Hey, readers! I’m often asked how to have more to say about a book beyond I liked it or I didn’t. This is a deceptively tricky question! There are many approaches to reviewing, talking about, or thinking about literature, and which approach to take largely depends on the purpose of my reflection. Am I trying to convince someone to read the book? Am I preparing to discuss in depth for the podcast? Am I just trying to discern what my opinion about this book may reveal about my taste in future books?
Love your thoughts on each question Sara! I tend to ask myself a form of question 1 & 2 but other questions I ask before putting my thoughts together about a book are: how did it make me feel? and does it have any elements (characters, plot, structure, amazing audio narration) that will have me thinking about it months in the future?
Interesting questions to ask. I tend to rate books in a few categories as I read: Terrible, should never have been published, wasted my time; Good story; Story well told; Good story Well told; Great story beautifully told (a rare and wonderful experience). I try to get a feel for whether the author really likes the characters. I look at the use of language, especially imaginative wording: see Marcus Zuzak in Book Thief and Bridge of Clay, for example. And I look at how the author builds the story, at the suspense and the impact of the climax. I will now be adding the three questions from this piece. Thanks!
Hi Sara!! I’m halfway through the book right now and I’ve been thinking about the same questions. What is this book trying to do and is it succeeding? One thing I’ve been surprised by is how different this novel is than her last book The Great Believers. This novel feels so eerily similar to The Secret History, even if Makkai reminded readers in a recent interview that the latter took place at a college and not a boarding school. It’s also fascinating to realize that the narrator is talking to one of her former teachers. I’m still piecing together the story so I’ll check back in later with your posts but I got so excited that we’re reading and can discuss at the same time!
I ask myself some variations on the questions you ask: what is the story trying to do, how does it work to do those things, is it successful and then I ask an additional question: does the story succeed in making me believe in its relevance? Or does the overall package resonate? I think this last question gets at my opinion, but doesn’t make sense to ask until after I’ve done the work of unpacking the textual intentions first.
Love your thoughts on each question Sara! I tend to ask myself a form of question 1 & 2 but other questions I ask before putting my thoughts together about a book are: how did it make me feel? and does it have any elements (characters, plot, structure, amazing audio narration) that will have me thinking about it months in the future?
Interesting questions to ask. I tend to rate books in a few categories as I read: Terrible, should never have been published, wasted my time; Good story; Story well told; Good story Well told; Great story beautifully told (a rare and wonderful experience). I try to get a feel for whether the author really likes the characters. I look at the use of language, especially imaginative wording: see Marcus Zuzak in Book Thief and Bridge of Clay, for example. And I look at how the author builds the story, at the suspense and the impact of the climax. I will now be adding the three questions from this piece. Thanks!
Hi Sara!! I’m halfway through the book right now and I’ve been thinking about the same questions. What is this book trying to do and is it succeeding? One thing I’ve been surprised by is how different this novel is than her last book The Great Believers. This novel feels so eerily similar to The Secret History, even if Makkai reminded readers in a recent interview that the latter took place at a college and not a boarding school. It’s also fascinating to realize that the narrator is talking to one of her former teachers. I’m still piecing together the story so I’ll check back in later with your posts but I got so excited that we’re reading and can discuss at the same time!
I ask myself some variations on the questions you ask: what is the story trying to do, how does it work to do those things, is it successful and then I ask an additional question: does the story succeed in making me believe in its relevance? Or does the overall package resonate? I think this last question gets at my opinion, but doesn’t make sense to ask until after I’ve done the work of unpacking the textual intentions first.
I’m almost finished with I Have Some Questions For You and appreciate your thoughts on what the book is trying to do.