Can anyone explain?

[bootlebum]

I bought a book as it came up on an algorithm. I checked out the reviews and they were absolute raves. I read it, it was awful. Plotless, unfunny, couldn't actually bear to finish it. I had a look at the Amazon and goodreads reviews and they were all dreadful. So - what's all that about? Do literary critics get excited because it's a new author or what? I noticed she's quite connected to some famous people and married to someone fairly famous. Would that have had an effect? Or is it just that all the critics could see something that no reader could? I am totally confused.

I really don't want to say as I think it would v much hurt the feelings of the author who is a young woman.

I mean, maybe it wouldn't, but I don't want to be unnecessarily mean.

Ok - it's not working by Lisa Owens

She’s really not going to be rushed that a random Mumsnetter didn’t like her novel. Can’t say anything more without knowing the novel. Some people get asked a lot for cover blurbs and over-praise — I’ve learned to ignore paeans from Hilary Mangel.

Do you mean Hilary Mantel?

Yes.

Gosh. She's the last person Id've imagined over praising. She seems v keen on prizes etc so maybe it's just for quid pro quo - like please a publisher/ fellow author

I read a lot and always looking for great new authors. But I'm not an expert in lit crit so maybe I am missing something. But it just felt as though the critics hyped someone up without the actual credentials.

I've noticed this too, and realised that reviews, especially by other authors, are often just hype. You get more honesty on Amazon and Goodreads.

@bootlebum

Gosh. She's the last person Id've imagined over praising. She seems v keen on prizes etc so maybe it's just for quid pro quo - like please a publisher/ fellow author

How do you mean ‘keen on prizes’? She was very late in her career in getting the acclaim she deserves. No, I just think she just gets asked a lot for blurb material for debuts and for some reason isn’t discriminating enough. It’s made me tend to dismiss things she praises, after buying several duds.

I glanced at a couple of admiring broadsheet reviews and Amazon (much more negative, but 41% of reviewers still gave it 5 stars) for Lisa Owens’ Not Working, which I’d not heard of. I’d say the issue is a disconnect between reader and perceived genre. It sounds as if it’s literary fiction written in mildly experimental form in short bursts judging by the newspaper reviews, but the Amazon negative reviews seems to be anticipating Bridget Jones/Shopaholic-style chick lit, and were puzzled by he vignette style and dislikeable protagonist because they thought they were getting something entirely different.

Slightly oddly, on Amazon UK, the vast majority of the reviews were American...

I had a look at the free sample bit on Amazon and I can see what you mean, OP - it was so bad, I didn't even want to finish reading all the free part. Dire.

I know a couple of authors and they've both said that the author world is one which relies on backscratching, irrespective of the quality of the work. One said that once she published her own book she was advised to delete or amend anything less than a four-star review on Goodreads or Amazon as authors she has rated low were likely to respond accordingly in retaliation!
Lots of authors know each other from book festivals /events etc and most will willingly say something nice about a fellow author because it's a way of getting their own name out there.