Multiple personalities

[steve12553]

The key here for me is that a good author can write the book using one of several methods. Some stories are best told by writing different chapters from different points of view. Others work very well for the point of view of a single character. To decide that you only want to read stories or books written a single way is to limit your potential to enjoy. Granted some styles and authors are harder to follow or stay with but frequently well worth the effort.

[hermi-nomi]

Presea wrote;

However, it is the way in which I get to know them that I am picky about. Discovering gradual pieces about a character throughout a book excites me - it encourages me to read on, as if I was solving a mystery. Yet I don't believe that this is completely possible if the story followed just the one character all of the time.

I agree with Presea in that I enjoy stories that are told in such a way that you can discover things about characters as you go along. Such a method works well when you are following one or two characters within the same group, or who come to a reckoning, meeting and thus tieing up discoveries made during the plot. If a storie sis told in the first person, then it wouldn't be possible to see the links between opposing characters, only the events and the way the first person reacted to them. I think htat for the sake of believable action, you would need to use more than one character viewpoint, especially if the story spans any length of distance or time.

[Saeltari]

Originally Posted by steve12553

The key here for me is that a good author can write the book using one of several methods. Some stories are best told by writing different chapters from different points of view. Others work very well for the point of view of a single character. To decide that you only want to read stories or books written a single way is to limit your potential to enjoy. Granted some styles and authors are harder to follow or stay with but frequently well worth the effort.

It is not that I have 'decided' to limit what I read to a single way, it is more that over many years of reading that is what I have come to. It is not really a decision, per se. It is more of what I have grown into. Although, years ago when I was shorter I wasn't to fond of multiple povs either. I have tried several books that have multiple povs and all I end up doing anymore is skipping most of the book. I just don't enjoy it as much.

[Saeltari]

It is starting to look like most people like multiple point of view stories, though. . I was hoping to start a revolution. . .

[Sibeling]

Sometimes one point of view would be nice in a book. for example when I was reading Foundation by Asimov, I kept wishing there was only one person who tells the whole thing because there were just too many names and I had to look back all the time to check who was who..

[steve12553]

Originally Posted by Sibeling

for example when I was reading Foundation by Asimov, I kept wishing there was only one person who tells the whole thing because there were just too many names and I had to look back all the time to check who was who..

Life is a challenge.