Comments on: Great Expectations

By: Ramy

Ramy — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:17:39 +0000

hi everyone…im doing a book review on great expectations…does anyone think they could help me?

By: Eliz

Eliz — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:54:58 +0000

BTW, does anyone know if Ms. Slaughter has commented any further on her book besides writing the letter? I was trying to find interviews that took place after its release, but have been unsuccessful in dong so.

Thanks,

By: Eliz

Eliz — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:26:48 +0000

I agre that writers should not always write for the expectatins of thei rfans, but there has to be a compromise somewhere int he mix. If a particular writer pens a series, he or she should strongly consider the ramifications of getting rid of one or more of the beloved. I am a really big Karin Slaughter fan, and only found out the ending of her most recent book by accident. I’m glad though, because i thinkI would have had a much harder time with it had I read the book first than the way I actually found out. Sure, characters die, and sometimes we as readers aren’t as bothered because that particular person isn’t all that endearing ot us, but to take a romance of sorts, no matter how subplot it might have been, and take out one of those characters to me is a betrayal. I think what bothered me the most is to find out that the characters I rooted for were only brought together to be ripped apart, so the whole time I rooted for them, it was all beside the point because the ending of this book was just too dificult to think about. I haven’t and probably won’t read the book, although I paid for it, and won’t read any future books by Slaughter unless there is some drastic turn-around. It seemed a little open ended int he end, because although you figured this character had to be dead, (how could he have survived what he went trhough), there oculd still be room for another surprise. Though Slaughter has stated this is not so, I have to wonder what all the negative comments will mean for us the readers.

By: Sher

Sher — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:51:31 +0000

Thanks, May, I have read those books, I was just hoping for one more. Thinking a little more, I can understand the feeling of betrayal by readers, but I’m not as upset with the idea.

When Elizabeth George killed Helen, I cried for Lynley and Havers and all the other characters. I was shocked but I can’t wait to read the next one. If somehow Nora Roberts decided that Peabody, Mira or Somerset (or anybody) had to bite it, I’d probably quit reading the series for a while but I would go back.

I guess I haven’t been betrayed by the right author yet. Catherine Asaro, leave the Ruby Dynasty alive!

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:44:50 +0000

As to Harry Potter, I would have been surprised if he’d died. I think we tend to forget the series is really for children, and rarely would I expect main characters to be killed off in those kinds of books. If I remember what I was like as a very young reader, I reckon I would have loved the epilogue, too.

By: francois

francois — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:26:02 +0000

“Does anybody really think the series would have been as popular if J.K Rowling had decided to kill off Harry in the middle of the series?”

SPOILERish!!

Am I the only one disappointed that he didn’t die? Seriously I felt it would have been a great ending and would have worked well. Instead of which there is some lame deus ex machina, his sacrifice wasn’t really a sacrifice and the only people killed off are those you don’t really care so much about. Plus the awful epilogue, which is a device straight out of a formula romance novel.

Anyway, though I’m a fan of the series my attitude to this disappointment is merely “meh”, “I won’t bother buying my own copy of the book” and “It’ll probably still make a good film”. Strangely no hostile feelings towards JK at all. I suppose if I could write a better book I should get out there and do it.

By: RfP

RfP — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:24:48 +0000

It PISSED. ME. OFF. It took a while for me to read Maron again. And I LOVED that series.

I was upset about it, but I wasn’t mad at the author. In fact I switched to reading Maron’s other series–and promptly landed on Bloody Kin, which opens with Kate’s husband’s murder :P

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:29:53 +0000

It’s the Weekend at Bernie’s syndrome. The author knows that the character died. The deal is, do they tell anyone else, or just….

I’m kidding, but only sorta. It happened to me once.

By: Jennifer McKenzie

Jennifer McKenzie — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:17:55 +0000

Margaret Maron kills off Oscar Nauman

Oh I forgot about that one. It PISSED. ME. OFF. It took a while for me to read Maron again. And I LOVED that series.

I didn’t feel betrayed by that one though.

They not only want to write their books without reader influence (totally acceptable) but they also want to write their books free of reader judgment. If you want to write what you want free of criticism, don’t put it out there in the stream of commerce.

Very interesting. And good to remember.

By: Karen Scott

Karen Scott — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:16:01 +0000

It takes one person, shut up in a room for hours on end.

That’s all well and good, but she’d soon be pissed if she sat all alone working on her books, and nobody bought them.

Does anybody really think the series would have been as popular if J.K Rowling had decided to kill off Harry in the middle of the series? I think not, even she was astute enough to know that killing off Harry would have probably pissed off her readers.

Writers can write what the hell they like, but they shouldn’t be surprised when their readers (who incidentally help them continue their career), feel fully justified in expressing their dismay, over the direction in which their books are going.

Authors and readers have a symbiotic relationship, and for a writer not to realise this, seems more than just a little disingenuous to me.