Book Length

[novella]

This might seem like a dumb, shallow question, but at what point does a book's length put you off?

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting? Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

Just having this discussion with someone and would like to conduct a little straw poll.

 

[SFG75]

Good question really. I don't slim books at all, just makes me scrutinize the details more than I probably would if it were say-800 pages as opposed to one that is a paltry 200. I don't mind reading the larger books as long as my reading time is consistent and a lot of time hasn't passed in-between readings. I'll start a large one over if say-three weeks has passed and I haven't read it with consistent effort. That's just me though.

 

[Stewart]

at what point does a book's length put you off?

It doesn't when it comes to buying the book but if it's dull and can be cut down by several hundred pages (hmmm, Perdido Street Station) then it can begin to put me off.

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

I have no problem with them with the proviso that the story is satisfying, well plotted, and there's no extraneous crap just thrown in to lengthen it (hmmm, seventy pages of The Kite Runner).

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting?

Not at all, some of the finest works are short. Steinbeck's The Pearl, the early novels of Ballard. Kundera, Burroughs, Salinger, and more.

Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

Yes, as an example of an authors' other ideas that couldn't stretch to a novel. I find them just as valid. I would prefer collections by one author rather than one of those compendium publications.

 

[Kookamoor]

Good question, novella!

It depends on the book. I'm currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - a tome if ever there was one! But it's length excites me more than anything because I get to exist in this world longer. The same goes for a rollicking good fantasy book (or Harry Potter ) where I want the story to go on and on and on and on...

That being said, if it's a book which appears to be far too detailed and over-long, the length will just irritate me (*cough* Sons and Lovers). I must also say that I'm rather shallow when it comes to old hardcover books with the nondescript covers. Unless the story grabs me immediately I'll be far more inclined to give it up than, say, the same book with nicer pages. Pretty foolish, eh?

This topic reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to always try and read the thickest books possible. Did anyone else do that?

 

[Zolipara]

This might seem like a dumb, shallow question, but at what point does a book's length put you off?

When the book is going nowhere and there is still 400 pages left to read. Certain authors seem to think that long = good, but cannot make the characters feel alive for so many pages. Many long books could be much better if shortened. The plot is often drawn out way to long and the characters are not good enough to carry the story for that long.

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

I dont mind long books as long as they are well written. I dont think i have ever not bought a book because it looked too long.

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting? Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

I never check how many pages the book contains before i buy it.

I do like short stories, but its rare that i buy collections of short stories. Probably because I dont know that many authors that write good short stories.

 

[clueless]

I agree with what has been said about long books.

I buy collections of short stories and sometimes use them as a starting point with authors I have not read before. If I like the stories, then I look for a novel. It doesn't always work, but it gives me an idea about the writing style. I also read collections by different authors, also with the idea of sampling new writers.

 

[Robert]

Length isn't an issue If the book holds my attention. I thought Gone With the Wind was an example of a long book that I would never have finished if not for the fact that it was requred reading for class. It probably took several pots of coffee to get to page 400, and that was only the first third of the book.

 

[hay82]

I don't mind long stories and have never really thought about it when buying books. It all depends on if the author is able to make it interesting.

I was used to reading fantasy and the books I read were about 800 pages long each, so when I got my first small book I did feel a bit cheated. But since I liked it more than the fantasy books, I quickly got over it.

Wouldn't mind reading short stories, I haven't bought any yet though.

 

[Miss Shelf]

I think 400 pages is more than enough for someone to tell a story. Thick books put me off, I rarely buy them. The Harry Potter books are an exception, though, but I still have to read "Order of the Phoenix".

 

[sirmyk]

Books like It and The Stand would make terrible 400 page novels. Even after a thousand plus pages, I wanted more. Book length is irrelevant.

 

[Kookamoor]

I think 400 pages is more than enough for someone to tell a story.

No way!! It's just not possible to communicate some stories in so few pages.

 

[novella]

I don't think it's irrelevant if you're paying for it. For instance, a short Raymond Carver book is worth its price, but I look at those slim books (Nicholas Sparks comes to mind) that always come out before Christmas because they appeal to gift buyers, and I think they're a rip off. I mean, $23 for something you can read in two hours? But I go to the library a lot.

 

[Robert]

I don't think it's irrelevant if you're paying for it. For instance, a short Raymond Carver book is worth its price, but I look at those slim books (Nicholas Sparks comes to mind) that always come out before Christmas because they appeal to gift buyers, and I think they're a rip off. I mean, $23 for something you can read in two hours? But I go to the library a lot.

I suppose that's one way of looking at it.

 

[Kookamoor]

I don't think it's irrelevant if you're paying for it. For instance, a short Raymond Carver book is worth its price, but I look at those slim books (Nicholas Sparks comes to mind) that always come out before Christmas because they appeal to gift buyers, and I think they're a rip off. I mean, $23 for something you can read in two hours? But I go to the library a lot.

I can see your point, but I don't think price is directly proportional to length - sure, there's material costs, but the writer needs his cut too. Just because a book is short doesn't mean the author laboured any less over it. There's another thread in that, discussing the cost ratio of books...

 

[novella]

The amount a writer gets has almost no relationship to the length of the book, but publishers prefer books of a specific length, so they will encourage that.

But that's kind of beside the point here. I personally do not like to read huge books, with a few outstanding exceptions. For one thing, I find it uncomfortable to hold a huge book (especially hardcover). Plus, I really do consider reading an investment of my time, which is a little bit cynical, I guess, but I have a lot of reading and writing to get through in life.

 

[clueless]

I don't think it's irrelevant if you're paying for it. For instance, a short Raymond Carver book is worth its price, but I look at those slim books (Nicholas Sparks comes to mind) that always come out before Christmas because they appeal to gift buyers, and I think they're a rip off. I mean, $23 for something you can read in two hours? But I go to the library a lot.

There is a publisher whose whole catalogue is made of novellas, sometimes a couple of short stories and the prices are between $13 and $20. It's a British publisher but I checked American prices to compare with the price novella gives. That is a rip off. I've bought a couple before when I could not find that work anywhere else, but a great part of their catalogue is easily available in collections of short stories.

 

[StillILearn]

The number of pages in a book -- in either direction -- would never affect my decision about buying it. A prix fixe meal may be well worth whatever outrageous price one paid for it, and so may that perfect little dessert be worth exactly what it costs.

I sometimes think I need books every bit as much as I need food.

 

[novella]

The number of pages in a book -- in either direction -- would never affect my decision about buying it. A prix fixe meal may be well worth whatever outrageous price one paid for it, and so may that perfect little dessert be worth exactly what it costs.

I sometimes think I need books every bit as much as I need food.

Guess I'm more of a bang-for-the-buck person.

The flip side are those books where you feel like the author did some kind of technical manual dump to fill pages. Tom Clancy's recent books all have that quality.

 

[leckert]

This might seem like a dumb, shallow question,

This sure seems like a dumb, shallow question!

but at what point does a book's length put you off?

I usually will avoid overly-huge books by an author that I am not familiar with. If it is by one of my faves, I usually will not be concerned about the size.

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

I like the commitment of a long book at times.

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting? Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

I love a well done short story/novella. I like to cool down, so to speak, after a particularily long novel with a collection of short stories, or even poems, sometimes. Although I really do love the relationship that I tend to develop with a long novel, I like some time to "live with it" before starting another.

I can think of nothing more painful than a verbose, painfully detailed or pretensious novel, unless it is such a novel that rambles on for 1000+ pages. I cannot get through such a tome.

 

[pwilson]

I hate getting bogged down in page after page of poor writing, inane description or various other literary ailments. That said, I'm a sucker for an epic. As Kookamoor mentioned, there's nothing better than stumbling on a 900 page book that still ends too soon.