Reviewing with River

I definitely agree that an entirely negative review can be damaging - but I also think as a writer it's something we need to be prepared for. Not everyone is going to like our writing all the time, and there are plenty of people who don't have the grace to or manners to think about how their views might be received. A review can be negative without being rude, and as long as the reviewer isn't nasty or offensive, we should always be prepared to consider their comments.

As to having an ethical responsibility to review both strengths and weaknesses, I don't think I would say it's a question of ethics. Rather it's about quality. A review that only focuses on negatives, or only on positives, is rarely likely to be as useful to the writer as a comprehensive review that looks at both. So while I agree that
'well balanced, helpful review of both strengths and weaknesses of the story.' is the most useful kind of review, I'd say that's a teaching/learning question, not ethics.

Paddy
Invalid Photo #1053879