Reviews, Ratings and Potential Misjudgements
- Sarnav
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
You have turned the final page of the book you have been reading, finally finishing it. You close the cover and start to think about it. Perhaps it was an impressive novel, or maybe you just wanted to get it over with — a book you wouldn't want to read again. Now it's time for some of you to review it. How will you rate the book? What value will you place on it? Which criteria will you pay attention to when rating it?
I sometimes organise the novels on my bookshelf by the date I read them or by their publication date. I used to take notes on the books I read, but I haven't done so for a while. However, especially in the last year, thanks to our book clubs, I have started reading more widely again. As a result, I have started wanting to discuss books, share ideas, and express my thoughts. Input from like-minded people, I have started to see new aspects of each book.
This has also reignited my interest in books. Alongside my existing reading archive, I have started writing mini reviews of some books. Finally, I rated them. This step caused me the most dilemmas.
I realised that I was doing the same with films, and the problem became clearer. Are there certain criteria for evaluating literary texts, visual productions, and other works of art? When I got stuck, I did some research, but it didn't take me long to reach a conclusion.
I realised that there were no official criteria, nor had any literary organisation established a set of rules on this subject. If there were any, I could not find them. If you know of any, please share them with me. However, having read various sites on the subject, I realised that this kind of situation does not need to be formalised. Even if there were any, they would not be necessary.
Although this was my initial thought, I wanted to find out more. When I could not find any structure on the subject, I observed how others approached it. Almost every title was the same: “How do I rate books?”
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
It's true that there's no manual for this. Its shape is clearly influenced by the reader's physical and intellectual values. However, while researching, I came across some interesting factors you should consider before placing a bet.
As you know, the standard range for voting (if there is no zero score) is 1–5 or 1–10. So, what values are allocated to 1 and 5 here? The answer is actually very simple. You either like something or you don't. But what about the in-between? These 2, 3 and 4 points represent the grey area. Everything now becomes a rating based on the meaning you assign to it.
Perhaps this is what it looks like in your head:
1 = Terrible. I will never read it again and wouldn't recommend it.
2 = It wasn't good, but I finished reading it.
3 = Neither good nor bad. There are bound to be people who like it. I'm not sure if I'll read it again.
4 = I liked it. I recommend it.
5 = It was very good. I will definitely read it again. I'm sad that I hadn't come across it until now, but I'm glad I read it.
As you read these points, you probably found yourself agreeing with most of them. But now it's time to consider the other side. The scale I have created may not suit everyone. For instance, I can't recall ever reading a book that I would have given a score of 1, but I wonder if that was actually the case. This is because our opinions of works inevitably change over time.
I analysed the scores I gave to the books I have read since January 2024: 11 were given five stars, 20 were given four stars, 4 were given three stars and 1 novel was left unrated. As can be seen, the majority of scores are over 4 stars. This raises two questions: “Do the books that I give this score represent my views in the example I mentioned above, or am I grouping things here that I am not sure about?” At this point, I question the system I have created in my mind. Please think about this issue and share your ideas.
We asked our friends in the book club to vote on the books we read. You don't need to attend our meetings to do this – if you've read the book and can remember it well enough to rate it, your contribution would be greatly appreciated. Take a look at this link and follow the instructions at the beginning. Thank you in advance.
While pursuing these enquiries, I thought of some additional criteria. For instance, the online form to which I sent the link asks us to rate novels on a scale of 1 to 10. At first, we might think that doubling our usual score would be sufficient. We might give a piece of work 3 points, for instance, but then give it 6. Is that right? Not really, to be honest. In this context, we would have to give 8 points for 4. So what is the logic of giving 7 points here?
If we consider what else is effective, I can list the main factors I have come across as follows:
The reader's expectations: (“I expected better from this genre. Honestly, 5/10 is enough”)
The author's recognition or reputation (”My favourite author — his books never fail to amaze. 8/10”)
The book's period and social context: (”Its narrative style fits the dynamics of our time. I recommend it: 9/10”)
Literary quality of fiction and use of language: (”Terrible language! Sounds like he wrote it in colloquial language. Even one star is too much!”)
In terms of marketing, its popularity and advertisements: ("We bought and read the book that you posted about so much and praised so highly, but it's terrible. I'll give it 2 stars at most”)
Community effect: (I think this is the most effective, unfortunately. There is no need for an example)
You might think I'm going into too much detail, but I assure you I haven't even started yet! However, I won't discuss the criteria any further, as I'm sure you've grasped the essence of the narrative. That is why I am moving on to a different approach.
What difference does it make if a work is rated 3 or 4 instead of 9 or 10? Doesn't something become clearer in your mind when you say 9 or 10? The maximum score is 10, so if something is missing, it can no longer be perfect. As you can see, there is sometimes an obvious explanation. However, we know that this does not apply to every single point. So, what does it all matter?
Since we are approaching this from a personal perspective, let's start by answering the question from that viewpoint.
Firstly, it creates a sense of fulfilment. Initially, it is a form of personal reflection. It enables you to say, “I have read this book”, indicate whether you liked it or not, and contribute to the evaluation by commenting on it. I'm not saying that this behaviour is necessarily bad or egotistical — review posts aren't necessarily intended to make us feel superior. Nevertheless, it could be argued that they provide psychological relief for the individual, even if that is not the intention. The same applies to our book clubs: as we share our thoughts and feelings, we experience a sense of personal relief, well-being, and fulfilment. I hope this example has clarified things.
On the other hand, reviews undoubtedly serve as a guide. In fact, I never read reviews when buying books. Similarly, I never watch trailers when deciding which film to watch. I don't feel the need to or even consider it. I just go for it and form my own opinion.
However, if a work is popular and I constantly see its name or lots of advertisements for it, I will read related comments and consider it more closely. Sometimes it takes me a long time to make a judgement, and reviews and ratings often influence this. This is probably the case for most of us.
Let's look at it from a different angle. If you sometimes act blindly and completely dismiss the work in question, as I do, then I can understand you. But have you ever stopped to think that the two-star review that caught your eye might have distracted you from work that you would actually love? That would definitely be a bitter experience. After experiencing that work, you'll probably ask yourself, "Why didn't I give it a chance all this time?"
I don't always act this way, but when recommending books for the book club, I consider various features before putting them to a vote. One of these is inevitably the books' rating. Sometimes I'm surprised to see books that I know, have read and love have relatively low scores. This makes me wonder what constitutes a low or high score. When it comes to books that I am only familiar with, the scores can influence me without my realising it. At such moments, I inevitably take a look at the reviews. However, reviews are always multifaceted and open to interpretation. They can provide very detailed information. Statistically speaking, though, three points for an epic-length comment carry the same weight as three points without a comment.
Let's not drag this out. We all have our own criteria for voting or rating, and these can change over time. We're not the same people we were ten years ago, so it's no surprise that our opinions on the things we consume have changed, too.
Ratings can also affect us in ways we often don't realise. Over time, a few stars can start to shape our tastes by influencing our psychological choices. Comments from strangers, anonymous votes whose accuracy we cannot verify, and ratings based on personal criteria that do not align with our own, can seriously impact our consumption habits. In fact, I find this subject surprising. When a work of art is made public, it receives feedback in the form of an integrated social reaction/reflection.
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