Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss certain topics based on prompts allocated for each Friday of the week. You basically share your opinions and get into the conversation by visiting each other’s posts. You can find the July schedule here or here.
Today’s Let’s Talk Bookish topic is Does having a positive message automatically make a book good?, which was suggested by Rukky @ Eternity Books.
I think it is important to establish what I mean by a “positive message”. The way I see it, a positive message could be anything to do with:
- the representation of a minority or disadvantaged group,
- raising awareness of global issues like climate change,
- moralistic lessons that target young children,
- and more!
Therefore, this question covers quite a huge area when we look at the big picture. Sometimes, the positive representation is just one aspect of the plot and there is a lot more to the story, so let me jump right into the discussion points!
IF YOU SEE GOOD REPRESENTATION IN A BAD STORY, DO YOU STILL CONSIDER IT A GOOD BOOK?
No, I do not. A good book is composed of many parts, such as:
- the characters,
- the plot,
- the writing,
- the themes, and
- the world-building.
I even write most of my reviews based on this format, so you can see that things like representation and messages will fall under just one of those categories. There are a lot more that counts into making a book a good one, so I put careful consideration into the rest as well and use my overall opinion to determine the rating/review of a book.
ARE YOU MORE LENIENT WITH AN ‘OKAY’ BOOK IF IT HAS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE?
An ‘okay’ book will definitely get points if they convey an important message in an effective and brilliant way. There are many books where the author attempts to convey some important message but the execution fails. I am not sure what exactly “more lenient” means in this case but a book definitely gets points for a beautifully executed message.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH A BOOK THAT YOU DISLIKED/HATED IF YOU THINK IT STILL HAS AN IMPORTANT THEME?
Well, I break it down and review it!
This is why I love mixing up my review styles; it allows me to adapt based on how I feel about the book. Usually, in a case like this, I would either list pros and cons or I would break it down to story elements as I listed them out above. My rating of a book is based on my overall reading experience, but my review is usually a mix of subjective and objective analysis of the book itself.
DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD ACTIVELY RECOMMEND BOOKS WITH POSITIVE/IMPORTANT MESSAGES EVEN IF WE PERSONALLY DIDN’T LIKE THE BOOK?
Personally, I don’t and I would never ask anyone to do that either. But if you do want to recommend a book that you didn’t really like, then I would recommend telling them why you did not like it as well.
In my opinion, if the story is well-done and the message(s)/representation is executed well among all the other story elements, then that book would garner well-deserved support. Well-done stories like these are honestly hard not to like unless you have personal feelings against the issues or themes discussed. If there is a widely well-received book that only you find not as palatable, I think it is alright to recommend them but it is a purely personal choice.
There are many books being released in recent years with more diverse representation and thematic explorations that I don’t see us running out of good books to recommend simply because we didn’t like some. So, keep talking about the books you love and talk about why you didn’t like the rest too!
I had loads of fun writing this post and I’m so curious about what everyone else contributed to this week’s Let’s Talk Bookish! Feel free to start a conversation below and let’s have some fun!
My previous Let’s Talk Bookish posts:
- July 16: What Are The Best Ways To Get Over Reading Slumps?
- July 9: Should Books Have Content Ratings?
- July 2: Prologues & Epilogues: Are They Necessary?
- June 25: Good Covers Versus Good Content
- June 18: Appreciation for Book Bloggers
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7 thoughts on “Does Having a Positive Message Automatically Make a Book Good? // Let’s Talk Bookish”
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This is a super interesting discussion!!! I loved it!!! Personally, I do think that a book can be somewhat poor in some ways and still have a positive and important message, which is great! I think even if I don’t like the book, it would be something I would highlight from it in case it’s something relevant to other readers. 😊
But obviously having a good message or a good intention doesn’t make the book a good book as a whole, at least for me. Amazing Post! ❤️
Thanks, Sofii! You’re absolutely right! A book is more than its message/themes! Glad you liked my discussion!
I too felt that “positive message” covered more than just diversity but what specifically is a positive message is very subjective and often personal. It’s rare for me to hate a book but think it had a positive message done well, probably because I don’t very often take chances on books that I may not like.
Thank you on writing yet another wonderful post!
Thank you, Louise! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who saw “positive message” this way. And like you, it’s rare for me too. I depend on reviews a lot when choosing a book now, so I usually get a good idea of how the book was received before I start reading.
Oooh this is a tough one! So, I think I would probably rate a book a bit higher if I really appreciated the message? Actually, I know for a fact I have in the past! Because like- maybe I just didn’t connect to the characters, but appreciated what the author was trying to say or whatever, you know? That doesn’t mean I’d give it 5 stars JUST because of a good message, or diversity, etc, but I would at least give it SOME stars based on the fact that at least it tried to be responsible.
I totally agree, Shannon! The message would definitely gain some brownie points from me when rating the book but I would take all other aspects of the story into consideration too! Thanks for stopping by!