Characterization

[Momlovesbooks]

I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I actually got riled up when the other characters easily turned against Slacker. I'm glad the next book, Barracuda, discusses more of Jerry's history. It helps bring a lot of things to light.

[Christinar81]

I'm going to add the next book, Barracuda, to my reading list. I would love to know more about Jerry. This book left me with so many questions. I am eager to learn more about his past.

[Lee Stone]

I'm going to add the next book, Barracuda, to my reading list. I would love to know more about Jerry. This book left me with so many questions. I am eager to learn more about his past.

Devan, Jordan, Maria, Tim Tom and more are back in the sequel. It's interesting to me. Female readers have actually had much more to say about "Free Fish Friday" than the males. That will be even more the case with "Barracuda."

Thank you for giving my work a look!

[bookowlie]

That's an interesting observation about female vs. male readers regarding Free Fish Friday. I thought male readers would be more drawn to the book, given Slacker's persona and the fishing backdrop. Still, women tend to like books that are primarily character and setting driven. I think men are drawn to the action-packed plots. Just my observation. Also, if you are referring to the BOTM discussion (as opposed to Amazon and Goodreads), I think you will find more people tend to jump into the BOTM discussions late in the month and even the feature month has passed. It's probably because many members tend to start the book during the month the book is featured.

[Lee Stone]

It was an overall observation about female readers and both FFF and Barracuda. Then again, I think I read somewhere that 70% of readers in general are women.

[bookowlie]

Well, if people are interested in buying and reading the books, I say all are welcome.

[Christinar81]

I have to admit this is not normally the kind of book I read. If I had come across it on my own after reading the synopsis I probably wouldn't have read the book. It seemed more like a book for a man. I read it because it was the book of the month and I'm so glad I did. What I had pegged as a "man's" book was anything but that. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and settings and I also learned some about fish. It has helped open my mind to trying books outside my norm.

[bookowlie]

I have to admit this is not normally the kind of book I read. If I had come across it on my own after reading the synopsis I probably wouldn't have read the book. It seemed more like a book for a man. I read it because it was the book of the month and I'm so glad I did. What I had pegged as a "man's" book was anything but that. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and settings and I also learned some about fish. It has helped open my mind to trying books outside my norm.

I also learned a lot about fishing from this book. That's always a nice bonus - to learn something new while reading for enjoyment.

[Heidi M Simone]

I personally love getting to know characters deeply and their back stories. With that being said, I also like when some characters' back stories take a while to be revealed. This was captured nicely in Free Fish Friday. We got to know Slacker quite a bit right from the beginning and throughout, while we got to know Jerry as time went on.

I'm definitely adding Barracuda to my to-read list! Can't wait!

-- 28 Oct 2015, 20:40 --

Believe it or not, my favorite characters were Rusty and Honey! I loved that they took Jerry's ideas and ran with them. The setting of the bar where the locals gathered regularly reminded me of Luke's Diner in the Gilmore Girls TV show.

I agree with you about the Rusty Hook. It had the same feeling of Luke's Diner or the bar from Cheers where all the locals come to gossip. I often wish my town had someplace like that. Rusty and Honey were also my favorite characters in the beginning, but they turned on Slacker so quickly. I found it hard to like them then.

Love Gilmore Girls! I also thought of the bar was similar to Luke's Diner while reading!

I also find it hard that Rusty and Honey turned on Slacker so quickly. I never suspected Slacker as the cause of Jerry's death, so it's interesting that they did.

[Lee Stone]

I'm going to add the next book, Barracuda, to my reading list. I would love to know more about Jerry. This book left me with so many questions. I am eager to learn more about his past.

Christina, thank you so much for taking a minute to review the book on Amazon. You validated every minute I spent writing!

[TangledinText]

I like to know a lot about a character because once you get to know them you can find aspects to relate to and you have a strong connection with them and it creates an empathy towards them as things happen to them throughout the story.

[Taylor Razzani]

Jerry seemed kind of strange at times, but I think that was part of his charm. I liked that we learned more about his character and the good he did as the story progressed and the revelation about his life before Key West was heartbreaking. I did really like Honey and Rusty but that went out the window when they completely turned on Slacker, someone who was a good friend and really helped them build their business with providing for the Free Fish Fridays and all of his fishing escapades. Though I did have moments where I doubted his innocence as well, so I can see their concern, but I didn't have the history with him that they had, so they should have known better. I didn't like the turn that Devan took either, she seemed to be a very strong, determined woman, but at the end she turned into a needy, pleading girl who seemed to put her happiness in changing Slacker to someone he never wanted to be.

I can see your point about everyone having good and bad in them. It's absolutely true and all the characters in the story showcase that. Given the circumstances they're faced with it makes sense that you see both sides of their personalities.

[Manang Muyang]

I believe the mystery about Jerry was vital to the plot and the suspense build-up.

I would say that the author created a wonderful mix of unforgettable characters. In FFF, my favorite is Jerry.

[Lil Reads]

This book is very character driven, in my opinion. The reader gets to know the main character, Slacker, well - his backstory, his personality, and his lifestyle. On the other hand, Jerry Porter is an enigma. He comes to town and quickly becomes well-liked by all. Within a short period of time, Slacker considers Jerry his best friend and they hang out together all the time. Still, Slacker knows nothing about Jerry's history, where his money came from, etc.

Do readers prefer to know a lot about a character so they can understand his/her actions or do they like a lot left to the imagination?

I agree. Later on the author reveals more details about Jerry and his past. We discover his past together with Slacker and I liked it. I liked both characters and felt like I knew them.

I think it depends on how the story is supposed to flow - sometimes front loading all of the character motivations helps guide the readers reactions to a character, sometimes only letting a few details out can make the reader question who they should care about.

I personally hate it when a character is presented in a positive light then does something particularly evil all of a sudden; I prefer subtle hints that something is off about a character's motivations or backstory.