Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
Perhaps even badly written? 
You are absolutely correct, seeing the responses here I can see that people have take "bad writing" to mean all sorts of things. I was trying to be all-inclusive. Not just grammar or plot or character but the end-result, how did the story reach the reader. I don't think it's practical to assess the quality of a novel or it's writing based on isolated criteria. The writer has to balance all the aspects to try and obtain a result. Some writers use lots of description, some almost none. Some have very complex plots, some almost none. Some go to great lengths to achieve realism, some leave lots of holes. The final result works for some readers and not for others - and (it seems to me) these latter tend to get offended and accuse the writer of poor writing. |
I see many posts from readers saying that they've managed to enjoy books despite poor writing. I'm such a reader. I don't see people being "offended" by poor writing.
You do seem offended by others' opinions about certain books, though. I think that's your issue, and you're unlikely to convince people that popularity means a book can't be badly written. Opinions are just that. Yours is just as subjective as everyone else's.