Does Page Count Affect Your Decision To Read A Book Or Not?

booklvr62 · Post by **booklvr62** » 11 Apr 2013, 12:34

For me it is VERY important! I do not like short stories,and I very rarely will read any book that has fewer than 288 pgs.because I just don't find them to have enough story or character development.

They are too much like an appetizer and not enough to be fulfilling.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 11 Apr 2013, 15:38

As far as I'm concerned totally irrelevant

DavidF · Post by **DavidF** » 12 Apr 2013, 13:38

sometimes it does because I don't have that much spare time so sometimes I opt for something a bit shorter

AnaF · Post by **AnaF** » 12 Apr 2013, 13:51

I generally don't pick a book for the number of pages it has but for the story. However, I tend to read bigger books (700+ pages) when I have more time to spare or when I have school breaks

bodyofghost · Post by **bodyofghost** » 12 Apr 2013, 16:26

Hate to say it, but yes... I won't buy a novel that's something like less than 300 words, unless maybe they're short stories. If it anywhere from 300 - infinity then I don't care.

lady_charlie · Post by **lady_charlie** » 12 Apr 2013, 20:27

I don't read to my child now that she is a little older, but I read The Cask of Amontillado to her because she wanted to read it and it is sort of a tough go.
When we finished, she was quiet a minute, and I thought she was contemplating the horrible thing that had happened, and then she said, wow, this guy can really write!
There are books that are too short and don't take the time to develop characters and all that, but there are some 800 page books that really could have been better with a little more careful editing, like getting rid of 299 pages.
It really depends, for me, on the quality of the writing.

Mazza WA · Post by **Mazza WA** » 14 Apr 2013, 01:36

booklvr62 wrote: For me it is VERY important! I do not like short stories,and I very rarely will read any book that has fewer than 288 pgs.because I just don't find them to have enough story or character development.

They are too much like an appetizer and not enough to be fulfilling.

I am so sorry you don't like short stories. If they are well written, it is just not true that there isn't enough story or character development.

Why restrict yourself to "how many pages"? I've read very long books that had pages and pages of boring filler, which I am sure was there just to fill out the book. Anybody else ever "skipped" pages to get back to the story? To me, it's the content that counts, not the page numbers.

booklvr62 · Post by **booklvr62** » 14 Apr 2013, 01:44

I've just read far too many over the years that left me feeling unsatisfied/wanting more, so that I no longer waste my time with them.

Kelhanion · Post by **Kelhanion** » 17 Apr 2013, 08:19

If you feel unsatisfied, then the book can suffer from a number of issues, but if you are left wanting more, then the book has done its job, hasn't it

But as others have said above, the length of the book is not related to the sufficiency of character developement. It is just a matter of style and the scope of the story. Some like to read highly descriptive prose but to others it may be distracting. A character can be brought to life in a sentence, a paragraph or in a chapter. If the author chooses to use up the whole chapter where a paragraph "would do", then he/she better know how to fill up those pages in an interesting and dynamic way.

Likewise a good writer does not leave gaps that are "lack of character developement": he/she leaves strategically placed emptiness that the reader can fill up using their imagination and previously gathered clues by the author. This way the reader can get to know the characters very intimately because they get to know their secrets between the lines.

And about the scope of the story, a good writer stops writing when the story is over and characters have arrived to their destinations.

Saying that books under a certain number of pages can't have "enough" story is like saying that compositions under ten minutes can't have enough depth or that classic paintings under 20 cm x 20 cm don't have enough "pixels" to be masterpieces.

On the other hand, I can understand how the reader can wish to be able to stay in a beautifully crafted world/story for hundreds of pages more, but then the intensity and the quality of those works could suffer and in any case their style would be quite different (imagine The Raven lasting for a hundred pages, it would lose its charm pretty quickly). But you can always return to the book later or just keep on processing the story in your head.

writerga07 · Post by **writerga07** » 17 Apr 2013, 14:29

I think it is. If a book is too short the plot lines will be weak. I don't think a book can ever be too long. Right now I'm reading "The Four Corners of the Sky" by Michael Malone...it's 544 pages. There are a few slow scenes but mostly it is keeping me engrossed.

sunnyside88 · Post by **sunnyside88** » 18 Apr 2013, 05:45

Hmm.. This is an interesting question. I thought I'm always in the opinion that page count does not affect my decision. However, when recalling books that I have read, I realised that I rarely read books that have less than 100 pages.. maybe this is because somehow subconsciously I equate books with lesser page count as not having enough content in it. Nonetheless, I would still like to think that it is how the story is told, the language and the overall emotions/information that I get from it that count.

A24 · Post by **A24** » 18 Apr 2013, 09:04

I don't think a larger page count equates to a better written book or deeper character development. If done well, it can be done on any scale. The only reason I may put off a certain book because of page count is because I may not want to invest that much time into a book only because of my schedule. A few shorter books might do in the mean time until I can devote the time (and mindset) to a longer book. A really good 1000 page book might beg to have the cleaners come knocking on my door!

And, God forbid if it is a series!!

MandiKenendy · Post by **MandiKenendy** » 18 Apr 2013, 12:25

It all depends on my mood. Sometimes, if I want to read a book in an evening then I pick a reasonably short one so I can get it done. I don't think it effects the quality of a book. Sometimes you read a short book and wish it was longer and sometimes a long book drags on.

lady_charlie · Post by **lady_charlie** » 18 Apr 2013, 18:57

MandiKenendy wrote:It all depends on my mood. Sometimes, if I want to read a book in an evening then I pick a reasonably short one so I can get it done. I don't think it effects the quality of a book. Sometimes you read a short book and wish it was longer and sometimes a long book drags on.

Yes!
I think you said that better than anyone.

tbughi1 · Post by **tbughi1** » 19 Apr 2013, 11:56

The only thing it really shapes for me is my expectations. If it's long, I'm more lenient if I hit some dogging slow parts and I'll try to trudge through it. If it's short, I expect a bit more conciseness to the writing.

But honestly though, you can't be harsh on a novel just because it's short. I take it you've never heard of the shortest tale ever written?

"For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn."

I once thought it was Ernest Hemingway who wrote it, but I believe a recent investigation by The Quote Investigator has disputed that.