What's Your Favorite POV to Read in?

[Rangerkay]

So, I'm hoping to get some feedback on Point of Views. I am an author that has written in multiple point of views, but want to know what the readers enjoy most.

Is there a specific genre you prefer to read in first person?

What is your least favorite to read in?

Are action novels better to read in first person?

I know personally I could read in almost any point of view. My favorite would have to be first person because I feel that it truly captures me to read more. The plot and story line seem to come alive in first person.

[BelleReadsNietzsche]

When I was younger, I adored first person. As I get older, I am a bit pickier with it. I feel like there needs to be "something extra" to justify first person.

Well-written third person (that is consistent in perspective throughout a given section or chapter) can bring a reader remarkably close to the action/character. Its a cliché reference, but J.K. Rowling does a great job of helping us identify with Harry and his perspective/being in the moment with him while staying in third person.

First person can be almost "too far in", I think. So I guess I personally feel like first person works best when its a choice that is intended not just to get us into the action, but when there's a driving character issue at play that first person really improves. For example, Tana French's latest standalone novel "The Witch Elm" is in first person- and the first-person allows the main character's own personal issues to be the "real" underlying story of the novel, which follows the mystery of a discovery in his family's old witch elm. I just finished Roxane Gay's collection of short stories, "Difficult Women," and it was fascinating to me to see when she went into first person and when she went into third. I really felt "just as intimate" in every story; it was just a matter of how fused with the psychology of the character / how she wanted to present the story

[_Delly_01]

I generally enjoy third-person perspective more than first, but I have read some fantastic first-person books. Right now, I'm writing a novel in first-person past tense, because writing in first-person present tense leaves more of a chance of purposeless meandering, and makes scene changes more difficult to achieve in a way that reads effortlessly. I'm getting into the idea of reading books that are written in second-person, especially when it comes to horror, because it is a demanding and confrontational perspective, and I love the sense of claustrophobia it brings.

[Kristin Ransome]

I normally enjoy third-person, because you get the full context of the action. If a book is written in first-person, I tend to enjoy it more if the POV changes from character to character, because each one tends to experience the events differently!

[chibiparty]

It really depends on the book. A few years ago I read a book I thought would have been better in 1st person. And I'm sure there were other books that I don't remember at all that would have been better in 3rd person (which could be a reason why I don't remember them?)

[labibliofile]

It does depend on the book. I definitely prefer first person if it's an action book. However, most times, I prefer third person as it gives insight into all the characters and does not focus only on one character.

[SunVixen]

I usually prefer third-person perspective more than first. When I read a book written in the first person, it seems to me that I am sitting in the head of this first person and looking at the world with his\her eyes. It almost makes me claustrophobic.
However, there are many good first-person books. Thanks to a good language and an interesting plot, I can forget about my “book claustrophobia”.

[spencermack]

3rd person past tense. I find it the easiest and the easiest to draw me into the plot twists.

[unamilagra]

I typically like third person, but have read some excellent first person books. I also like when there are a couple points of view from different characters' perspectives, so you can get a more complete picture of what's going on.

[Monet_va]

I prefer third person. In general I find books aimed at younger readers such as middle grade and young adult to use First Person more often

[Violet Devreaux]

I prefer third person, although first person is enjoyable with an unreliable narrator.