First vs. third person

Use this forum to discuss the April 2019 Book of the month, "Adrift" by Charlie Sheldon
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[Santiago]
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Re: First vs. third person

Post by [Santiago] »

The confusion of the literary resources in narration is quite understandable, but looking deeply in the roles of the characters easily solves any ambiguity. Furthermore, the emphasis of the first person in the characters provides a change in the current stream of the story to hold the readers' attention but also is a tool for better development of the round individuals. This way, the privilege is given to such characters in order to grant Sheldon's goal and to add richness to inter-construction of the personalities.
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Post by Bles »

I was confused as well because the book was written in both first and third person. This was the first book I read which is written in that manner. I couldn't understand why but we'll, the book was enchanting after all.
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Unielain
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Post by Unielain »

It doesn't bother the story's flow. It also highlights the importance of charater which is a good thing when there are multiple point of views. There was one chapter that got me confused, because the narration seemed to change from third to 1st in the middle. But no book is perfect and it was obviously just an editing error.
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Post by SA2090 »

I agree that it can make the book confusing, specially when the transition is not smooth. I am glad that the book had great content though.
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Post by Aubrey Lewis »

Perhaps it is because of the writing style. I do not, however, appreciate inconsistensies in the perspectives used. If first person is to be used, then it should be first person all the way. The same goes for the third person POV. It only confuses me and distracts me from my reading flow.
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Post by Mercelle »

Stories narrated in both the first-person and third-person perspectives can be equally appealing. In this case, the author left readers confused due to the inconsistency in perspective. That made the characters written in first-person narration appear stronger.
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Post by LeeleeByoma »

I don't mind having multiple characters narrate a story in the first person, but it is important for their stories to be distinguished so as to avoid any confusion. I find it helpful when the important characters have their own acts or chapters so I know that the perspective is about to change.
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Post by Jacquelyn-63 »

I think writing from two different perspectives helps to give a broader scope to the story. That way we can know more about the characters and the things happening around them. The first person viewpoint I think helps with making us feel more attached to the character whose inner feelings are coming out. At least that’s how it is for me.
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Post by DD129 »

Multiple viewpoints are a double-edged sword. They can make a story great if done well. If done badly, they interrupt the flow of the story and the reader’s overall enjoyment of it. From my experience, the first person POV allows for a greater understanding of a character because we are able to know their thoughts and feelings on situations at any given time. Maybe the author wanted us to like or connect more with the characters written in first person?
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Post by siusantos »

I liked the author's style of mixing different points of view. It was not confusing, and I felt it was a great writing style. It made the true main characters stand out.
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Post by megancheyanne97 »

Prisallen wrote: 05 Apr 2019, 07:05
briellejee wrote: 05 Apr 2019, 04:24
Prisallen wrote: 04 Apr 2019, 16:55 the fact that he started each chapter with the person's name helped to keep straight who was talking in first person this time, and who the chapter was about.
Yes, I agree that the style was a bit confusing at first but then this aspect of the book was helpful while reading it. It certainly took a while before getting used to it though.
Yes it did. I wonder if his previous books were written in the same style.
In Strong Heart he didn't. Maybe if he had it would've made it a bit easier to read. There were some chapters that were more focused on William than Sarah, and during Sarah's time as Strong Heart she wasn't always the main focus either. Definitely looking forward to reading Adrift now.
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Post by Jajachris »

I think the author found a perfect blend between the first and third character to be able to tell a great story. The first person narrative was used for the main characters while the third person narrative was used for lesser characters
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Post by yapashley »

I think the story was a bit confusing to read through different POVs but I do understand that it gave more areas to explore for the readers. We get to hear in first person the main characters and the supporting ones in third person.
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Post by Sarah Schmidt »

I noticed this too. I just wrote it off as something that happens when writing a story. Some scenes just seem to be better told from a certain perspective, and there might be a subconscious switch when writing. I wouldn't say it was exactly bothering, just that the inconsistency is unappealing.
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Post by Michelle Menezes »

I prefer it when the author either sticks to the first person or the third person throughout the story. This blend of 1st and 3rd which keeps changing with every chapter is confusing and annoying for me, so I don't understand why the author chose to write it that way.
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