---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So, you see, it's a real chore for me to…"
description: "\"So, you see, it's a real chore for me to write a book review because it's like a contest. It's like I'm writing that book review for every bad book rev..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/john-irving-337_air_so-you-see-it-s-a-real-chore-for-me-to-w_1152495.jpg"
---

#  So, you see, it's a real chore for me to write a book…

![“So, you see, it's a real chore for me to write a book review because it's like a contest. It's like I'm writing that book review for every bad book reviewer I've ever known and it's a way of saying &#91;thrusts a middle finger into the air&#93; this is how you ought to do it. I like to rub their noses in…” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/john-irving-337_air_so-you-see-it-s-a-real-chore-for-me-to-w_1152495.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/john-irving-337_air_so-you-see-it-s-a-real-chore-for-me-to-w_1152495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5d/john-irving-337_air_so-you-see-it-s-a-real-chore-for-me-to-w_1152495.jpg)

> “So, you see, it's a real chore for me to write a book review because it's like a contest. It's like I'm writing that book review for every bad book reviewer I've ever known and it's a way of saying \[thrusts a middle finger into the air\] this is how you ought to do it. I like to rub their noses in it.”

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing a review feels like a competitive challenge, prompting a desire to outshine mediocre critics.

**In simple terms:** Reviewing feels like a contest.

Key Takeaway

Channel competitive energy into constructive critique.

Themes

competition criticism motivation

Mood

defiant humorous

Type

satirical personal

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- literary criticism
- personal writing projects

Key Concepts

creative writing psychology of rivalry

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your need to prove superiority?
- How can you balance competitiveness with fairness?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on competition may hinder honest evaluation.

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