I started to write this as a reply to someone who asked whether the book they were reading would get better, or if they should just stop reading. However, it started to feel to me like I was being mean towards an original poster who probably just wanted some human contact, so I think this works better as a general reflection, not specific to someone's post.
I don't know why people are under the impression that a novel is going to change radically after a certain page. That generally won't happen. The plot could speed up, so if that's your problem then asking could be reasonable, but normally your enjoyment of the book depends on the storytelling skill of the writer and on the reader's ability to cooperate with what the author is doing and get into it. But, if the skill of the writer is not reaching you, don't expect that skill to radically change midway.
You always see a lot of responses from fans of the book saying "just keep reading, it'll get better". But those fans probably liked it from the beginning. Also, normally when someone starts enjoying a book midway, it's not because the book "got better". It's because the reader "got better" at enjoying it.
If you are in the middle of a book, no one can know better than you whether you should continue or not. If you are getting nothing out of it, then just stop reading and move on to something different. It doesn't necessarily mean the book is "bad", but probably it's not for you, at least not at this point.
by farseer6
1 Comment
This hits hard. I remember forcing myself through some fantasy series because everyone said “wait until book 3, that’s when it gets good” and I’m sitting there like… why am I wasting my time with 600+ pages of mediocre writing just to maybe enjoy something later?
Your point about readers getting better at enjoying books instead of books actually improving is spot on. Sometimes you just need to be in right headspace or have certain life experiences to connect with what author is trying to do.