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Brian Yatman asked this question about No One Else Can Have You (No One Else Can Have You, #1):
The comments seem a mite unbalanced. Have you guys actually read the Guardian article? Did the behaviour of the reviewer not strike you as a little "off"? Sure, Kathleen Hale shouldn't have let all this get to her like she did, but there's a real Salem witch-trial vibe to all this that I find disturbing. I found her article thought-provoking and not without self-awareness and a sense of compassion towards her subject.
♡Karlyn P♡ UPDATE 10/28: Editing this to add a few updates.

Here is link to a blog post that breaks down the FACTS that Ms Hale conveniently left out of her arti…moreUPDATE 10/28: Editing this to add a few updates.

Here is link to a blog post that breaks down the FACTS that Ms Hale conveniently left out of her article. http://alex-hurst.com/2014/10/21/kath...

There are now HUNDREDS of blog posts by angry book reviewers and authors over the Hale incident. The hashtag #HaleNo trended on Twitter, and dozens of bloggers went on a 1-week (or longer) blackout to give them time to re-evaluate blogging and their own personal safety.

To make matters more terrifying, another author, Richard Brittian, recently stalked a reviewer long distance to her home and bashed a wine bottle over her head. She was hospitalized and will be fine (despite a large gash and many stitches!) He is now facing criminal charges. Links can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Bottom line, stalking a person and showing up un-welcomed in their real-life space is not OK. It's creepy and dangerous.

------ORIGINAL POST--------

Let me recap your question in a few bites:

1) "The comments seem a mite unbalanced. "

From what I could see (and what I've heard) the Guardian deleted many comments that didn't agree with Hale. Maybe Hale herself could delete comments? Who knows, but the rest of the comments on the internet do not read so one-sided in favor of Hale. Not at all.

2) "Did the behaviour of the reviewer not strike you as a little "off"? "

Please keep in mind that the article was written by Hale and about Hale, and it gave no proof of Blythe's actual trolling and attacking authors.

Blythe, like many (many!) of us who review a lot of books do at times dislike one so passionately that our reaction may seem over-the-top to the author. BUT (and this is a big BUT) the reviews are written for other readers, not for authors. And especially not to stroke their egos.

I have written well over 600+ reviews over 8 years, and I too have written a few snarky 1-star reviews. That doesn't make me a troll. Just because a 1-star review bruises an authors ego doesn't make the reviewer a troll.

3) "Kathleen Hale shouldn't have let all this get to her like she did, but there's a real Salem witch-trial vibe to all this that I find disturbing. "

I hear that from time to time, and to me its as credible as Big Foot and the Lochness Monster. There are some authors hell bent on instilling fear in other authors, but nearly always it is based on their own reaction to negative reviews of their own books. Hale quoted the creepy site STGRB as her source. If she checked a bit closer, she would have realized they are a bunch of authors who have been kicked off of Goodreads for attacking reviewers. That site is about revenge, and they are the biggest 'bullies' in the book community, IMO.

But a 'witch hunt'? Seriously, think about it. Why would a 'witch hunter' spend so much of their free time writing a variety of reviews (from 1 to 5 stars), paying for a blog, talking hours and hours per week with others online about books, and putting themselves out there for authors to gripe about? Sorry, 'witch hunters' are far more a myth than reality.

4) "I found her article thought-provoking and not without self-awareness and a sense of compassion towards her subject. "

In fairness, I think we all found it a bit 'though-provoking' as we can't stop thinking about it. But not in a good way. I didn't see any bit of compassion for Blythe, and now that I know how much of that article is being contradicted by actual FACTS, I do believe she was capable of doing physical harm to Blythe. (less)
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No One Else Can Have You
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