tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post3440373218423092626..comments2023-12-09T00:33:24.572-08:00Comments on Novel Matters: The Must-Have List for NovelsBonnie Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11377519561074174038noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-24047826298578716042012-05-22T11:18:20.448-07:002012-05-22T11:18:20.448-07:00Often I try to tell my husband or a friend about a...Often I try to tell my husband or a friend about a book I've read and I can't find the words. I find myself trailing off into nothing, saying, "Well, actually, nothing much really happened but I fell in love with the character/setting/prose." <br /><br />That's what I look for in a book: a character who either speaks for me or in a tongue I've never heard but long to understand. Or a character who speaks from a time and place that charms me. Or an author whose prose turns ordinary into amazing. That's not to say I don't like a nifty plot but for me, plot is secondary to character, setting and voice. And the sweetest of these is character.V. Gingerichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01615988080091167938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-91945395866766659352012-05-21T20:50:38.627-07:002012-05-21T20:50:38.627-07:00Cherry, yes. Me too, to all of that.
Latayne, yo...Cherry, yes. Me too, to all of that. <br /><br />Latayne, you are so kind to mention my book. Thank you!Kathleen Popahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03682046279211463305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-33649022224136112312012-05-21T17:14:59.091-07:002012-05-21T17:14:59.091-07:00What do I look for in a novel? I look for ME. A ...What do I look for in a novel? I look for ME. A me in different clothes, in a different culture, but me, just the same. I found little bits of me in "Memoirs of a Geisha,"though I would never be one; in "Diary of Anne Frank," though I am not Jewish; In Maisie Dobbs and Pride and Prejudice though I have only been in an airport in England. I loved James Michener's "The Source," but was troubled by a female character whose actions I did not think consistent with her personality type. <br />When I read, I am reading for entertainment - to feel good, but also for understanding - a bit more understanding of what makes people tick. Also, I read with that searching yearning question, "Am I understood?" It is very fulfilling to find an author who described me - in any culture and any century-better than I could describe myself. Always, always I am learning, so I choose books carefully. I do not want to learn wrong things. I want to learn about people and history and world views in delicious bites and well turned phrases. I expect books to make me better - a better person, a better writer, a better analyzer; more imaginative. I expect a lot from novels. When I open a novel, I am looking for me; a me that has been lost and forgotten, repressed or suppressed; or not yet awakened.Cherry Odelberghttp://einefeistyberg.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-69325996755485288622012-05-21T17:02:20.919-07:002012-05-21T17:02:20.919-07:00Well said, Henrietta. This is how we walk that mil...Well said, Henrietta. This is how we walk that mile in someone else's shoes. And hopefully learn.Patti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-89822277723847718712012-05-21T16:36:10.448-07:002012-05-21T16:36:10.448-07:00Adventure, Creative Imagination that gives me a ne...Adventure, Creative Imagination that gives me a new way to look at the world and my fellows and maybe even God. Language, Poetry, rhythm and colour. And Adventure! Discovery, Exploration, Movement, Risk, Loss, Unexpected Gain.Henrietta Frankenseenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-54901543845100878812012-05-21T14:25:24.954-07:002012-05-21T14:25:24.954-07:00Susie, I couldn't agree more. I don't need...Susie, I couldn't agree more. I don't need to escape either, but I do want what you want out of a novel. Well said!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-74860797620794785752012-05-21T12:45:19.236-07:002012-05-21T12:45:19.236-07:00Me too, Susie. Me too.Me too, Susie. Me too.Patti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-80622352952643663832012-05-21T10:36:25.586-07:002012-05-21T10:36:25.586-07:00Yes. The characters. I was to experience their liv...Yes. The characters. I was to experience their lives, their circumstances. <br /><br />Also, I want to be changed, even if only a little, by the story/characters/setting/etc. I'm not an "escape" reader. I prefer to slip my feet into the shoes of someone who can walk me through the world to learn, challenge my thinking, build within me compassion. <br /><br />Man, oh, man. I love reading.Susie Finkbeinerhttp://www.susiefinkbeiner.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-72876294576813179582012-05-21T06:02:20.594-07:002012-05-21T06:02:20.594-07:00Megan: You've summed what makes a novel extrao...Megan: You've summed what makes a novel extraordinary perfectly-- beautifully crafted characters set in a place and/or time that takes us someplace we've never been or gives us a view through new eyes. Thanks!Patti Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575415697841348226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-24490909996656770542012-05-21T02:13:29.146-07:002012-05-21T02:13:29.146-07:00Interesting how in all these answers character com...Interesting how in all these answers character comes up again and again. We read to meet people, to find ourselves, to find people we don't know yet and learn about them. I agree wholeheartedly too. I love characters who are honest - not necessarily right or even good, but honest. <br />The other thing I read for is to explore things and places that I'm unfamiliar with, especially places I've never been (which is most of them). I read John Grisham to find out what it's like to live in the American South. I read Agatha Christie to understand my British heritage. I read Truman Capote to feel my way through New York. So, for me, alongside character must come setting. I don't care whether it's India or Iowa (both are equally exotic to me) but setting needs to be authentic, and the characters need to give me a sense of who they are because of the place they live in.Megan Sayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15410068162701570057noreply@blogger.com