Everyone's a critic


I mentally wrestled with myself before writing this post.  What difference does one more review make, as there are already 307 on Amazon and 2,401 on Goodreads?  What do I have to say that others haven't already said?  Honestly, probably nothing.  However, through reading and discussing Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, I realized that there may be a few takeaways that can make us better writers and better readers.  I'll try my best to share these lessons without any spoilers.

Lesson 1 - Confidence is key.  Unless you are George R. R. Martin and leave a ten year gap between every 700-page book you write and need to find a way to pull readers back into your neverending story, it is not necessary to end every chapter with a cliff hanger (And even you, Mr. Martin, should not abuse that technique).  Please don't treat your reader like an idiot.  Human beings are programmed to move forward, and most of us will continue reading if the story is compelling enough.  Too many of these chapterly1 cliff hangers and it's as if you don't trust your story to carry its own weight.  And it starts to make me think that I shouldn't trust it either.

Lesson 2 - Commit.  The first topic of discussion at our book club was whether Age of Miracles is a coming-of-age or dystopian novel.  And I think it was meant to be a coming-of-age novel but it wasn't necessarily the pervasive theme.  The main character didn't so much "come of age" as she was already there.  We agreed that the book could interpreted as dystopian or even kind of sci fi because of the uniqueness of the premise, which was the 'hook' for this book.  Committing to either genre alone would have made for a very interesting read but weak commitment to both left the reader confused and made them feel less connected, which leads to my next point...

Lesson 3 - Make us fall in love.  We want to feel for your characters.  We want to care about whether they succeed or fail, fall in or out of love, live or die.  Develop and nurture them - go all Frankenstein on their @$$ and bring them to life!  People within this story DIE and hardly anyone even cares.  As one of my book club members said it best, "I'd like to find out what happens after this particular story.  But I want a different narrator."

Lesson 4 - Life goes on.  This was the one clear message that permeated throughout the book.  Despite this novel being fictional, the message is true, of course.  Regardless of good or bad reviews, Ms. Walker's life will also go on.  It's her debut book and I hope it encourages her to write more and develop her own skill as an author.  And as bloggers, storytellers and readers, that's something we should all do.


1Like the new word I invented?

Comments

  1. "Human beings are programmed to move forward, and most of us will continue reading if the story is compelling enough." - love this! I think you are a great writer and I find myself not scanning, but reading your posts - even when it's about a 700 page book that probably won't be on my to-read list =)

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  2. Love that new word....chapterly. Totally stealing that:P But seriously, great review, Rooth:) Agree with all the lessons.

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  3. Chapterly should definitely be a word! You are so fun and witty, my new friend!!

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  4. I love when bloggers share their reads. I am always encouraged that the printed world is still alive. So is the book good? Or not worth reading?

    Wren

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  5. Chapterly should totally be a real word!

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  6. The joy of living in a country in which we can invent words without government approval!!! :)

    The book has such a good premise, it's a shame the story wasn't handled more deftly. I wish I'd read your lessons before attempting to write part of my life story and having it turn into a train wreck. I think there's a re-write in my future (but no time soon).

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  7. I'm nearly finished a book I think you may like, if you haven't read it yet. It's called The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I'm not sure if it's your cup of tea, but it may be and I'm really enjoying it :)

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  8. I love me a good word artisan. Not to mention, with the likes of Shakespeare, you're in good company! :)

    As for the book. Haven't read it, and I'm not sure it will go on my list. We can only hope you can save other books from a similar fate with your valuable lessons . . .

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  9. I like your review. I have no idea what the book is about, and you really managed to not include any spoilers. do I want to read it now, tho? not sure. the idea that it might teach me something about writing or reading has me interested, tho...

    :)

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  10. i would rather hear reviews from friends than fr amazon, so share away!

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  11. I'm such an optimist and a die-hard book lover that I always take it personally when a book doesn't wow me. Does that make sense? I especially get the critique of wanting a different narrator; nothing is more frustrating than not liking the voice of the story. Great reveiw!

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  12. I'm an avid reader, and couldn't agree with your words more - you've been able to say what I always think! First, George RR Martin kills me. Love his stuff, but it gets old ending everything with a cliffhanger. I've seen this book show up on a few of my 'recommended' lists before, but not sure I will actually read it.

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  13. love how you closed this, yes we are all constantly improving on ourselves!

    Jessica
    http://www.jumpintopuddles.com

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  14. Did you read the Hunger Games? I felt like every chapter ended in a cliff hanger and it drove me crazy!!! (but I did love the books!)

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  15. Love all of these lessons. It's now on my list to-read :)

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  16. But what do you do when you've already invested so much time in the book? Do you ever just put it down without finishing? I may start reading now just so that I can use "chapterly".

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  17. I really appreciate your passion for literature, It inspires me to read more. I agree with everything you've said, but especially about falling in love with characters. My favorite books are those that make you feel by the end that the characters were a real part of your past in some way, that you truly knew them. One of the best feelings ever and why books are so fantastic.

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  18. Awesome review, Rooth! "We want to feel for your characters." I couldn't agree more. I recently read Gone Girl and I found myself wanting to root for at least one of the characters, but to no avail. No one was likeable, and it was quite frustrating. (Hm, I should look through your archives and see if you've done a Gone Girl review.)

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  19. Love all your points. I do think that the book would have been stronger overall with a different narrator, or with multiple narrators instead. There was a certain disconnect with all the characters, though the one character I wanted to learn more about (the grandfather) gets very little screen time (page time?) and is treated like an endearing joke.

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  20. Good lessons, and a particularly good new word!

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