Differences of opinion.

[noodle]

I am a very new contributor to this forum and I must apologise if this subject has been done to death on here before.

 

I am always amazed by the way people's opinion of a book can vary so much.

 

I am an avid reader and always on the look-out for a 'new' author and use Amazon reviews to get an idea of the quality of a writer.

 

How can the same book be thought by someone to be "the best thriller I've evr read" and by someone else as being "awful- don't waste your money.

 

The success and popularity of authors such as Jeffrey Archer, James Paterson and to a lesser extent Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code did educate me to some extent, the religious part of it) mystifies me.

 

PS.............how do you edit a post on this forum, just noticed a typo or three?

[Chrissy]

You can edit your posts once you have reached 10 posts.

 

I love that us book lovers frequently differ in our opinion of a book. It makes debating them that much meatier!

 

There are so many factors that shape our opinions of a book though; life experiences, mood at reading, age at reading , etc.

 

An example of mood effecting my reading is shown by how much I loathed 'The Tales Of Beedle The Bard' by JKRowling when I first read it, and had many a strong word to say on the subject. A later reading, when I had less chaos around me made me really appreciate it's worth. I was in my teens when I originally read John Fowles 'The Magus' and I loved it, but found it beyond awful when I read it again about 15 years later.

[Coffin Nail]

The world would be a much duller place if we all liked the same thing.

 

I'm trudging through Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the moment. It's highly rated by millions of people, people whose taste and judgement I would generally trust. I've heard that it's a bit of a slow starter, but was advised to stick with it so I will. But at the moment I'd get more out of ironing.

 

[Bunce]

Forums, such as this, would rarely get any viewers if differing opinions were to disappear from existence, and all that was left was agreement and loving of all the books posted on here. Could you imagine it? "This books amazing, I think you should get/read it" ... "Oh my sweet baby Jesus, you're right, it is amazing. I'm so glad I bought it." Do you see my point? There would be no worthwhile discussion or debate on this forum if everyone loved the same books.

 

Books are different, people are different, so it's natural for there to be divides in opinion somewhere along the line. As Chrissy said, there are numerous factors that may affect one's interpretations and thoughts to a particular book. Personally, I love the various opinions on books. And, if I find a book I like, I'd rather read a post by someone who dislikes the book mentioning their reasons as to why they didn't enjoy it as much as me (that's when the discussion/debate comes in!), as opposed to someone agreeing with my sentiments.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Bunce

[BigWords]

Rather than something such as a typical modern mystery (with added Leonardo Da Vinci / Knights Templars / ancient conspiracies, etc.) or J.K. Rowling, the greatest schism in opinion can best be found in something which is generally held as "universally beloved" - anything by Shakespeare, Charles Dickens or similar will suffice. Just spend a couple of hours reading opinions ranging from the great adoration right down to petty insults about the author's parentage, and the way people approach texts becomes abundantly clear. The rise in the use of books which set out "preferred readings" have largely shaped opinion about certain works - whether rightly or wrongly - and a great number of people simply parrot off the views of others without considering how they are affected by a work.

 

Also, because it seems to be a recurring theme in literature, there are certain styles of writing which swing in and out of favor massively - the epistolary, for example, was a staple of many readers for the better part of a hundred years, then went out of favor, then back in, and will probably continue to go in and out of favor evermore. On a smaller scale, tastes can change over time, and something which seems deep and meaningful in your teens will often turn out to be a wangst-laden stream of emo wailing - particularly prominent in this category is some of the works of J.D. Salinger (arguments have been raging ever since Catcher In The Rye was first published, and there is no end in sight for that). Changes in situation can improve your mood on some novels which focus on particular moments in a persons life.