I just finished Ruth Reichl’s fantastic book, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, and it made me think about critics in general. We, as writers, must suffer the slings and arrows of all the book reviewers out there. And like a negative restaurant write-up, bad reviews can quickly sink a book. And since we have so many fine dining establishments here in Portland, Maine, I thought it would be an appropriate topic for this blog.
What I like about Reichl is that she took her job seriously. She understood the considerable responsibility of leaving a bad review, which is why she visited an establishment many times before deciding on how many stars to give a particular restaurant. The ramifications of her critique had the potential to put the place out of business, as well as put many people out off a job.
As part of her responsibilities, Reichl used different disguises to hide her identity. Many of the top NY restaurants would hire spotters to see if and when she came in. Or else they would reward employees with a bonus of five hundred dollars in cash if they spotted her. There were outings when she was recognized, but many of the times she dined out she was able to fool the staff. Concealing her identity made a huge difference in the type of experience she would have. Unrecognized, the service and food was on occasion subpar or unremarkable. Recognized, her meals were luxuriously presented, executed perfectly, and brought out in a timely fashion. The service was top notch and attentive. For one restaurant, she debated writing two separate reviews for the two vastly different culinary experiences she had.
Of course, when she liked a restaurant, she raved about it. And when she raved about it, it meant that the place would be booked up for months out. This was the upside of a great review: popularity, fame, and money. Lots of money. And Reichl is a great writer. Here is an example one of her reviews.
Chilled lobster consommé is a tour de force. The soup is as clear as crystal but so expressive of lobster that if you close your eyes and take a bite, you are surprised to find your mouth filled with liquid. The soup, decorated with rounds of lobster topped with crème fraîche and caviar, is dotted with coral cream when it is served. This is an astonishing dish worthy of a temple of haute cuisine.
Ultimately, the pressure of writing restaurant reviews got to her, as it does with all food reviewers. It’s simply too much responsibility, and such a heavy burden for one individual to carry. And the food reviewer frequently reviewed by many of the readers of the NY Times. Not to mention, she found it nearly impossible to enter a restaurant and not be recognized; she’d used up all her disguises.
How do you handle reviews? I’ve gotten better dealing with them as time goes on, but I admit that it’s still is hard to read a bad review of my book. Unlike restaurants, we authors don’t have millions of dollars in capital to lose. Nor do we have to worry about the livelihood of dozens of staff in our employ. How about all of you who review books? Are you able to critique freely and honestly? As a writer, I’m absolutely unable to give a bad review to a book that I dislike. Being a writer, I know how much it pains me. I’d rather leave no review than a bad one.
That’s it for now. Let me know how you feel about reviewing and being reviewed. And go out and enjoy your favorite restaurant this weekend.
Take care!
Joe
Rob Kelley 
Kait Carson
Charlene D’Avanzo 
Agree, better to not leave a review if “you can’t say something nice”. Question back: Even if the book is not exactly a person’s cup of tea – is there (in most cases) something to be admired? Also – question: the timidity of some people to leave a review – even if they can do it anonymously (not wanted to trust their opinion or have their opinion taken to task? Or have been brought up to question their own opinions?) I do like Reichl’s cookbooks but my review of the BIG THICK YELLOW COVERED ONE – who on the editing/book layout crew decided on YELLOW TYPE for the recipe headers? 🙂
I try to learn from all of my honest reviews, good and bad. There are some that leave me shaking my head, such as one one star that mentioned they loved the book, but hated swimming. As a diver, I know ya gotta go with the flow.
As for my written reviews. I know how hard it is to put out a book. If I can’t give four or more stars, I simply don’t review. Besides, as Jule says above, the book may not be my cup of tea – that is most definitely NOT the author’s fault. I do have a hard time deciding what to do about badly edited books. I often have to fight my inclination to reach out to the author and suggest a typo/continuity check, but when the book is traditionally published, I know that’s not possible.
Thanks for the reply, Kait. And for reading leaving a review for my book.
Really enjoyed it.
To me, writing book reviews is just like homework, and I am too old for that. When I blogged regularly, I sometimes mentioned I read something I loved, but never elaborated. If I didn’t like something, there really was no point alienating another writer. For my own books, I’ve tended to pay more attention to trade reviews rather than comments on Goodreads.
And I could never be a food critic. I’d be too busy eating to think! Fun post!
Love Ruth’s books. And hate reviewers who trash a book just because they can. Once drove to Camden for a book event…and then it started snowing. A friend who was there commiserated on a bad review in the local paper (which I hadn’t seen) and the store owner proudly told me she’d been given a chance to quash the review but chose not to. Good think I only commit homicide on paper.
Kate
I did some research with a restaurant critic and went out with her a few times. So interesting! The thing that stuck with me was her saying she knew she could put a restaurant out of business with a single review. So she wrote things like, “If you like a salad made of iceberg lettuce, this is the place for you.” She didn’t write negative reviews, but spun her negative thoughts in a positive way. As for books, however, the occasional bad review makes me think the author didn’t ask all her friends to write good things. The occasional bad review makes the book legit to me.