I really can’t stand book reviews (or anything else reviews, but they’re mainly used for books) where the reviewer uses the phrase, ‘tour de force’ or ‘a meditation on…’
I usually have to give up on the review if one of these phrases is used as it’s really difficult to read whilst continually rolling my eyes.
Does anyone have similar gripes with words or phrases used to describe/review books?
by SeraphCraft
4 Comments
I feel the same about the use of “whilst” /s
I think for me, it really comes down to my overall impression of whether or not the reviewer has engaged with the book in a focused and thoughtful way. If I get the vibe that they read 20 pages and then whipped together a half-assed, unreflective review, just to churn out content for their platform, then yeah, that’ll definitely have an impact on how I read the review (if at all).
But if a reviewer gives me the impression that they’ve really grappled with the book, and they have some interesting, specific, considered thoughts/feelings about it that weren’t just cribbed from Wikipedia or other reviews, then they can tour-de-force all they want. All they really have to do is get past my “bullshit” spidey sense. I mean, “a meditation on” is an phrase that *can* actually be used as a suitable way to describe someone’s impression. Books that are written on subjects and whose style could be described as meditative *do* exist. It’s just a question of whether I think a writer is trying to express something like that, or just fill a word quota.
The word “unceremoniously.” It’s usually used humorously, like “Rob tripped unceremoniously over the ottoman.” But what is typically ceremonious about Rob walking through his house, whether or not he trips over an ottoman?
I’m with you about tour de force. Eye rolling for sure. It sounds pretentious to me. Yes, we all know what it means, but honestly, how many of us actually speak French? It seems like an attempt to sound literary and above the masses. Certainly not, Dahling, to be found in paperback, on a carousel at one’s airport!