I just finished reading a general market novel that left me wishing I had used that time to read a good Christian novel instead.
I am not going to name the book because it isn’t my intent to offer a review. But the novel reminds me of many others in the general market. Well-written, well-received, heavy with social commentary. And populated with characters I didn’t like and couldn’t root for. The character who got her unhappy ending didn’t deserve the outcome. The characters who got a happy ending didn’t deserve theirs. I was left feeling not uplifted by the read, but vaguely depressed. So to the end of evoking emotion in a reader, the author achieved success.
True, not every novel can or should be all rainbows and unicorns, but I think they should at least be populated with deserving characters, characters who, though flawed, ultimately grow to deserve their happy endings.
Your turn:
Do you mind when an unlikeable character gets a happy ending in a novel?
How do you feel when you encounter a worthy character finding a terrible end?
Do you prefer heroic heroes or anti-heroes? Why?
I just finished reading a Christian novel that left me feeling the same way. All the characters were great except Jessie. She was a capital B, in spite of claiming to be a Christian. By the end of the book, I thoroughly disliked her and felt sorry for the husband going back to her (after an 8 year separation). I doubt that was the author’s objective, but Jessie was definitely going to continue making her husband’s life miserable.
At present, I’m trying to get through a book written by a writer with a poor grasp of the English language. The prologue was great and made you turn the page. I’m up to chapter 5 and still have not come across the characters introduced in the prologue. Each chapter has introduced a new character. Continuity? None. Preachy? Very much so; way too much! Interest? Barely there–I’m more curious to see if it gets any better. I highly doubt that I’ll read past chapter 10. I’m using his book for “What Not To Do in Writing a Novel”.
I agree. I like to see a note-worthy character come out ahead. It is also nice when a bad character goes through a Christian rebirth and becomes good.