The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece

Because Pericles and Aspasia was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

Ekta Kumari

The story takes place against the backdrop of the golden age of Athens, where our two central characters, Aspasia and Pericles, fall in love. However, contrasting social differences and real-world challenges threaten their union. The book follows the themes of art, history, and mythology. I wouldn't have sampled or read the book based on its blurb and the genre because I wasn't interested in Greek history or the romance between the two main characters. The cover page didn't make me curious either. The first few pages I read of the book were insightful in highlighting Aspasia's background details and her escape from the pirates. The thing I like the most is that the narrative is quite vivid and instigates mental imagery of the scenes where the main heroine tries to navigate treacherous situations for her survival. I like the focus on characterization a lot. While the text is edited well, I noticed two errors and would suggest another round of professional editing. One error is a missing comma before 'but' in the following sentence: "She shoved her chiton off her slippery shoulders easily but peeling off the linen clinging to her hips and legs was like working a knot." There's nothing I can suggest for improvement based on the part I sampled. I saw a useful official OBC review, but my decision to not read the whole book is mainly based on my lack of interest in the romance and history genres.

First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 10:52 am by Ekta Kumari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Manang Muyang

The cover shows the Parthenon, and the title pertains to a Greek couple. The flattering official OBC review mentions that the book also contains references to Greek mythology. I know almost nothing about ancient Greece and Greek mythology. Thus, I would not have been excited to look into the book outside of the program despite the very complimentary OBC review. I did enjoy the prologue, especially Aspasia's strength of character. The author heightened the suspense with the use of staccato sentences. This sentence at 11% of the sample was missing an "and" before "scapegoats": "They say that vagrant men, thieves, scapegoats roam the beaches." Also at 11%, "The East was still dark" mistakenly capitalized "east." The first chapter was confusing for me and dissuaded me from reading further. I guess it's because of my unfamiliarity with Greek literature. I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Liza Chulukhadze

If I had not been a part of this program, I still would've sampled this book because of the genre, the interesting cover, and the blurb. I love books about ancient Greece and exploring their culture, so I would be interested in it without being a part of this program too. After reading the first ten pages, I would like to buy the book and read the whole story because the author's writing skills and Aspasia's adventure got me interested. I would like to see how the events develop and how Aspasia will deal with her problems. I couldn't find any errors in the first ten pages. In the book, I loved the consistent development of events and how brave Aspasia was. Her character seems to have much potential. The only thing I slightly disliked about the book was that the epilogue seemed a little unclear. I felt a little lost in time as flashbacks came to her. Otherwise, it was very enjoyable. The OBC review was also one of the main reasons that made me pick up this book. It explained the contents of the book very well, so I got interested.

First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 4:55 am by Liza Chulukhadze.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Shrabastee Chakraborty

Had I not been a part of this program, I still would have read the book based on the genre, the OBC review, and other published reviews. I found no errors in the first ten pages. Aspasia was restrained on a ship that anchored close to Athens. The captain had killed her father and aimed to sell her. She planned to escape by diving overboard. I loved how the author made the story thrilling. I anxiously followed Aspasia's decisions. I had no reason to suggest any improvements. Based on my reading experience, I would read the whole book.

First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 4:09 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sou Hi

Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub, the cover, the blurb, and the ratings on Amazon are fine, but the book's premise is not my cup of tea.

I like nothing in the bit I read. The plot is quite dull. Despite her hardships and the loss of her father, Aspasia's emotions are hardly shown, making her flat and unreal. I suggest a more emotional beginning that highlights the character's inner thoughts. I have no interest in reading more about the heroine, so I won't buy this book. The OBC was helpful in making my decision. The editing is alright.

Error example: Earth is flies and sharp, cracked shells with rotting creatures. -> This sentence should use past tense like the rest of the story.

First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 3:57 am by Sou Hi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

OTrain Disene

In the book, a woman is seemingly held against her will by a bunch of men she calls savages. She remembers her father, who murdered these men before she was abducted.
It was all cruel and gratuitous. But she is planning to escape while they are asleep, and she does that. The book showed the wreckage of an old building and had a title that kind of gave a clue what the book was about. But I would not have selected this book if it weren’t for this programme. I liked how the action was the feature the book opened with. I also like how smoothly her backstory was given. What I didn’t like was the step-by-step narration the book employed. It slowed the action. I will not read this book because I do not like the genre. The official OBC review told me all I needed to know about the book, but it wasn’t enough to convince me to read it. I found no errors, meaning it was exceptionally edited.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 6:44 pm by OTrain Disene.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kirsi Cultrera

This book did not catch my attention with its title or cover picture. Since it appeared uninteresting, I am afraid I would not have sampled it without the First Ten program. However, reading the blurb, editorials, and customer reviews was exciting. I love ancient Greece and its mythology; a story placed on those surroundings will surely catch my attention. Based on these, I would have at least sampled the book. I found an Official OnlineBookClub review of this book, which increased my interest. The review gave an inviting picture of this story, and I would have definitely sampled the book based on this review. The sample pages were catching; I was delighted to read the author's vivid, descriptive writing. I also liked Aspasia's courage; she was brave, escaping from the pirates like that. I did not see anything in particular in this sample that would have needed improvement. However, I ended up deciding against reading this book. Even though I liked the author's writing, it seemed that a big part of this book was about romance, and I am very picky with that genre. In addition, I did not like that there were quite many indications of sexuality within just a few pages; I feared the whole book might include much more of that. I found no objective grammatical errors in the part I read, and the book appeared professionally edited to me.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 2:50 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, title, customer reviews, and editorial reviews. This story taking place in Ancient Greece didn't seem like something I would enjoy. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. I thought it was well-written, which I liked. It was professionally edited; I didn't see any errors in the first ten pages. There wasn't anything specific that needed improvement. However, the story didn't really interest me. It starts off on the ship with Aspasia deciding to jump to save herself. While I appreciated the quick start into the action of the story, the idea of her being on the ship in the first place to be sold and the story of her dad's death weren't for me.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 2:13 pm by Annelore Trujillo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Donna Walker

I love a good historical fiction novel, even if I can't pronounce the characters names! It's a great way to learn about history. I found the cover of this book a bit boring. It looks like a history book, not a novel. I would not pick up this book based on the cover. From the reviews on Amazon and OBC, this sounds like a very interesting read with a nice blend of romance. I would not have known about this book if not for OBC. After reading the sample, I will not be buying and reading this book. Though the story seemed to have promise, I found it a little difficult to follow. I just can't get my head around the complicated Greek names of people and places. I did not find any grammatical errors, and so it looks like it has been professionally edited. I'm not sure there is anything that i would say needs to be improved upon, it's just not a good fit for me, and also I can't read every single book and this ranks low on my list of interest.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 1:35 pm by Donna Walker.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sanju Lali

Several customer and editorial reviews gave optimistic feedback about this book. I got the most needed information about this book from the OBC official review. I realized that the book was not professionally edited because I found several grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Her heart jumped but her hand held steady." This sentence could have been as follows. "Her heart jumped, but her hand held steady." I liked the fact that Athenians loved learning very much by reading books. I learned that the Phoenician ship’s captain tried to sell Aspasia's books at the best price. I will not buy and read this book today because of the unusual irony usage in the narrative. My suggestion to the author is to consider using commonly used irony moderately. The cover, title, and genre of this book caught my attention. Therefore, I would have read the sample of this book even outside The First Ten program.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 9:39 am by Sanju Lali.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Diana Lowery

I love Greece, so I liked the cover, but the title sounded political, so I was not interested. The blurb confirmed that the book was about politics, and that convinced me not to read the book. Even though the OBC was from a reviewer that I recognized and respected, I was not convinced to read the book by her comments. I liked the poetic prose in the pages that I read. This alliteration is an example, "his brain bobbing like brine scum." I did not find any errors in the pages that I read. I am not going to finish reading the book because it is 557 pages long. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 8:36 am by Diana Lowery.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Olga Markova

But for the First Ten, I would not have sampled or read this book because its cover, title, genre, blurb, and editorial and customer reviews suggest that it is a book of historical fiction, and it is not my preferred genre. Sampling the first ten pages, I liked the vivid and atmospheric style in which the author wrote this book and the brave Aspasia who survived the kidnapping by the pirates. I did not find errors and have no suggestions for improvement. After reading the first ten pages, I will not buy and read the whole book because I prefer to read crime fiction and fantasy to relax and unwind. The OBC review was very informative and positive, but it did not impact my decision whether to read this book.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 4:30 am by Olga Markova.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vidhi Adhikari

The book makes a decent first impression with its attractive cover design, straightforward title, detailed description, and multiple customer and OBC reviews. Since the book is a socio-political novel, I was excited to read the sample. The OBC review spoke about the Athens backdrop, which piqued my interest. That said, I loved the simple writing style of the author. There were some minor grammatical errors, but nothing that would affect my reading experience (It lit up the darkness in her mind, {remove comma} like the single glint her eyes fixed on above the distant gray-green hills.). Sadly, since the book was not available for purchase on Amazon in India, I won't be able to buy and read it. I have no suggestions because had the book been available, I would have enjoyed reading it.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 3:45 am by Vidhi Adhikari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Pauline Parnell

I still would have read this book even if I hadn't been a part of this program. I was drawn in by the blurb because I love Greek mythology. However, I would most definitely not buy or read the entire book after only reading the first ten pages. I enjoyed the initial events involving Aspasia, but I found it difficult to grasp what was happening on the ship. No errors were found while I was reading. I enjoyed how Aspasia is portrayed as a strong woman. It's admirable. I didn't comprehend how her father was killed and how she managed to flee. Though, the OBC review was favorables, my concerns were too much.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 3:27 am by Pauline Parnell.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rowan The-First

I find the title of this book difficult to pronounce, and the cover isn't captivating. However, the book's description and genre would have compelled me to read it because I enjoy historical and romance novels. After reading a small part of this book, I have decided not to buy it because the story is built in an ancient Greek setting with reference to the Greek mythical gods. As a person, I don't enjoy reading such stories. Also, I disliked the difficult names like 'Aspasia,' which gave me a hard time pronouncing. On a positive note, I liked Yvonne Korshak's style of narrating the book. The OBC review provided enough insights into what to expect from the book and helped me in my decision making.

First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 1:52 am by Rowan The-First.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Mae Bagarinao

I like the historic view on the cover, and the title sounds unique. I also like the genre. These aspects somehow ignited my desire to try the book. However, when I read the blurb, it directs me to believe that the book is not for me as it contains politics—Athenian democracy and war. In addition, Greek history is secondary to me. The editorial review summarizes well the story of Pericles and Aspasia, the rules implemented by Pericles, and the intriguing question of whether the Athenians will defeat the Spartans or not. I've read eight positive Amazon customer reviews, which made me realize that the novel is a challenging read for me. For these reasons, I'm going to skip the book. I sampled the book on Amazon, and I am convinced that the narrative is not for me. I would rather not be rude, but when I sampled the book, I couldn't connect with the story or the writing style of the author. I, therefore, am not going to buy or read the whole book. The first ten pages are error-free. It's hard to pinpoint what I like about the book. I think it would be the description of the places in Athens or the romance between Pericles and Aspasia. What I know is that the book offers adventure, politics, and romance. The one that intrigued me was the complex romantic relationship between Pericles and Aspasia. I dislike the use of words by the author, as I see that it is not easy for an average reader. I also found the delivery hard to grasp. I suggest that these dislikable aspects be addressed to make the book accessible to a wider audience. Yes, the OBC review is clear and straightforward, which helps me in my buying decision. For now, I'll pass. Thank you.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 11:39 pm by Hazel Mae Bagarinao.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ari Martinez

If it wasn't for the First Ten program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, OnlineBookClub review, or other reviews because I am not interested in Greek mythology, and historical fiction novels are not usually my first choice. From what I read, my favorite part was the suspense the author built in the first few pages – it immediately drew me in, and I couldn't stop reading. I also liked Aspasia. Even though I knew little about her, her actions and courage made her very likeable. After reading the first ten pages, I will read all of the book simply because I found the story captivating, and I liked the imagery. I didn't find any errors in the text, and I don't think the book needs improvement.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 11:29 pm by Ari Martinez.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kelsey Roy

I’m initially intrigued by the title and cover of “Pericles and Aspasia.” These details indicate the topic of Ancient Greece, perhaps in the historical fiction genre. I love the setting, and historical fiction is my favorite genre. The blurb and OBC review confirm these exciting details and discuss the life and love of two individuals, named in the title, in which the backdrop of Ancient Greek democracy is evaluated and compared to modern-day through narrative. I can’t wait to read the sample pages.

I found no objective errors within the first ten pages. I was fascinated by Aphasia’s perilous escape from the pirates and the horrific story of her father’s death and her capture. It must have been difficult for her to try to make a living in Athena by selling her body. Her love of her father’s books is admirable and shows deep respect for the man himself. I found nothing to dislike in the sample, and I have no recommendations for the author. I would love to continue reading this book, as I enjoy the genre, and I was fascinated by the topics and setting.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 11:17 pm by Kelsey Roy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mariana Figueira

If I wasn't part of the First Ten program, I wouldn't have read the book because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book I don't want to continue reading it because the story didn't captivate me, I think it was moving too slow, it was like 14% of the sample and Aspasia had barely reached the shore. However, I'm not sure how that could be improved. This book seems professionally edited, I didn't see any typos; plus, it has an official Online Bookclub review but that didn't affect my opinion about not reading the book. I didn't see anything that I particularly enjoyed.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 9:44 pm by Mariana Figueira.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Arnaiz

The title, cover, and blurb all imply historical fiction. However, it appears to be a romance novel, which I rarely read. As a result, I'll skip this outside of the program. Customer feedback has been positive. My opinion was not changed by sampling. I liked how the book examines a prostitute's life against the backdrop of ancient Greek culture and society. The descriptions are vivid. They provide a wealth of information on the surroundings. However, it appears to slow the pace. I enjoy a faster pace and am not particularly fond of romance. I'm going to pass on this one. I have no suggestions for improvements. Similarly, I did not notice any editing issues on the sample pages. The official OnlineBookClub review is enthusiastic.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 9:24 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rodel Barnachea

Following my going over the book’s Amazon page and official OnlineBookClub review, I decided not to purchase the historical fiction novel. I am not fascinated by how Aspasia was able to escape from the pirates who are planning to sell her along with her father's scrolls in Athens. I am not intrigued by the many differences and obstacles that Pericles and Aspasia's relationship faces. I am not interested in learning if Athenians would be able to defeat the Spartans who are rebelling against Athens' democracy. Poring over its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the text convinced me I would enjoy reading the rest of the book. The first ten pages contain a prologue and a few pages of Chapter 1: Buying and Selling. My favorite part is when the protagonist recalled the graphic details of how her father died. I did not observe any errors in the text. I believe the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 8:45 pm by Rodel Barnachea.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Omneya Shakeep

"Pericles and Aspasia" by Yvonne Korshak is an intriguing novel. The blurb promises a romantic story mixed with philosophy and history, which I think is a unique combination that appeases my taste perfectly. The cover and the title match the story theme and fit perfectly. All the above aspects, combined with the positive customer reviews and the high rating and praise of the OBC review, would have made me eager to sample the book. I found the story very captivating, with incredible potential from the sample. Aspasia's resilience and intelligence are very admirable. Also, I was fascinated to read great names such as Pythagoras and Socrates. However, I found the pace of the story a bit slow for my taste, which bored me a little. For this reason, I don't think I would buy this book. I believe it is a fascinating novel with great potential if the pace picks up. I didn't encounter any errors while reading the sample.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 8:05 pm by Omneya Shakeep.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

The cover and title are consistent with Greek mythology and with the romance genre, but I'm not a fan of Greek mythology. The blurb highlights the growing solid love between Pericles and Aspasia and the magnificence of Athens. Most customer reviews are positive. The official OnlineBookClub review highlights elements of Greek mythology and the various obstacles facing the romance between Pericles and Aspasia. Based on these aspects, I am uninclined to give this book a chance. The first ten pages were entertaining and exciting. I liked the writing style as it conveyed the feelings and fears experienced by Aspasia as she escaped from the ship and reached the shore. Aspasia's search for Athena's spear aroused my curiosity. I wonder what will happen when she finds it. Plus, I wonder if Silky will take Aspasia with Hippodamus and if he will end up helping her. It is also striking to know how the romance between Aspasia and Pericles will thrive. The editing looked adequate, as I didn't see any details to comment on. Overall, I didn't see anything that I thought could be improved. What I read was entertaining, but neither Greek mythology nor romance are my favorite genres. Hence, I would prefer not to read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 4:46 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mayang Bature

The level of detail in this book sample really amazed me. The story of Aspasia's escape from the ship on which she was a prisoner was entirely engrossing. I liked the narrative because I could relate to what she was feeling and thinking. I would have chosen to read this book if I wasn't enrolled in this program. I was intrigued by the description because I enjoy Greek mythology. However, I learned from the official OBC review that this novel was primarily about romance. This is the only aspect of the book that I don't like because I don't like romance novels. Despite the fact that there were no faults in the sample I read, I decided against reading the entire book due to its genre.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 4:34 pm by Mayang Bature.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

"Pericles and Aspasia" is a historical fiction novel written by Yvonne Korshak. Set in the Classical Age of Greece, the book revolves around Aspasia and General Pericles. Aspasia is the daughter of a philosopher from Miletus. Her father is killed by pirates and she has to escape the pirate ship. Her love for books intrigues Pericles, the steadfast defender of democracy. I like how the author takes us to the Golden Era of Greece. I was excited to read about Sophocles, Herodotus, and Euripides. I found a few errors. For example, the "o" in "or" after the question mark in "Was it because he was abnormal? or because that was why he was here?" I found nothing in need of improvement. The OBC review is informative and helpful. I would have read this book based on the cover, title, genre, customer reviews, editorial reviews, and blurb as I love reading historical romance novels. For the same reason, I will continue reading the book.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 4:25 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chinazo Anozie

I was initially interested in this book from the title, cover, description, genre, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review. However, I changed my mind after reading the first few pages, so I’ll not buy and read this book. I didn’t fully understand some of the scenes in the book, and it often felt like some other scenes were skipped. For example, I didn’t fully grasp the details of how Aspasia jumped from the ship and escaped the pirates. I also didn’t understand how she became a full-on prostitute; one minute she was being helped by Silky and the next, she was serving different clients. This book seems professionally edited because I didn’t notice any typos.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 4:13 pm by Chinazo Anozie.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Caroline Anne Richmond

Pericles and Aspasia by Yvonne Korshak gained an excellent review from Online Book Club. This review certainly would entice you to read this book, especially if you have an interest in Ancient Greece.
I very much enjoyed the first ten pages. It is well written and I found no errors. I was captivated by these pages and you are immediately immersed into a dramatic plot. However the book is quite long which would make me question if I had the time to read this book, but with the glowing review and my enjoyment of the first few pages I would definitively give this book a try.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 3:54 pm by Caroline Anne Richmond.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Amy Luman

Aspasia was a brave girl. That was what I liked best about what I read. Even though she was scared, she still dove from the side of the ship after the watchman fell asleep. There was really nothing that I didn’t like. It was just historical fiction, so I won’t be finishing it. Even the praise given by the OBC review, the editorial reviews, and the customer reviews were not enough to change my mind. I didn’t find any errors, however, so I wouldn’t change anything. The cover was obviously a picture of Greece, but I misread the title before reading the review, so I was not impressed.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 2:41 pm by Amy Luman.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Timothy Rucinski

The cover seemed nice, especially since I had been to Greece and walked the Acropolis. And from the Official OBC Review, this book seemed interesting. I read no other reviews or blurbs. I've studied Greek mythology, history, and theatre since I was a child, so topics such as this have always interested me. But when I've read retellings of Greek myths or history, I've always found them to be disappointing, never capturing my interest, including the novels by Madeline Miller. As a rule, I tend to stay away fron these types of novels. Unfortunately, after reading the selection on Amazon, I wasn't engaged to the point of wanting to read this. It's well written, but I could tell that the book is more of a romance than anything, and I'm not particularly fond of romances. Clearly, the author has a good sense of the time period, which is what I liked more than anything. But the story just didn't grab me, although I thought the episode of Aspasia diving into the sea and fleeing from the boat was a terrific way to start the story. The book was professionally edited; I found no errors. I have no recommendations for improvement.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 2:32 pm by Timothy Rucinski.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nemanja Jankovic

The book's cover looks like a tourist guide cover, and the title is too uncertain for me to decide whether to read it. I read the Official OnlineBookClub review, the blurb, and customer reviews, but they did not influence my decision. The editor's review affected my selection in part because it highlighted the detailed account of ordinary life in ancient Greece as well as gossip in ancient Athena. I will not read the book since I am not currently in the mood to read historical fiction. I didn't notice errors or typos when reading the book, so it appears to have been professionally edited. I appreciate how Aspasia ate the fig is described since it shows a lot about her personality. Nothing in the book, in my opinion, needs to be improved.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 1:55 pm by Nemanja Jankovic.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Eleni Antonopoulou

I would not sample Pericles and Aspasia. The blurb was not intriguing, and the cover is straight out of a tour guide. The editing is flawless, and the characters are realistic. However, the narrative is confusing and hard to follow. As a result, I found myself struggling to keep up instead of being immersed in the streets of Ancient Greece. The OBC review was very positive and highlighted the book's best qualities. While it was very informative, it did not change my final decision. I will not purchase this book because I did not enjoy the writing style and could not immerse myself in the story the way I had hoped.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 1:31 pm by Eleni Antonopoulou.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nisha DSouza

The book cover and the title were quite unique and interesting. After reading the blurb, I realized the book revolves around Greek historical fiction with a hint of romance. There were several positive Amazon customer comments. I enjoyed reading the official OBC review; it was well-written and captivating. The sample pages were intriguing, and I was eager to read about how the story of Pericles and Aspasia turned out. It is a great book for people who love to read historical fiction. I liked the part where Aspasia is trying to get her books back from the bookseller. It shows her strong character and determination to get back what belongs to her. I did not find anything to complain about in the sample pages. However, I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, so I will skip this book. I found no errors in the first ten pages.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 10:56 am by Nisha DSouza.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

The cover didn't catch my attention. Though I like romance and historical fiction, the blurb seemed boring to me. Also, the ratings are mixed. So I wouldn't have bought the book based on my first impressions.
The first ten pages left me hesitating. The editing is flawless, which is always a pleasure. I also found Aspasia's inner monologue engrossing. Not everyone would remain calm when their fate is either possibly drowning or being sold. However, there are also some cultural concepts that I lack the knowledge to understand. How was it that the captain abusing her could raise "the price he'd get for her"? I don't mean to sound insensitive, but isn't it the other way around? I also think the narrative has too many short sentences in a row, which gives it an odd staccato rhythm that I am not sure I like. What convinced me to buy the book was the official OBC review. My main suggestion is crafting a much more engaging blurb.

First Ten review added on June 8, 2023, at 10:52 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Total ~ 21%

Pericles and Aspasia earned a score of 21%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 21% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

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