Do you rate/review books you didn't finish?

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 20 May 2015, 23:31

I always try to rate or review a book after I have finished reading it, either on Goodreads or Amazon or both.

Recently I was looking through some reviews for a book I was interested in reading and found SEVERAL 1 star reviews for the book with the comment "DNF" or "did not finsh" or something to that degree. I was SHOCKED. People really do this? Give1 stars to a book even if they didn't read the whole thing? How do you know that it's worth only 1 star if you didn't read to the end?

It's shocking to me and I can't even imagine giving a rating to a book without reading the whole thing, even if I hated it at the beginning. The ending is always what makes or breaks the book for me, anyway.

So how about how? Can you rate books even before you finish?

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 20 May 2015, 23:38

Yes, but it has to do with the weakness. I don't do a whole lot of online reviewing, so I'll answer from the perspective of playing Devil's advocate for these other reviewers.

One book where I found 1-star reviews mentioned that the author was making all of these messed-up metaphors. I had been irritated by that too--it just seemed like poor writing. DNF.

However, it's trickier to rate a DNF in regard to plot, because maybe it's going somewhere you could never imagine.

I disliked a book whose opening sequence had multiple characters engaging in an action scene, and I could not visualize all of these characters, who weren't desribed, and I had no idea how to feel the scene. It was disorienting. DNF.

Another was chock-full of irritating sentence fragments. Like, "I couldn't go to the store. The store I hated. With no milk." Ad nauseam. I got really irritated by it and had no reason to believe it would improve. DNF.

Good question!

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 20 May 2015, 23:40

Well, if you have a reason to not finish it, I could understand. But these reviews just said that they didn't finish. No explanation. And I have no idea why!!!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 20 May 2015, 23:42

Ooh, they didn't explain? They just said DNF, 1-star?

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 20 May 2015, 23:48

word-for-word, that was iT! I don't get it... was it bad wrting? They didn't ilke the story? Maybe it was a reason that would really keep me away from the book or a reason that wouldn't bother me that much. Arg!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 20 May 2015, 23:50

Yeah, now that I think of it, I have encountered that at GR. It's frustratingly lazy reviewing! AARGH!

Sigh. One sentence would be helpful with a DNF.

dee74 · Post by **dee74** » 21 May 2015, 00:11

I don't rate them because I feel that it is unfair by me not finishing the book.

april-ballard · Post by **april-ballard** » 21 May 2015, 01:12

To date, I have never rated a book that I have not finished. That is not saying I haven't been sorely tempted! I feel obligated to read the whole book when I choose to review it, the good, bad, and oh yes, at times ugly. Writing a professional review on these type of books are hard for me, I like to find something to comment on that is positive. Bashing a person's efforts doesn't sit well with me, hopefully the one's reading the finished review can sit back and look at it with a positive attitude. There is always something we can do better, and these reviews can help pinpoint our weaknesses as well as highlight our strengths.

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 21 May 2015, 06:29

dee74 wrote:I don't rate them because I feel that it is unfair by me not finishing the book.

Same!

-- 21 May 2015, 21:30 --

april-ballard wrote:To date, I have never rated a book that I have not finished. That is not saying I haven't been sorely tempted! I feel obligated to read the whole book when I choose to review it, the good, bad, and oh yes, at times ugly. Writing a professional review on these type of books are hard for me, I like to find something to comment on that is positive. Bashing a person's efforts doesn't sit well with me, hopefully the one's reading the finished review can sit back and look at it with a positive attitude. There is always something we can do better, and these reviews can help pinpoint our weaknesses as well as highlight our strengths.

Phew. Glad it's not just me!!

gali · Post by **gali** » 21 May 2015, 07:02

dee74 wrote:I don't rate them because I feel that it is unfair by me not finishing the book.

Ditto!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 21 May 2015, 09:03

You all are a lot nicer than I am! I'm just sayin' that you can tell pretty early on if the writing itself (separate from the story) is terrible.

But we can agree to disagree. And if I were writing reviews in a professional context, I certainly would finish the book.

april-ballard · Post by **april-ballard** » 21 May 2015, 10:02

I'm reading a book now that is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read! I am halfway through the first chapter, and I STILL can't figure out if the character is a man or woman! The writer is bouncing back and forth between he/she.

beebee216 · Post by **beebee216** » 21 May 2015, 10:18

Personally, I always make sure to finish the book. I feel that I can't accurately tell what's good and what's bad without having finished it. When a book is really awful though,I just drink loads of coffee and power through. Then I can write a sassy review about it, my personal specialty

tjshortt · Post by **tjshortt** » 21 May 2015, 11:12

I would never rate something I didn't finish. However, if the book was really bad I would send the author a note apologizing that I wouldn't be able to finish it. Probably blame the not being able to finish the book on me not them to be nice.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 21 May 2015, 11:13

april-ballard wrote:I'm reading a book now that is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read! I am halfway through the first chapter, and I STILL can't figure out if the character is a man or woman! The writer is bouncing back and forth between he/she.

HA HA. That's weird.

beebee216 wrote:Personally, I always make sure to finish the book. I feel that I can't accurately tell what's good and what's bad without having finished it. When a book is really awful though,I just drink loads of coffee and power through. Then I can write a sassy review about it, my personal specialty

Now you're speaking my language! I love sassy reviews.

-- 21 May 2015, 12:15 --

tjshortt wrote:I would never rate something I didn't finish. However, if the book was really bad I would send the author a note apologizing that I wouldn't be able to finish it. Probably blame the not being able to finish the book on me not them to be nice.

I think I might be talking about something different than the rest of you--I'm talking about published, bookstore books, not self-published ones. I do understand (from personal experience!) that self-published authors do not have the huge access to editors, etc. Anyways, yeah, I'd have more sympathy for a self-published book, but when I get something from the bookstore that's just horrible, I get peeved.