One of my daughters got a book in the mail and squealed with excitement over the new book.
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 primary scope of the first chapter.
Should my daughter have persevered? Was it possible the story would have held her interest better as it progressed? She never gave it the opportunity to find out.
Obviously, most authors search deep to find the right scene to start the book—something exciting or dangerous or unusual. We also try to find circumstances that alter the character’s comfortable life, knocking them off the easy path they’ve been on and forcing them in a new and different direction.
But no matter how hard authors attempt to craft a creative opening, the story won’t always jive.
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 Kindle Unlimited? 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 things: entice me at the beginning AND 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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I give up on a book any time I come across offensive language or sexual content. There are so many good books that I wanted to read but were ruined by unnecessary offensive content. Thank you for your great books!
JK I feel the same as you do about the offensive language and sexual content of a book. I try to choose the authors I can trust to write clean books and when I find that they have changed their writing style to include those things to sell more books, I no longer look for their books.
If I’m reading the book for a review (such as through NetGalley), I will persevere through to the end so I can give a thorough review. I’m ok with a slower opening as long as the characters are engaging and their story intrigues me in some way. I don’t always read the back book blurb so that tends to help a bit with the intrigue.
I think I am a lot like your daughter. I have read 3/4 of a book and then stopped. There was a little of the story, but it was mostly before information. I persevered because so many raved about it (comments). Ok so I picked up the second book. Finished the first. I couldnt get through half way of the second book. So now I am a lot like your daughter. Unless it is an author I really like and then I will persevere. It is usually not that long before things start to happen then.
I finish EVERYTHING I start. Maybe there’s some OCD in that, but I do. However, I will put aside books that I am not enjoying and pick them up from time to time. It took me 4 months to plow through One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is the only book I’ve ever considered not finishing, but I persevered because of all the hype it was getting.
I’m like the other commenters , I tank the book because of questionable content but I will include Biblical inauthenticity, no sound doctrine, in that also. I might tank it because of amateurish writing, too. That’s why I try to choose my favorite Christian Fiction writers to read.
There have only been a handful of books that I’ve started that I haven’t finished. I would rather have a compelling story than a fantastic start and no finish. I prefer both. I don’t need a lot of “normal world.” I will read on to have my questions answered about where the character came from and what they were doing before the story started. Even unfamiliar worlds, terms, etc. don’t throw me off. Stories without hope, that are depressing dark, or give me too many negative events in a row with nothing encouraging to cling to are the ones I have to push hard to finish. I want stories with hope in every page, even when the situation is at its lowest point. Give me that, and I’ll keep reading.
I persevere! I could probably count on one hand the books I have not finished but sometimes wonder why I feel like I have to finish some books!
I usually finish books that I start unless it has questionable content/language or isn’t going anywhere. I usually give a book at least three chapters to give the author a chance to develop the plot.
Lately books with a single female (or a male/female couple) on the cover have been so overused, in my opinion, so I have been navigating away from those unless I really enjoy the author.
Looking at my book collection at home, most haven’t got a fancy cover but the story is rich and relatable.
I’m a pretty simple reader, I enjoy stories that help me forget the real world. So I’m not picky! I read almost everything to the end. I do prefer clean books and tend to avoid more graphic novels but if I stumble across one, I usually will still read it unless it is very graphic. Language doesn’t bother me (I’m a social worker! I hear it all!!). But, the few times I have stopped reading is because I find myself laughing at dramatic parts. I CANNOT stand books that are full of cliche’s or teenage angst. I guess I’m just a bit hardened from real life and can’t handle unnecessary crisis.
I also prefer a sweeping story to a fantastic beginning. I’m the type of person that has to finish a book if I’ve started it (even if I plod through and give a 1-star review at the end). Because sometimes the ending just leaves you breathless and makes you understand the whole journey.
The only time I won’t finish a book is if there is questionable content.