First-Person Narration - A Good Option?
- Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 612
- Joined: 29 Apr 2017, 05:44
- Favorite Book: The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace
- Currently Reading: When Leaves Fall
- Bookshelf Size: 1583
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chigozie-anuli-mbadugha.html
- Latest Review: Winning the War on Cancer by Sylvie Beljanski
Re: First-Person Narration - A Good Option?
- Howlan
- Posts: 1985
- Joined: 01 Oct 2019, 08:15
- Favorite Book: Looking for Alaska
- Currently Reading: War Graves
- Bookshelf Size: 122
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-howlan.html
- Latest Review: The Soviet Comeback by Jamie Smith
First-person narratives are great if you want to get into the head of the character. Especially for character-driven novels.CambaReviewer wrote: ↑22 Feb 2020, 11:57 I like first person narratives because of the depth of insight I gain from books written like this. However, the distinction of whose POV is written should be clear and unambiguous. If it cannot be so, third person narratives will work better.
- Nym182
- Posts: 771
- Joined: 24 May 2019, 23:34
- Currently Reading: Harley Quinn
- Bookshelf Size: 36
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nym182.html
- Latest Review: Homecoming: The Unari Experiment Book 1 by Brian L. Harad
yeah that was one of the things i had a hard time with... it seemed like it flipped flopped mid chapter and I never knew who's eyes we were seeing through!CambaReviewer wrote: ↑22 Feb 2020, 11:57 I like first person narratives because of the depth of insight I gain from books written like this. However, the distinction of whose POV is written should be clear and unambiguous. If it cannot be so, third person narratives will work better.
- sarahmarlowe
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 1070
- Joined: 02 Jun 2018, 18:57
- Favorite Book: One Second After
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 191
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sarahmarlowe.html
- Latest Review: The best therapy by Jim LaPierre LCSW, CCS
- Reading Device: B00KC6I06S
Interesting question! I like books that have more than one character doing first-person narration. I think it does give us great insight into characters. I think that third person would have taken away some of the mystery of the motives.cristinaro wrote: ↑15 Feb 2020, 07:49 Do you think that it was a good idea for the author to alternate between Adam's and Carly's first-person narration? As far as I am concerned, I found Adam's passages more interesting and believable than Carly's. Would a third-person narration have worked better?
You can spend your time however you want, but you can spend it only once.
- Nym182
- Posts: 771
- Joined: 24 May 2019, 23:34
- Currently Reading: Harley Quinn
- Bookshelf Size: 36
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nym182.html
- Latest Review: Homecoming: The Unari Experiment Book 1 by Brian L. Harad
The one thing that is good about third person is the POV is less biased. In first person you are seeing things through a characters eye and that can be unreliable.sarahmarlowe wrote: ↑24 Feb 2020, 17:08Interesting question! I like books that have more than one character doing first-person narration. I think it does give us great insight into characters. I think that third person would have taken away some of the mystery of the motives.cristinaro wrote: ↑15 Feb 2020, 07:49 Do you think that it was a good idea for the author to alternate between Adam's and Carly's first-person narration? As far as I am concerned, I found Adam's passages more interesting and believable than Carly's. Would a third-person narration have worked better?
-
- Posts: 165
- Joined: 18 May 2017, 13:15
- Currently Reading: The Touch
- Bookshelf Size: 484
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-centfie.html
- Latest Review: Three loves and other stories by Lata Gullapalli
- Howlan
- Posts: 1985
- Joined: 01 Oct 2019, 08:15
- Favorite Book: Looking for Alaska
- Currently Reading: War Graves
- Bookshelf Size: 122
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-howlan.html
- Latest Review: The Soviet Comeback by Jamie Smith
Yes, it was confusing. But it was refreshing to see things from another perspective.Nym182 wrote: ↑24 Feb 2020, 12:01yeah that was one of the things i had a hard time with... it seemed like it flipped flopped mid chapter and I never knew who's eyes we were seeing through!CambaReviewer wrote: ↑22 Feb 2020, 11:57 I like first person narratives because of the depth of insight I gain from books written like this. However, the distinction of whose POV is written should be clear and unambiguous. If it cannot be so, third person narratives will work better.
- Howlan
- Posts: 1985
- Joined: 01 Oct 2019, 08:15
- Favorite Book: Looking for Alaska
- Currently Reading: War Graves
- Bookshelf Size: 122
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-howlan.html
- Latest Review: The Soviet Comeback by Jamie Smith
Yes sometimes if the narration is not good enough and that is such a killjoy!sarahmarlowe wrote: ↑24 Feb 2020, 17:08Interesting question! I like books that have more than one character doing first-person narration. I think it does give us great insight into characters. I think that third person would have taken away some of the mystery of the motives.cristinaro wrote: ↑15 Feb 2020, 07:49 Do you think that it was a good idea for the author to alternate between Adam's and Carly's first-person narration? As far as I am concerned, I found Adam's passages more interesting and believable than Carly's. Would a third-person narration have worked better?
- Howlan
- Posts: 1985
- Joined: 01 Oct 2019, 08:15
- Favorite Book: Looking for Alaska
- Currently Reading: War Graves
- Bookshelf Size: 122
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-howlan.html
- Latest Review: The Soviet Comeback by Jamie Smith
But that really gives us a good perspective into the main character.Nym182 wrote: ↑25 Feb 2020, 12:15The one thing that is good about third person is the POV is less biased. In first person you are seeing things through a characters eye and that can be unreliable.sarahmarlowe wrote: ↑24 Feb 2020, 17:08Interesting question! I like books that have more than one character doing first-person narration. I think it does give us great insight into characters. I think that third person would have taken away some of the mystery of the motives.cristinaro wrote: ↑15 Feb 2020, 07:49 Do you think that it was a good idea for the author to alternate between Adam's and Carly's first-person narration? As far as I am concerned, I found Adam's passages more interesting and believable than Carly's. Would a third-person narration have worked better?
- Howlan
- Posts: 1985
- Joined: 01 Oct 2019, 08:15
- Favorite Book: Looking for Alaska
- Currently Reading: War Graves
- Bookshelf Size: 122
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-howlan.html
- Latest Review: The Soviet Comeback by Jamie Smith
It gave us a great but disturbing insight into the main character.
-
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 02 Jan 2020, 09:35
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 14
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mhopkins.html
- Latest Review: Mark Twain and the Art of Swearing by Lyle Larsen
- danicommissions
- Posts: 13
- Joined: 24 Feb 2020, 15:17
- Currently Reading: The Solution is Political Revolution
- Bookshelf Size: 22
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-danicommissions.html
- Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery
- Stephanie Elizabeth
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 2989
- Joined: 18 Jul 2018, 15:41
- Currently Reading: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
- Bookshelf Size: 212
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stephanie-elizabeth.html
- Latest Review: Do You Remember Me? by Wm M Crouch
- Drakka Reader
- Posts: 182
- Joined: 02 Jan 2020, 16:27
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 14
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-drakka-reader.html
- Latest Review: Eternal Bones by Jon State
- Howlan
- Posts: 1985
- Joined: 01 Oct 2019, 08:15
- Favorite Book: Looking for Alaska
- Currently Reading: War Graves
- Bookshelf Size: 122
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-howlan.html
- Latest Review: The Soviet Comeback by Jamie Smith
Yes I either the author should have gone through with the single person narration or if she wanted to add more characters she could have put it in the third person narrative.mhopkins wrote: ↑26 Feb 2020, 15:45 I think the first-person narrative was a good choice for this book with Adam's inner thinkings, especially at the beginning. I don't know if a third-person narrative would have given us as much insight. But, I don't think it should have switched to Carly's - there was no difference in the voices, so it was hard to know who was talking at the time.