Do you find it harder to effectively review a book with lots of grammar/punctuation errors?

[Dareth Jeffers]

The first book that I reviewed seemed to have not been edited at all. It may it very difficult to actually complete a review. I found myself only writing about the errors and not an actual book review.

Does anyone have tips on how to focus more on the review when you are struggling to get through the book because of all the errors?

[Claudia Angelucci]

Definitely, it is challenging reading a book full of errors. However, once you reach 10 errors, you can stop noting them. So, after identifying 10 mistakes, I strive to continue reading and ignore the other mistakes.
It can be highly distracting when a book is full of errors. It's a real shame when a book lacks proper editing, diminishing the overall reading experience.

[Jordan Meehan]

Without a doubt. I am currently reviewing a book that has had so many errors, it's distracting. For me to enjoy and get engrossed in a book, it has to flow well with no or at least minimal grammatical errors. Otherwise, the "spell" gets broken and I lose interest more easily.

[Ika Apo]

I definitely do. If I see too many errors, I get frustrated with it and find it hard to be objective.

[Tommy Mayengbam]

Yes. I find books with numerous errors quite distracting.

[Ceildric]

On the contrary, I think reviewing a book with numerous errors only makes a reviewer's job easier. Being a good writer means being a good communicator. This is even more the case if what you're reviewing is fiction, as there is no question of a great idea or deep truth being lost to poor expression. Fiction is entirely about the experience. So, you can comfortably score the book low, have plenty of justification for doing so, and hardly anyone will disagree because of how readily apparent it all is.

In my opinion it's far more challenging when there are few, if any, technical errors, but the writer's work still feels very average (at best). They have checked all the boxes, but in a lifeless sort of way. And then you, the reviewer, must somehow find a way to convey this elusive truth to others who may not notice what you've noticed.

[Zanne Crystle]

It's hard to enjoy reading books with distracting mistakes, but I try my best to ignore them. What's even worse than mistakes is when the writer has a writing style that I really don't like. Recently I read a book where the writing was so tedious and repetitive that it was almost unbearable to read. It felt like the author was intentionally trying to stretch out the book to reach a certain word count.

[Chockanathan G]

I haven't encountered this kind of problems. I have seen only minor mistakes. These kind of mistakes do not affect my reading and it is not hard to read.

[Alissa Nesson]

The first book I reviewed on this site was also full of errors. I didn’t find it harder to review the book but I did find it distracting while reading. Thank goodness we can stop writing down the errors after ten of them! The book I was reviewing was poorly written as well, so I didn’t have a problem writing about how I felt about it as well as the numerous errors. You do have the option to say you hate the book and do not want to finish it if you want to, and then you can just choose another book.

[Varisha Khanna]

Yes definitely. If a book is not well edited I can get a headache reading the novel for sure.

[Blueberry Dragon]

It's hard to enjoy reading books with distracting mistakes, but I try my best to ignore them. What's even worse than mistakes is when the writer has a writing style that I really don't like. Recently I read a book where the writing was so tedious and repetitive that it was almost unbearable to read. It felt like the author was intentionally trying to stretch out the book to reach a certain word count.

@Zanne Crystle I'd agree with you here. Bad editing is a distraction at worst, and it's best to ignore it.

[hanaduheric]

Yep!
I guess that is why editors should do a good job. With errors, books seem sloppy, and it's like even the editors found it so bland or poorly written they gave up.
Honestly, editing is 20% of the job.

[Genesis Haney]

Yes!
I hate it when the book that I am reviewing has a lot of grammatical mistakes because in this website you have to note all of the grammatical mistakes and I have to check whether the mistake i have noted is actually a grammatical mistake or just the writing style of the author also this writing style thing is so complicated and then I also have to face that fear that i might not have noted all of the grammatical mistakes in the book and it can result in me getting a lower editorial scorecard which might end up in lowering my level which is avey saddening thing overall it is amess and i usually don't give a very high rating to those book with many grammatical mistakes.

[Lorna Kimondo]

I have not yet encountered a book full of errors. If was in your shoes, I would look for aspects of the book that stand out positively. This could be the plot, characters, themes, or unique elements that resonate despite the editing problems. And also suggesting how the editing could be improved without letting it overshadow the overall review.

[Koffie Solomon]

First of all books with a lot of errors make it extremely hard for me to read with understanding but it would not affect my review very much.