One of my twin daughters got a new book in the mail and squealed with excitement as she opened it.
Sadly, once she started reading the new squeal-worthy book, it fell into the book graveyard. It had a gorgeous, captivating cover. A catchy title. An interesting blurb. And it promised to be a fun, light read.
So why did it die and get buried?
After she read the first chapter, I asked her how she liked it. She sprawled out next to me on the couch and said, “It’s boring.”
“Oh no.” My heart sank because I’d been looking forward to reading the book too but now wasn’t sure if I would. “Why’s it boring?”
“All she does in the first chapter is talk on the phone.”
Sure enough, as I paged through the book, the phone conversation was the scope of most of the first chapter.
There are plenty of readers out there who will persevere past the first chapter and perhaps find the story appealing. My other teen daughter did and ended up liking the book.
But why take a chance on a so-so opening? Why not craft a more captivating start a story?
Like many authors, I always search deep to find the right scene to start the book—something exciting or dangerous or unusual. I also try to find something that alters my character’s comfortable life, something that knocks them off the path they’ve been on and forces them into a new and different direction.
But no matter how hard attempt to craft my opening, I still occasionally get reviews that complain about a slow start. There’s just no way to please everyone.
How far will most readers go before giving up? A page or two? A chapter? The middle of the book? Does some of it depend on whether the reader paid for the book, feeling the need to persevere and get her money’s worth? Is it easier to toss the book aside if it’s a library book, loan, or freebie for the Kindle? I know it is for me.
So where does that leave opening hooks? Is the beginning really all that important or not?
On the one hand, I think a book needs to have something that hooks us into reading it right from the start. But on the other hand, even if a book has an exciting hook it can still fail to deliver the rest of the story.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that while I like a heart-stopping opening, something that grabs me and dumps me into the middle of the story and conflict, I’m also able to overlook a slightly slow beginning if the story itself grips me.
I personally think a book should attempt to do both those things, entice me at the beginning AND then sweep me along with the story. After all, some people (like my daughter) won’t read on if an author doesn’t do BOTH.
But if I had to choose a fantastic beginning or a sweeping story, I’d pick the sweeping story. I can overlook a slow start, but I can’t overlook a slow book. I might be able to wallow through the first few arduous pages, but if the story doesn’t grip me, then I usually can’t persevere.
Dear readers, what’s more important to you? Do you NEED a captivating opening hook to keep reading? Or do you persevere past a slow opening if the story is promising enough?
Jody Hedlund
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Hello. I persevere through the first part of a book even if I don’t like it, because sometimes the story gets better as pages turn. 🙂 But, if the story is portrayed as a “clean” story and I find out it is not, I stop reading.
I will go past the slow start of a book and sometimes find a treasure within the story. But I have read a book just because I want to finish what I started. The best bet is choose authors that you know you like and you find less disappointments!
I Agree! 🙂
I agree that it is more important that a book have a good story line that will last the entire book then a first chapter that is great but the rest of the story falls apart … I usually read a book until I get to the middle and if it still has not “gripped me” Then I will give up on the book. **Grabs book and throws it into the book graveyard** 🙂
For me, the quality of writing is usually more important than the storyline. I get very frustrated with books that have unrealistic dialogue and simple writing styles (he said/she said/they went outside type). However, if the characters are developed and the writing flows, I can read almost anything!
Jody, for the majority of my reading life, I finished every book I started, even if I hated it. I had this deep held (and wrong) belief that if a book got published it must have SOME redeeming value and eventually I would get to the good parts.
Somewhere along the way, I finally admitted that wasn’t true. And now I don’t finish a book I don’t like. My reading time is too limited to give hours and hours to something I’m not going to like or love in the end.
However, I give more of a chance than one chapter. At least three or four. And a slow opening is never enough to discourage me.
Exactly what Robin said, except I know where my “somewhere along the way” came: on my 50th birthday I decided life was too short and there were too many good books out there to waste time reading one I wasn’t loving. Now, I’ll give a book 50 pages and if I don’t love it, I’m on to another one.
This is a good reminder to me as a writer that I need to be sure my openings aren’t boring. But like someone else said, I need to be careful not to promise adventure or suspense in the first chapter that just isn’t there the rest of the book.
I like an opening that gets my attention. I will always keep reading though, I’m always hoping the story will develop and get better. Sometimes it does and other times it doesn’t, I hate when it doesn’t. There was a time when I finished every page of every book I started. In this new world of self published e-books, I admit to giving up on some. The lack of editing and even spell check is more than my old brain can cope with. One such book had such promise, the idea of the story was good, it had a good first chapter then fell apart. The author used the wrong character names, the scenes were often repeated with different wording, it was like reading an idea page where the author was trying to figure out the best way for the scene to go. I just couldn’t finish.
While I love an opening that sucks me right into the story, I will definitely persevere through a slow opening especially if the overall storyline is appealing. However, if the opening of a secular book has something I feel is inappropriate or offensive, I will set it aside. A book that is slow throughout I will sometimes give up on especially if I cannot get emotionally involved with any of the characters. If a secular book has really great opening and I am into the characters, later in the book I might skim over offensive sections or ignore content that I feel goes against my convictions, just so I can reach the resolution.
I love great openings, like “It was time to jump”, the first words in “Luther and Katharina”, but I will also accept a slower beginning if I sense that the author is intentionally laying a groundwork, which often happens in a suspense novel. I will give the book a good chance to capture my attention, but if it never finds its pace, I will occasionally move on to something else.
I love a good opening where you’re caught from the first word–but if the book dwindles in interest part-way through then my rating will lower. However, I will forgive a slow opening if the rest of the book is captivating. I typically will finish a book once I’ve started it, even if it’s a library book that cost me nothing. The few books I have not finished have been just TOTALLY boring half-way through with no signs of improvement. Maybe I’m too stubborn to give up because I’ll put up with boring for several chapters in the hopes that it’ll get better. But several chapters in a row in the middle of the book and no signs of improvement and I’m done. So if I had to choose between a great opening that turns boring for the rest of the book or a boring opening that turns great for the rest of the book I’d choose the second any day.
I am usually one that won’t put down a book even if the beginning is “boring”. Lately, however, I find that if it hasn’t hooked me in the 1st chapter than I don’t continue on. I found that same difficulty with the book we are currently reading for our book club. But, this time after I put the book down complaining how boring it was, I started listening to the audio and am really enjoying it, including the 1st chapter. I don’t think I would have gotten as much enjoyment from the reading as I am from listening. That said, if I had pushed through and read the book, I would be finished with it already, instead of having 13 hours of listening pleasure.
I try to go at least 1/3 of the way through, allowing for the storyline to pick up or the characters to hopefully get more interesting. I’ve only abandoned a handful of books, but in the end, my to-read list is too long to waste time on a book I would only give 1 or 2 stars.
I would have to agree with you. Although I love being gobbled up by a story in the first few pages (which yours always do)…I am satisfied if the story as a whole is intriguing and flows well. But if the book doesn’t pick up pace in the first few chapters I begin to dread picking it up. I usually make myself finish the books I start…But the few that found themselves in the graveyard were the ones that had a storyline that did not sit well on my spirit and caused me serious mental torment to read. So far only 2 sit unfinished from the past 2 years.
I love a great 1st chapter that gets me really interested in the book from the start but if it’s slow I will still go ahead and read. As long as it gets captivating in a 2 or 3 chapters I’m fine. Most of the time I will go ahead and read the entire book even if it’s not a page turner. I’m just that way.
It depends on my mood. Sometimes I have the patience to persevere and see if a “boring” or depressing book “gets better.” But sometimes I don’t have the patience, or if I’m tired looking for a light read, I don’t have the energy for intense. I don’t much like a book that starts with a lot of backstory. Or if it starts depressingly. I like a book to have forward Story Now action, although if it starts with a bar fight, that’s usually too much action. I like to engage with a couple of characters [another turn off for me is too many characters at the beginning].. But how much of these things I “need” depends on my mood. I often set aside a book I initially don’t like, then when I come back for a second try I like it. And, having said all that, good writing will usually take me over humps in the first couple of chapters. Good writing, a great story “voice” covers a lot of “sins.” 🙂
I will persevere past a slow opening, especially if the book is by an author whose work I usually like. Even when it’s by an author I haven’t read before, I will keep going, partly, I think, because I am a compulsive finisher. I do not like to leave things unfinished. It gets to me. But there have been some books that I quit before the end because I just couldn’t stomach finishing it-the writing was so poorly done. If I don’t finish a book, I will, at least, usually skip to the end and see how it ends before I quit (probably that compulsive finisher part of me that can’t leave things hanging). Books don’t have to have an enticing beginning for me to read them, but it certainly helps and makes the book more enjoyable. Ideally, a book will hook me at the beginning and keeping me interested through out the whole book.
I can usually get past a slow beginning to try to reach the real nugget in the book.
I have never NOT finished a book. That being said, I will add that there have only been two books that I absolutely despised – one took me six months to complete. I kept picking it up between other books and reading at least a chapter.
However, I agree with those who lament that reading time is short, so I try to rely now on authors I know and trust or those recommended by authors I enjoy. I also think, as someone above said, that the quality of the writing is important. I enjoy a good story that is well told. There doesn’t have to be a captivating opening.
If I’m not hooked by the first few chapters, I usually give up on the book. So many books, so little time!
if i read first 5 chapters and it has not caught my attention, i will put it away
captivating opening hook!
If I put a book down, it will usually be in the first 6 pages or so. Not necessarily because I’ve found the book boring. I may just feel that it’s not the right time for me to be reading it, and I strongly feel that that’s the reason. It may be one that I really want to read. If it’s not the right time though, no matter how hard I try to read it, or whether it has catchy hook to it, it won’t make sense to my brain. Then it may be days, weeks, months or even years before I can get into it, and nobody can stop me from reading it then! Yes, there have been books that I’ve waited several years to read. Right now I’m still waiting to read Frank Peretti’s, “Prophet”. I started it but couldn’t finish it. The time is getting closer though to when I can read it.
Most books I will persevere till the end. I may still not like it at the end but I will be able to say I read the whole thing & this is why I didn’t like it. There has only been one book in my recent memory that I just couldn’t get through. I didn’t like the characters. I tried really hard but only made it a quarter way through before I decided there were other books with more enjoyable characters I would rather read about.
I believe if a reader gets bored in reading a book, it is because of the content or the story. I think that this is where the content should be more important because it is what keeps the reader in reading the book thoroughly.