This is a topic that greatly interests me. I hope that you guys will weigh in. The primary question is: How important is it that you emotionally connect with the characters in a book? Does that matter to you? Or is it more important that the book be well-written? I think about this a lot. Let me give you some specifics.
I have read a considerable amount of romances. Some are better-written than others. Some of those authors are certainly more well-known than others. I recently read a romance by local author Nicci Carerra. She has not been recognized nationally yet. But I got caught up in the romance (and I definitely like the way she writes). I cared about the 2 protagonists and hoped they would end up together. Compare that to Save the Date, by national powerhouse Mary Kay Andrews. I read that last year. Was it well-written? Yes. Did I care about whether or not the 2 main characters ended up together? Not really. Why is one a national bestseller, and the other one is just getting off the ground? I don't really know.
Another prime example is Wisconsin native, Linda Abbott (who I met on LinkedIn), versus Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train. Linda has written her 1st book (and has written it well), Ten Days in Paradise. Some might call it a beach read (even though you know I don't like that term). But did I like the book? Heck, yes. In fact, I liked every character, and there were a bunch of them. I definitely got caught up in an affair similar to the one in the Showtime series, The Affair (Linda's book was 1st). As for The Girl on the Train, it's certainly a smash hit. Did I care about any of the 5 main characters? I didn't. Was it well-written? Very.
Did I not like Girl because it takes place in England? Nope. I gave JoJo Moyes' Me Before You a 4/4. That takes place in England. Am I opposed to well-written books? Nope. 3 of Pat Conroy's books are in my top 24 all-time. And he writes as well as any author I have ever read. It must be that I am philosophically opposed to best-sellers. Uh, uh. I just gave Orphan Train a 4/4. And I love every Daniel Silva book, including the ones that he wrote before he began the Gabriel Allon series. You already know what I think of Jeffrey Archer and Ken Follett. It must be that I only connect with characters who make me happy. A big ixnay on that one. I recently told you that a character in Dennis Lehane's The Given Day committed an act so heinous that I sat stunned. Was that happy? That would be no. Did I emotionally connect with the character? You bet your bippy (check out the old Laugh-In TV show). I detested that guy.
What the heck is it then? Beats me. I can't pinpoint it. All I know is that I either connect with the characters or I don't. I don't go into a book expecting to connect. It either happens or it doesn't. And it also has nothing to do with local author or out-of-the-area author. I have recently read 2 books by local authors in which I really made no connection at all. I don't know what it is. All I can say is that it's really important to me to make the emotional connection. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason why I do connect with some and not with others. But if I can feel it, then I'm going to enjoy it more.
I'm not sure but there is something. I know some people think characters need to be likeable but I don't think that's true. Look at Scarlett O'Hara - she's not very likable yet I rooted for her and loved Gone With the Wind.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the "likable" part. There are negative emotions as well as positive ones, and a bunch in-between.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's voice and character ... and they both have to be very good in order for me to finish reading a book. Also, there must be at least one character who HAS character. I abhor stories where all the main players are awful people, if I want to visit the worst of humanity, I watch the nightly news.
ReplyDeleteBeth, both of your books had characters with character. You made us care about them. I think that was my problem with The Girl on the Train. None of the characters had character, and I felt like Hawkins didn't make me care about any of them.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Lloyd. That means a lot to me!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you very much for your comments on my debut romance novel, Love Caters All! I will say that I wrote a version of it in 2007 but no one liked the heroine!! I had to toss her out and get a new one. It took a few years, but then Maya Cruz came to me. I loved her. I think when I'm writing I have to really connect with the characters and love them or the book won't work. And sometimes that takes time. As for reading, I concur with you and Beth Hoffman. I have to root for the character, and I want someone constructive, not destructive, someone trying to make something worthwhile. Character. I don't know, it's slippery, because like you I can think of books I loved where the character wasn't trying to build a life or be constructive, but I was deeply connected to them. It's so hard to generalize. My reaction to books does seem quite specific to that particular book. But such a fun topic, and one I need to think about a lot more. Thanks for broaching this topic. I might come back if I can figure anything out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input, Nicci. Beth summed it up pretty well. It took me an entire post to say that I didn't know what I was talking about. It took Beth one short paragraph!
ReplyDeleteBeth is pithy, to be sure!
DeleteI have another thought. Off-and-on today, I thought about this fabulous nebulous topic you have raised, and I think it comes down to this: The reader, the author and the book form a unique co-creation at a unique point in time. That's why we can't generalize. That's why it's so individual. Where the reader's head is at, if you will forgive the colloquialism, is part of the equation. So is the book. So is the author.
Have you ever picked up a book and read it at different times of your life, the same book? And if so have you noticed any differences in the experience, some subtle, some more like a two-by-four upside the head?
More good thoughts. I certainly agree that time and place are important. But even allowing for that, I just know right away if I'm going to make a connection with one or more characters. It can change as the book progresses, but I get a sense immediately.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question, I can't answer it because I have never read a book twice. I know, hard to believe. I just have too many books in my TBR pile to go 2X.
Yes, you make good points there! Understand about not reading books twice. Keep reading! :)
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