bothering the hell out of me. So, should this sort of thing effect my review or should I let it be?

Comments

[ravenswept.livejournal.com]

You can acknowledge that standard tropes of the genre are being used, but if they're just played straight and still aren't interesting enough to overlook, then by all means bring that issue up. Your review doesn't have to the median line for all readers, it's about your impression. If your impression is that the standardly boring cliches are standard and boring, enough that it effects your reading of it, then it's something to bring up.

[swankivy.livejournal.com]

I reviewed a romance early in its life at one point and I brought those things up to the author. Her response was to explain to me--patiently, because she knows that romance isn't my genre--that for romance readers, the audience knows that the couple is going to get together. They are expecting that. They like that. They're reading it for that. So what they're reading for is how, not whether.

I had a problem with this because it was just so damn obvious right from the beginning that nerdy girl and popular boy were going to hook up despite their initial dislike of each other. But as she explained to me, that's okay to have in a romance because the audience is counting on it, and if they thought something else was going to happen they wouldn't read it.

Feel free to point out the predictable, but perhaps keep in mind that romance fans read stuff partly FOR the things that don't happen in life. You might suggest a more realistic portrayal of the guy finding the girl stunning at first glance, suggesting you don't really "feel it" and maybe the author needs to give more reasons or more oomph behind the automatic attraction, but do keep in mind why romance readers read romance and try to isolate whether things that are putting you off are doing so because they're a cheesy-but-beloved part of the genre or because they're actually legitimately crappy.

[sheherazahde.livejournal.com]

I vote "let it be".

I hate it when reviewers don't "get" the genre of the material they are reviewing.

Think about the purpose of your review. Who is your audience? What do they need to know. What do they already expect from this book?

People who like romance novels know what to expect and will probably be annoyed if you complain about things you should have known would happen. But you could acknowledge your bias. Something like "I don't usually read romance novels and there are some things about the genre that irk me... But other than that..."

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

Well...
My LJ friend Seanan McGuire writes a series of urban fantasy novels about the fae and the fairy world. One review complained, "nobody told me there would be fairies in these books!"
In a genre like romance, there really are cliches and tropes that are so predictable they're almost boring. I usually don't read romance because I get tired of unrealistically mind-blowing orgasms with every sex scene, and how amazingly beautiful everyone is all the time to everyone else, etc. But that really is part of what sells!

[sheherazahde.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Complaining about fairies in a fantasy novel tells the readers that they should ignore everything you say because you are not the intended audience for the book.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Steam punk science fiction fans. :D

And I refuse to put "I don't usually read romance novels" because that irks the hell out of me.

[sheherazahde.livejournal.com]

The wording was just a suggestion, I'm not the boss of you.

If your audience is not romance readers then they probably want to be warned of things they won't like, as well as advised of things that might attract them to this book.

There are a lot of cross genre novels now-a-days. I'm not a big romance reader, but I like the Sharon Shinn's Samaria series for the science fiction. If I were reviewing it for a sci-fi audience I would warn them about the romance novel element. If I were reviewing it for the romance community I would warn them about the sci-fi element.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

Honestly, is it a wise idea to review for a genre you don't like?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It's more steampunk than romance, to be honest. And I think that a good book should be a good book no matter what the genre. While I am having a few issues with the typical romance cliches, the writing is fairly solid and quite a few of the characters are likeable.

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

Sorry, that was me!

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

It's the logic of you review what you like. If I don't like Indian food, then any review of Indian food will be tainted. If I critique it for being too spicy, aren't I critiquing it for being Indian?
Yes, it should be a good book regardless of genre. But different genre ask for different things, like others have said, certain tropes are standard for fantasy and are expected by the audience.

[authoressarktos.livejournal.com]

Depends.

Do you think if you tackle those tired cliches, commenting on them will take more than the occasional paragrah or two? Do you think you'd be able to enjoy sporking the thing to hell and back, or would it just become a chore/serious rant on the genre?

Ultimately, I think the best person qualified to decide is you. If you think it works, go for it, no matter what anyone says. If you don't, toss it and start with something you can really dissect properly without bias.

[kjtaylor.livejournal.com]

Just because it belongs to a genre doesn't mean it has to follow the cliches. That's like saying that if it's fantasy, then that means everyone has to have a sword with a name and that's A-OK. One of the ways that a book can impress people is by belonging to a genre, but avoiding the tropes.
I say, does it hold up well just as a piece of fiction? Not, does it hold up well as romance novel, but just as a book.

[palmer-kun.livejournal.com]

When dealing with genre tropes, you have to work within the genre.
It's completely disingenuous to review a romance, and then complain there was romance.

Some genres are very strictly defined, and the tropes are pretty much mandatory. As a reviewer, you have to accept that as a basis. You cannot judge it based on other genre standards.

When it comes to genre tropes...

If they are done poorly, or in an extremely cliched way... you can call that out.
If they're done in a regular sort of way... DON'T MENTION IT.
If they're done in an unusual or interesting way, mention it.
If they're averted, maybe mention it.
If they're SUBverted, definitely mention it.

It's like, if you were reviewing a car, you wouldn't comment on how it has a steering wheel and tires, and how boring it is that every car has tires. You would only mention the tires if they were unusual in some way.

If you're bothered this much by the genre tropes, DON'T REVIEW THE GENRE.

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

If you're bothered this much by the genre tropes, DON'T REVIEW THE GENRE.

This! Oh most certainly this! I can't tell you how infuriating it is to see someone who doesn't "get" or enjoy a genre try to review a book in that genre.