Booking Through Thursday (BTT) asks: "What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot? (Yes, I know, they are both important. But if you had to pick one as being more important than the other?)"
A plot is important, but if the story doesn't have characters I care about, I put it down. Like the book I threw across the room last night. Yes, I really did that. I won't mention the title, not even as a DNF book ("Did Not Finish" book), because it doesn't deserve the attention. The main character was not likeable — she was actually very annoying — and she was beginning to use language for the shock value, since repeatedly describing something as f***ing was unnecessary. Fascinating characters are the key for me.
A plot is important, but if the story doesn't have characters I care about, I put it down. Like the book I threw across the room last night. Yes, I really did that. I won't mention the title, not even as a DNF book ("Did Not Finish" book), because it doesn't deserve the attention. The main character was not likeable — she was actually very annoying — and she was beginning to use language for the shock value, since repeatedly describing something as f***ing was unnecessary. Fascinating characters are the key for me.
I think I have to pick plot over characters for the most part. But I agree that annoying characters can kill off a book really fast. Don't think I've thrown any books across the room for quite a while, though -- the last one was The Scarlet Letter, when I was in high school.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to that experience, Bonnie! I have actually put down books with annoying or disgusting characters, even though the plot might have promised to appeal...
ReplyDeleteBut the characters make it or break it for me.
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I can relate to your experience, too, Bonnie. I find gratuitous profanity annoying, whether in a book or in real life.
ReplyDeleteI will say that one of my favorite books involved an initially unlikable character---Olive Kitteridge. The more I read, though, the more I identified with Olive...and the more I liked her.
I would go with the plot.
ReplyDeletehttp://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/12/booking-through-thursday_15.html
Yeah, Beth, I also liked Olive more as the story progressed.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, folks, I always throw a book carefully so I don't damage it.
More often I go with plot than with characters. Here is my BTT.
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