Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

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What Makes a Great Book Review, in 18 Words

(Or, how I spent my Sunday night on a virtual tour of the New York Times Book Review)

Pamela-Paul-Interview photoI spent some time Sunday night watching a Book TV piece on the New York Times Book Review. The whole program is quite fascinating if you have an hour. But here is my simplified takeaway on what Pamela Paul—the editor of the Review—said about what makes a good review:
1. Good writing!
2. A clear position: you like the book or you don’t.
3. No plot spoilers.
4. No high-handed officiousness.
And of course the primary qualification for anyone who wants to review books:
Be a reader.
Okay, that all looses something in the translation. The whole video is worth watching just to hear Parul Sehgal’s voice, which is fabulous. (Really, she works in print?) And if you’re an author with a new novel coming out (like a certain writer of this post) there is the great fun of watching for your book. (The good news: mine wasn’t in Ms. Sehgal’s August reject pile, as far as I could see. The bad: it wasn’t anywhere else.)
A few things I was particularly pleased to hear Ms. Paul say:

  • They think about gender when they are deciding what to review. Also nationality and race.
  •  She had a “nasty” review of one of her books in the Times, so she knows how that feels.
  • Ms. Paul was a history major in college. (History majors rock!)
  • She is not afraid of the f word. (Not the four-letter one.)

Seriously, what are you still doing here? Go watch the video. – Meg

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Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of nine novels, including the forthcoming TYPEWRITER BEACH (Harper, July 1, 2025), the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com