Reviews on complex books

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 17 Dec 2015, 09:35

I am reading a book right now for review that has turned out to be very complex. I do know that there are aspects that I like and don't like; however, I am struggling with where to go with the rating on things. I have never read a book with this complexity, so I am looking to seasoned reviewers that have come across multi-faceted books. How did you approach the review?

Post by **bookowlie** » 20 Dec 2015, 22:22

When you say complexity, are you referring to the general content or the fact that you are conflicted since you like certain things and don't like other things. Before I offer advice, I want to understand what you are looking for advice on - writing a summary or organizing your analysis (what you liked/didn't like)

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 21 Dec 2015, 08:31

The general content was extremely complex. I am a pretty intelligent being and have a background in some of the theories that were discussed in detail so, I was able to push through it without too much trouble. However, the entire book relies on abstract thinking and alternate theories of the universe. I still really couldn't tell you if I liked the book or not (yet another struggle). There was just so much going on my head is spinning (in a good way I suppose).

That being said. I have submitted a review and this was my approach: I gave the briefest summary of the book followed by a broad analysis of multiple components of the writing as a novel. I talked about the genre it was in (or should be in), as well as details about the target audience (in more depth than I usually do). I also spent more time evaluating the flow of the writing compared to my typical reviews. Basically, instead of focusing on the book as a story I evaluated the book as a writing piece. I am still waiting to see if my review was approved or not. It was definitely a challenge that I hope has helped make me a better reviewer!

joanofarc2015 · Post by **joanofarc2015** » 21 Dec 2015, 10:24

i think another cool tip is seeing what other critics say and reading background information about the topic to really settle a "decision" about d book

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 21 Dec 2015, 10:55

I couldn't really find much on the book online. The only website that had it was smashwords or something like that. It was not on Amazon or anything. I tried to find info on the author to include, but was not able.

Post by **bookowlie** » 21 Dec 2015, 11:36

rachel_jacks wrote:The general content was extremely complex. I am a pretty intelligent being and have a background in some of the theories that were discussed in detail so, I was able to push through it without too much trouble. However, the entire book relies on abstract thinking and alternate theories of the universe. I still really couldn't tell you if I liked the book or not (yet another struggle). There was just so much going on my head is spinning (in a good way I suppose).

That being said. I have submitted a review and this was my approach: I gave the briefest summary of the book followed by a broad analysis of multiple components of the writing as a novel. I talked about the genre it was in (or should be in), as well as details about the target audience (in more depth than I usually do). I also spent more time evaluating the flow of the writing compared to my typical reviews. Basically, instead of focusing on the book as a story I evaluated the book as a writing piece. I am still waiting to see if my review was approved or not. It was definitely a challenge that I hope has helped make me a better reviewer!

Truthfully, I think most reviews should focus more on the book as a writing piece rather than the content - how well the author explained the info, writing style, format (since it's non-fiction), etc. Since your head was spinning by the end of the book, I think that's fair game to discuss in a review. I have read and reviewed several non-fiction books and a few of these books were a challenge to read and review. It's not that I couldn't understand the subject matter. It's more the way some authors write non-fiction in a dense, textbook style. You hit the nail on the head - I would sometimes feel like my head was spinning with dense explanations. I then feel like I am writing a review of a textbook. With non-fiction, depending on the subject matter, I think it's good to focus on the format, writing style, if it's easy to understand (even if I can understand it, someone might not),if the statistics or "facts" are backed up, if opinions are explained by the author as fact rather than opinions (this happens a lot!), etc. For example, the author might explain a specific topic in a very wordy, rambling style, which makes the reader lose interest. It might be that the author makes too many repetitive comments about the same topic.

Basically, I don't think you have to explain in detail the theories discussed in the book. That would be more of a book report instead of a review. It's certainly sufficient to give a brief overview of the subject matter of the book.

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 21 Dec 2015, 12:43

Well, it definitely wasn't textbook-y, but the author referenced many existing theories across areas of science with no attempt to explain or "dumb down" the information. I explained that the content was for readers of above average intelligence as it is very intellectually challenging. I am anxious to hear feedback from everyone on this review since it is a different approach than I have taken in the past!

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 22 Dec 2015, 20:55

Well, books about cosmology (as you describe it is about the theories of the universe, which is cosmology) are complex because the subject is complex. If you disregard a deliberately simplistic idea like the earth resting on a big lizard, then an elf, then a rock, then it's turtles all the way down, ha ha, then cosmology is complex.

We've got the newest "M-theory" which is a blend of the string theory and the multi-verse theory. And even if you skip the math, it's mind numbing in its complexity. If you realize that the smartest theoretical physicists on the planet are tussling with this, hey, ordinary mortal like us will be lost a lot there.

Writing a review? Pick away at it. Describe its complexity and about the various theories set forth in fairly common terms. And also tell us whether the author did his/her best to describe these theories in a clear way, that's a plus.

And it's not something you need to worry too much about. I've had a lifetime of experience in chemistry, math, biology, plus years of reading about cosmology, quantum physics, you name it, and a year or so ago I bought "New Scientific Proofs for the Existence of God" by Philip Spitzer, a theoretical physicist. I can mostly understand the book and I did prowl thru the math, and understood much of it, delving into my fuzzy calculus. But this book remains among the most difficult I've ever read. So don't feel bad about this difficulty. It's to be expected.

Karma7 · Post by **Karma7** » 22 Dec 2015, 20:59

The fact that you are not interested in the content of the book makes it even worse, try find a few good lines you can connect with and the rest will work itself.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 22 Dec 2015, 21:40

Or, just stop reading the book and read another one.

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 22 Dec 2015, 22:05

I actually enjoyed the content. As I mentioned, I consider myself to be of fairly high intelligence and reading a book that jumped into abstract concepts was great. At the same time, I think the level of complexity would make it hard for the average person to read and understand to the extent needed to follow the story.

If you are curious, check out my most recent review on this book. Clearly you have the wrong impression of my thoughts on this book.

Connoisseur · Post by **Connoisseur** » 29 Dec 2015, 22:02

For complex books, it helps to take notes chapter by chapter. Reread the book and buy a pack of large, lined sticky notes. After you read a chapter, write a summary of the chapter and stick it at the beginning of the chapter. When you're done, you have your very own chapter-by-chapter summary.