What is with all the first person crap lately? Man, oh man, it's so hard to find an author who can deliver awesome characterization in first person that often I am wary of reading those books. There are SO MANY out there lately.
The books from Cameron Dean that I was looking forward to? First person.
Linda Lael Miller's latest romantic suspense? First person.
Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins that looked so promising? First person.
Linda Howard's latest? First person.
Karen Marie Moning's latest? First person.
Just effing stab me in the eye already. I've only found a few authors in all my reading years (I'm 36) that have actually grabbed me with first person and those are Katherine Allred's Sweet Gum Tree and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. And while I enjoyed Linda Howard's To Die For which was first person, her follow up to that book with Drop Dead Gorgeous was just way to chick-litty for me and I wanted to beat the crap out of the
More and more I'm seeing first person novels when before they were few and far between. Anyone know the reasoning behind this? Is this a new trend? And if so, do you think it will be one to stay? I, for one, sure as hell hope not.
Friday, December 29, 2006
WTF???
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I'm with ya, Anne. I find it very difficult to connect with first person writing and it's prevented me from buying Water For Elephants and The Time Traveller's Wife, both of which I badly want to read. I might have to cave in though, because the other choice is getting perilously close to not reading at all. This is a HUGE trend.
Have to say, though, I bought Lord Vishnu's Love Handles on principle, without reading an excerpt or a blurb. It's in first person and I can't put it down. OMG I love this book. So, maybe I'm converting, or maybe it's just superior writing and storytelling. I dunno. It's not my preference though and I feel your pain. Bring back third person!
Please don't hold back so much Anne *g* Let us know how you really feel! lol
I LOVE first person. *ducking* and that's for writing and reading.
You want to read really stellar first person, try Marsha Moyer. Really! She's an amazing and IMNSHO underappreciated writer.
I *wish* I could do it as well as she does.
/gush
I am not a fan of the first person point of view either. I have a few authors who can pull it off successfully for me, but if it's an unknown author and I see they're using first person pov, I usually put the book down.
I'm with ames... if I don't know the author, I won't even attempt to read first person. Even if I have read the author before, it's hard for me to get into. IMO, writing in first person is just being lazy. I know it's a trend, but I'm hoping it's a trend that dies a quick death.
1st person is usually the only thing that can make me put a book on the "do not buy" list sight unseen. It's a shame, because I know there are good, if not great, authors out there writing in first person. It just does nothing for me. I've tried a few, and I gotta say, unfortunately, I can't do it. So, I'm with ya, Anne.
Bianca writing really good first person takes a lot of skill. (While writing really bad first person is just...painful.)
Unfortunately, I'm there, too. First person is a VERY demanding voice in which to write. And as Aime says, reading first person that doesn't work is just painful. Double unfortunate, it hardly ever works for me.
This is my personal taste, but even when an author does it to perfection in a romance, I still miss the depth of story telling and the connection to the wider story that third person POV alows.
I have read a few first person, and I have liked them. I think I just lucked out with authors who know how to do it well.
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