Tuesday, May 22, 2007

A Too Revealing Amazon Review?

Yesterday I discovered a new review for Return of the Guardian King on Amazon. It's a very nice review but unfortunately I think is a bit too revealing of major plot points. If you feel inclined, I'd welcome opinions on whether you agree with me. You may have noticed that I've turned off the comments (it's an experiment -- more on that later) but you can always reach me through the email address in my profile. Also there is a little button at the end of each review on Amazon called "Report this". I clicked it, but then a window opens with "Report this review as inappropriate" and another button to do so. That's as far as I went (I'm trying to get hold of the Internet Marketing manager at BHP but he is out of town for a week...)

Amazon's guidelines do ask reviewers not to reveal "crucial plot elements". If you believe this review does that, then I think it would be okay to report it as "inappropriate." Unfortunately, as I said, it is a very positive review overall. It's just better suited, I think, to discussions with friends or in book clubs where everyone has already read the book. I'm not sure if I'm overreacting or if it really would compromise a newcomer's reading experience.

Thanks
Karen