The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Gathered
Because Gathered was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Vickie Noel
I wouldn't have read this book outside the program because neither the title nor the art on its cover is appealing to me. Reading the sample hasn't changed my mind. I found the tone to be a bit drab and boring, and although I could understand the reason for it--which was to portray how Sol felt concerning his monotonous life's rhythm--that knowledge still didn't make it easier for me to read or get invested in the story. However, I liked Sol's thoughtful rumination about his daughter Amy which was evident in his thoughts and feelings like, "Does she really know I love her?" "Does she even care?" "When she entered the school without looking back at all, he felt strangely abandoned..." The only error I saw was that "buses" was wrongly misspelled as "busses." Therefore, I'd still say the book is professionally edited. I saw an OBC review that didn't exactly spur me on to read the book, and neither does the sample.
First Ten review added on January 15, 2020, at 4:19 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
briellejee
Based on the cover and title, I think I wouldn't have sampled the book. Both aspects indicate that this could be a memoir or non-fiction: genres and topics I don't usually read. Although, both aspects seem mysterious enough to be picked up by readers. As for the first few pages, it started with a nice writing style with Sol talking to his daughter. There is somewhat a nostalgic touch to the words, especially the descriptions of the surroundings. However, the narrative seemed to drag, even to the second chapter. There seems to be no event happening or the premise is not going up. As chapter two gives a glimpse of Sol as a child, my patience of wanting to know what I could expect wore thin. I couldn't find anything interesting to keep me going. With that said, I will not be reading the rest of the book. As mentioned before, such genres are not my preferences so this also could be one of the factors that affected my decision. I found no noticeable errors and the official OBC review was persuasive enough to tell me to sample it.
First Ten review added on January 15, 2020, at 3:39 am by briellejee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Aubrey Lewis
The overall appearance of the book is intriguing and slightly eye-catching, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the book since I'm not fond of reading character-driven stories involving family and relationships. When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. The contents seemed professionally edited so far, and the author's writing style was descriptive and interesting. The sample ended by the time Sol was informed that his Uncle George died because of the message from his Aunt Christine. The premise was really slow-paced and highlighted how Sol's day went, so there was nothing for me to really look forward to. Unfortunately, I'll have to pass on this one since the book didn't really keep my interest until the end of the ten pages. In the case of improvements, in my opinion, I suggest making the premise more interesting by adding intriguing details and speeding up the pace a bit.
First Ten review added on January 15, 2020, at 2:27 am by Aubrey Lewis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
I sampled the book and I laugh in the maple tree moments of Sol, too. The story was conveyed in a natural manner of a typical man, who was just trying to make a better day. I can sense that Sol's daily routine seems so boring, which sound the introduction a bit monotonous. I will not continue on reading about Sol's journey, though I can relate, but I don't like to recall memories about family-ties. I found the book written-well, since I did not spot typos in the bit I read. The OBC review provides a good synopsis about the book, which gives me hints on the content of the book. I like the scene of talking to the maple tree.
First Ten review added on January 15, 2020, at 1:45 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nerea
The majority can relate to Sol's experience. He had everything he needed in his life, yet, he felt like something was missing. I will read to find out if Sol did fill the missing need in his life. The Official editorial review available at Online Book Club gave me a hint of the story, which is why I sampled the book. The cover page didn't provide enough for me to fathom what's being offered in the book.
What I like most about the book is that it addresses the role of a father in the family. There are no grammatical errors in the pages that I sampled.
First Ten review added on January 15, 2020, at 12:53 am by Nerea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. The first chapter was very mundane. While, this did a good job of showing what Sol was feeling like in his life, it was hard to get into. Even the tragedy that happened didn't seem like much of a tragedy so far. I also wasn't a fan of the flash back scene to when Sol was 12. I did like the author's use of vocabulary. It was very colorful, and there were a couple words I even had to look up such as "restaurateur". I like when books are challenging in this way. However, I wasn't into the book enough to finish reading it. It did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 15, 2020, at 12:27 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
evraealtana
The cover contains nothing really to recommend the book and precious little to go on in guessing its contents, so I wouldn't have given it a second thought. I enjoyed the first ten pages, particularly the author's eloquent, melodious writing style juxtaposed with the coarse language, bitter memories, and pervasive discontentment abundantly evident in Sol's life. The official OBC review mentioned the author's excellent characterization, with which I agree in consideration of Sol in particular; I did not see enough of any other character to fully appreciate how they were to unfold. I hope Sol's outlook and attitude change over the course of the book. It is intriguing to get a window into his misery, but I can imagine that reading about it would become tedious over time. Although I didn't have any dislikes in the first ten pages, I don't think I will continue reading; the official review mentions that the remainder of the book discusses family relationships, grief and acceptance, and healing from past hurts, which don't much interest me. Therefore, even though the first ten pages were good, I won't invest the time to continue with the book. I noted only one error: a misspelling of "buses" as "busses".
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 10:44 pm by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliana_Isabella
I wouldn't have chosen this book because I prefer sci-fi, but I did see that it has a positive review. I didn't find any grammatical mistakes in the first ten pages, and I enjoyed the relationship between the father and daughter. However, I found some of the descriptions of the daughter to be weird, like when the author described her as blushing like a girl who loved her dad and a woman going on her honeymoon. As a female reader, this made me uncomfortable, so I won't be finishing the book.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 10:02 pm by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Fu Zaila
The cover isn't very eye-catching. The blurb was appealing and the review, even more so. The sample was well edited and engaging. I liked the easy writing style. I am already beginning to like the characters. Sol has got a distinctive personality which shows through his daily activities. I loved the portrayal of the emptiness he felt when Amy went off to school without turning back. And I liked his honesty when he said that he was talking to the trees. His brief meeting with Mr. James was also very realistic. I liked how James is appreciative of such small advice from Sol. There wasn't anything I disliked. I would like to read further and know what future holds for Sol.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 9:47 pm by Fu Zaila.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Howlan
The cover looks neat and cold. The synopsis defines it as a story about internal struggle. However, on reading the first ten pages, I found that it was more of a slice of life family drama. I generally do not enjoy reading this genre except a few. The story features D. Sol Severson as he follows his daily routine. It also features Sol, when he recalls a childhood memory when he stole candy from the local convenient store and got grounded for doing so. Overall, I appreciate the third-person narrative of the author. However, I feel that a little bit of humour could have been added to the plot to make it better. The 'tragedy' mentioned in the synopsis is missing from the sample. So the story failed to interest me I could not see myself finishing the whole book. No typos were found in the first ten pages. The Official Review is present and the reviewer rated it highly.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 7:03 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
This isn't a book I would have sampled on the basis of the title, cover, blurb or OBC review as I'm not prioritizing realistic fiction at the moment. I also won't buy and read this today as it seems more character-driven than plot-driven (as confirmed by the OBC review), which I'm not currently so interested in. The book seems well edited. The Spanish cheese "manchego" was incorrectly spelled "mancheco". I liked the cynicism and hints of pent-up aggression emerging from Sol's various thoughts, such as his mental ill-wishes to the dog-walker who saw him but did not greet him. The author could tweak the book by not including the reference to "tired cynicism" when Sol sees Christmas items next to Halloween ones, as that has already been shown. Also, I became more excited when Sol saw a message on the answerphone but did not listen to it, but that tension defused again with the revelation on the next page. So that meant the pace didn't work as well for me as it could have, but that improvement might not need to be made for those seeking a character-driven read.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 6:32 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cristina Chifane
Both the cover and title of this novel are intriguing, so I would have probably sampled it even without the first ten program. Although the Amazon blurb was short, it definitely caught my attention. A journey of self-discovery of a man reiterating Huckleberry Finn's adventures on the Mississippi River is equal to an exciting read for me. The 5 customer reviewers seem to agree as they all give the book 5 stars. I genuinely enjoyed reading the sample. The writer has a gift for storytelling. He managed to create a sense of suspense and expectation although all he did was to describe a typical day in Sol's life. I also enjoyed reading the chapter focusing on Sol's memories of his childhood. In terms of editing, I didn't notice any errors. The OBC reviewer mentioned the excellent editing too. In addition, she referred to the beautiful imagery and the moving topics. The sample I've read and the OBC review convinced me to continue reading the book.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 3:30 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mrunal Tikekar
I loved the cover of the book but could not guess the theme by the title. I was intrigued and read the official OnlineBookClub review. Inspired, I sampled the first few pages. The first thing that struck me was the titles of the sections of the book. The first section is named ‘Autumn’ and below the title, there is a nice quote explaining the significance of the season. Using this significance as a metaphor for a period in life was the idea that I loved the most. I did not find any grammatical errors. The book seems professionally edited book. I liked the simple language and poetic narration. However, I have read a lot of books that deal with simple themes of joy, love, relationships, family bonds, etc. So, I do not feel inclined towards purchasing this book.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 2:33 am by Mrunal Tikekar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book as I think the premise is very relatable, as many people, myself included, have found themselves feeling unfulfilled despite there seeming to be nothing lacking in life. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I really liked that we got some italicized lines of thought, like "I fooled everyone into believing I'm brilliant." which was a line that really hit close to home and allowed the readers to get inside Sol's head. It was professionally edited. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 2:09 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
The cover gave me a feeling of this book being a thriller. However, the official OBC review changed my views as well as made me interested. After reading the first ten pages, I felt drawn to the book. The descriptions of Sol's day seemed like a picture drawn with utmost care to details. The glimpses of his relationships with his wife and daughter left me wanting to know more. I did not experience any editing errors even. I would definitely like to read this one.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 12:46 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Lorraine De Vos
I would have chosen to sample this book based on the cover and title. The first ten pages were beautifully written. I love how the author keeps referring back to the tree changing its colors to red for autumn. The writing and characters have a realness to them that I fully appreciated. The book appears to be professionally edited, and there is nothing I dislike about the book. The official OnlineBookClub review was excellent and confirmed that I will definitely be adding this book to my reading list.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 12:25 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Washboard
This is not my usual genre. The title and cover art are both eye-catching. The official review makes the book sound beautifully written. The sample I read did not contain any noticeable errors. The first ten pages introduces Sol and shows a bit of how he relates to his daughter, Amy, assistant, Emma, and wife, Jan. I won't be continuing to read this one, as it didn't really grab my attention. I have no idea what this book will be about based on the first ten pages.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 12:18 am by Washboard.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program I would have skipped over it because the cover has a sad, almost lonely feel to it. For this reason, I don’t intend to buy and read the whole book today. Reading the first ten pages confirmed my early impressions of the book. It reads a bit sad, with the main character (Sol) feeling a bit depressed and apathetic about those around him. Based on what I read, this book seems professionally edited. I did not see a single error in the first ten pages. What I liked most about what I read was the way the author describes the beautiful Fall scenery in the early section of the book. I know that readers who enjoy drama will be drawn to this novel. As far as improvement, I could see no need for any in what I read. I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it informative.
First Ten review added on January 14, 2020, at 12:02 am by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jennifer Donovan Smith
Based on the synopsis and the Online Book Club review, I held little interest in this book. I do not typically enjoy general fiction. However, after reading the sample, I was really impressed with the quality of writing. I did not find any errors, and the narrative flows easily. The dialogue flows naturally. It seems like it will be a very moving character-driven story of self-discovery. My favorite part in the section I read is Sol's interaction with his family at the beginning of Chapter 2. My favorite line is from Chapter 1: "Her face softened and she managed a coy, blushing smile that somehow communicated both little girl loving her daddy and grown woman leaving for her honeymoon all at once." I think that is simply beautiful.
To be honest, the only reason I will not be reading the whole book is the price point. I recognize that a lot of time and effort and heart goes into writing a book, but when you have to compete with thousands of free novels available on programs like Kindle Unlimited and countless more available for $0.99, a book that costs $7.99 ($7.19 on sale) on Kindle from an author you don't recognize is daunting. I have never spent more than $1.99 on an ebook because it is not something that you can really take pride in like a print edition, and I know many others feel the same.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 11:35 pm by Jennifer Donovan Smith.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
Looking at the cover and its title, I could guess that this book may have something to do with redemption. After reading the informative official review, I got a clearer idea about this book. The first ten pages indicated that Sol Severson, the main character, often gets lost in some thought, and the people beside him awake him to be in the present moment. The book seems to be professionally edited. I found a sentence "And out the door she went" that looks grammatically incorrect. At present, I am not inclined to read the book with the theme of loneliness and inner depression, but I may consider to read it later. I will not purchase this book today. A good thing is that the cover and the title match perfectly to the contents of the book.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 10:44 pm by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kelyn
If I had not been a member of this program, it is still likely that I would have picked up the book. The title and cover have a distinctly post-apocalyptic feel and that is one of my favorite genres. I am not familiar with the author, so that would have not affected my decision either way. As I am uncertain of the genre of the book, that would not have affected my decision either. The blurb mentioned a tragedy in the main character's life, which caught my interest wondering what might have happened. The customer reviews were very positive, but two of them openly revealed that they knew the author and had been at least aware of the book from its inception. That lessens their objectiveness about the book in my mind and so would give their reviews less credibility. I did not see a review identified as being specifically from this program but, since that reviewer would likely not have known the author personally, had there been one, it would most probably have had more impact on my decision. Reading the sample was an exercise in patience. I found Sol's concern about his relationship with Amy touching, especially in view of his own distant relationship with his father. Due to the author's excellent writing style, I was perched on the edge of my seat for the entire time with the feeling of "yes, yes, ...and?" I kept waiting for the 'flesh' of the book to appear, for something, anything to happen. When the phone message came through telling him about his uncle's death, I was like "Yes, this is it, something interesting is going to happen!" And it just...didn't. I felt let down. For this reason, I made the decision not to continue with the book. The book seemed well-edited. I found no errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 10:12 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, I would not have picked this up because the plot does not sound interesting. The cover and title are average. The first ten pages seem well edited. I thought it was really sweet how you could feel the love between Sol and his daughter Amy. Unfortunately, I'm still not a fan of books about self discovery and this book does not interest me. The OBC review was very positive giving the book 4 stars, but it did not change my mind. My suggestion to the author would be to add more elements to differentiate this book from others in the same genre.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 10:08 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CrescentMoon
After reading the blurb, I wouldn't pick this book up because I tend to read books that are more action, suspense, and mystery and this book isn't really the genre I typically enjoy. After reading the first ten pages, I spotted a few grammatical errors. In chapter one, "Just like that. As though summer never happened at all. Just another day..." I feel like this should just be one sentence separated by commas instead of periods because individually these clauses don't make up a whole sentence. Overall, I really enjoy the writing style. It's full of imagery and descriptions and I think the author does a great job conveying Sol's feelings. I really could empathize with Sol about the emptiness he was feeling so far in his life as he said goodbye to his daughter while she went off to high school and he felt like his summer passed without much interaction with her in the blink of an eye. I think the book could be improved with fixing the errors and typos. There was an onlinebookclub review but I still wouldn't choose to read the book because I don't like this genre.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 9:25 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
HRichards
Normally I wouldn't have picked this book up considering the summary didn't really interest me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book since I found it sort of boring. The sample deals with Sol, who talks with his family about the leaves changing on the trees and who then goes to his job. He is informed of all the meetings he has and he doesn't seem to thrilled with his job. The writing is fine and I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like dramatic books might like this one. I wasn't really interested in the story. I read the OBC review of the book and it didn't change my mind that this book probably wouldn't interest me.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 9:12 pm by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliet+1
Based on the title, cover, blurb, and OBC review, I didn't think I would want to read "Gathered." A story about a man who endures a tragedy of some sort, reunites with family members, and "finds himself" has no appeal at all.
Reading the sample pages confirmed my first opinion. Not only is the plot tedious, but Sol seems self-absorbed and quite dull. Perhaps he improves after the tragedy, but I'm not willing to take the chance.
I think the book would be more interesting if the tragedy happened closer to the beginning. The opening, "get-acquainted" chapters move very slowly.
The writing is very well done, and the book appears to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 8:58 pm by Juliet+1.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AvidBibliophile
The cover art is simple in design but efficiently straightforward. The Amazon product description is succinct but informative, although the exaggerated spacing between paragraphs is somewhat of a distraction visually. I loved use of the phrase: "Sol is an empty soul". From the very first page, the descriptive imagery pulls you in; from the leafy metamorphosis of seasons, to the declining automobile values of differing employees, the pictures are painted with poignant precision. While I cannot relate to being a parent or a married suburbanite, I can resonate with the impulsive creation of imaginary diatribes. It is very easy to become discouraged and jaded about life, especially when a litany of things consistently begins to pile up; it can make us all "bristle with tired cynicism". This book appears to have been professionally edited. The one published OBC review and 5 Amazon user ratings all give helpful feedback and a beneficial grouping of positive impressions. From the decidedly well written initial portion, I will gladly finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 8:10 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gen_g
I have come across a positive review of this book, and it has piqued my interest. There are a couple of errors present. At 9% in the sample, "little girl loving her daddy" in "...communicated both little girl loving her daddy and grown woman..." should be hyphenated, as it is acting as a compound adjective. I would advise that the book be sent for further editing. I like how the author has started the story, as it links to the section title of "Autumn": Sol is sending his daughter Amy to her high school, and the scene where he drops her off, telling her "I love you" is rather poignant – she is happy to hear that, but she gets embarrassed and only reminds Sol about picking her up from Kelsey's house later. However, I will not be buying the book today, as I'm currently not in the market for realist fiction.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 7:57 pm by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ritah
Based on the cover and genre, I would have sampled the book out of curiosity. I read the official review and sampled the novel. I liked that within the first few pages, I could tell that Amy and her father genuinely care for each other. The book appeared to be professionally edited and I found no areas that needed improving. I will be reading the rest of the book because the writing style and storyline captured my interest. It was easy to keep turning pages.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 7:53 pm by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kaitlyn Canedy
Given the winter season, I think that the cover of Gathered caught my attention more than it normally would have. This is what led me to read the sample of it. I liked the author's creativity in adding familial situations and problem-solving. It seems to be based mainly on women and respect for them too. I don't feel that I would be able to relate to this book as well as other readers, so I will be giving this one a pass. The grammar and structure of the sample were beautiful, and I didn't notice any issues with it. I don't think that the author can or needs to do anything to improve his book, nor could I find anything that I disliked. The Official OnlineBookClub Review was very informative and was chockful of information about the book, but it did not sway my decision not to read it.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 7:18 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mbrooks2518
The Amazon summary of this book was interesting, so I would have sampled this book even without The First Ten. However, after reading the first ten pages and the official review, I lost interest. I don't think this is one that I would enjoy reading, so I am not going to buy this book.
I did like the pretty imagery that opened the book, with the descriptions of the trees and the city traffic. I found no editing errors, and there is nothing that needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 5:53 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
If I wasn't going to read the first ten pages of this book for this review, I still would have checked it out. The cover and the title both caught my eye. After reading the official review, I was curious but undecided. However, after reading the sample I decided that it was not a book I could see myself getting lost in. What I read was well-written and well-edited as I found no errors. And I couldn't think of anything that would need to be improved. I just couldn't get engrossed in the storyline. Sol seemed to have a good life with a loving family and a good job, yet he was still not satisfied. So unsatisfied, it seemed, that he wasn't interested in his wife's job or her day when they went to lunch. I found him to be self-involved and concerned only for himself and his needs. Of course, I only read the sample, but that was my first impression. I am not planning to read the rest of the book as I don't feel I would be that interested in the story.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 5:53 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Gathered' is a book written by Kurt Hansen. The title, cover, OBC review and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.
The sample of the book leads me to believe that it is the story of Delbert Solomon Severson III aka Sol. Sol is kind of apathetic towards life. He lives an average life with his wife, Jan, and daughter, Amy. One day, the news of his Uncle George’s death summons him back to his hometown in Wisconsin. I like the descriptive writing style. I found some errors. For example, the sentence construction is faulty in “..just a bit too much control her control on his day's activities..” I do not think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a skip as I am not in the mind-frame to read a book of this genre as of now.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 5:16 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
The cover caught my eye. I was given a good impression by the OBC review. The first pages recall the start of a normal day for Sol. He drives his teenage daughter, Amy, to school. I liked that he thought about trees, especially a maple tree that stood out to him. The writing is easy to understand and flows gracefully. I enjoyed the sample. However, I don't think I would like the plot. I don't find it interesting enough to grab my attention, so I won't continue reading this book. It's professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 3:18 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
LeDiplomatique
I would not have chosen Gathered by Kurt Hansen based on the title. However, the cover illustration is interesting and relevant to the story because the four, yearly seasons seem to be thematic as much as they are metaphorical in the life of Sol. Reading the ten pages confirmed to me that this is a great story because of the way it is organized. However, I will not be reading the book because the title did not raise my curiosity. The life of Sol has nothing interesting to offer in the first ten pages. I did not come across any errors in the first ten. I love most how the author goes back to give us a background of Sol's life. His family aloofness put me off and I believe Amy, his daughter, inherited her stuck-up attitude from him. I did not understand why he hates such a name as Solomon, owing to the fact that he is named after the world's wisest man. The characters could be improved a bit to make them more interesting. I came across the official review and I loved the way it has summarized the book. However, it did not change my mind about reading the book.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 3:13 pm by LeDiplomatique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
I like the way the author writes characters. Sol and the feelings he had about being abandoned by his daughter are relatable. He sees the beauty in a tree while she only focuses on her social life. The review made the book sound intriguing. Sol delves into painful memories about his father and the author does a good job of showing rather than telling. I liked the cover image and thought it looked interesting. The book appears to be professionally edited. I didn’t see any errors. The only thing holding me back from buying is the price. It’s a little steep. I like this genre and I would consider reviewing if it’s available, though.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 2:20 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
Although it is fiction, the cover and title of this book have a non-fiction feel. I would have read the blurb even if I had not been part of this program. The sample pages were eloquently written. The featured OnlineBookClub review mentions the author’s “imagery and prose.” I loved how the author painted a scene, and I had to consult the dictionary at least once during the sample pages. Alas, I did not like the main character, Sol. I realize this is a story about him discovering a part of himself, but I don’t like how he takes his life and the people in his life for granted. I thought it was fitting that he felt rejected when the gentleman walking his dog did not speak to him as he was raking the leaves in his yard. I wonder if he was ignoring Sol like Sol had ignored him—either outwardly or passively—when they passed before. I will not finish this book. I am not invested in Sol enough to see this story through to completion. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 1:50 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nikolas Farmakis
This is a fictional book that contains plenty of descriptions related to nature and autumn, while it is also centered around the theme of family and relationships. I would not have read the book based on the cover or the title, as the cover looks plain and boring. I will not read the book, as I found it boring and monotonous. The book was professionally edited, as I did not notice any errors. What I liked most in this book was the intense description of nature by the author, as well as the metaphors used in the book that create originality in the book. To improve, the author must add more tension, suspense, and drama to make the story more interesting and engaging. The book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not affect my opinion.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 1:34 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaylee Elmer
Gathered is a story that revolves around a man named Sol and his family. Just based off the title and cover of the book, I thought this might be a book I want to read, and I was right. Though it's not filled with much action, the first ten pages hinted that a bigger event would take place. The characters came across as likable right away and I want to learn more about them. The review I read said the book is about family and redemption, which interest me. It's well written and appears to be professionally edited. I can't wait to read more.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 1:10 pm by Kaylee Elmer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
cpru68
Readers are introduced to Sol who seems to have a lot of good things going for himself. It’s the first day of school and he takes his daughter Amy to high school to drop her off. He tells her he loves her as she goes out the door. He seems to be observing the change of season and looking for the first sign of fall. He finds his parking spot at work among the other expensive cars. He goes through his work day which includes meeting his wife Jan for lunch. She works at the hospital in a surgical center and seems to have a career all to her own. The entire first pages of this seem like Sol is just existing in his life with no sense of meaning.
I won’t be finishing this book. I don’t read a lot of fiction, and this one didn’t fully draw me in. The review was great, but it didn’t persuade me to read the book.
In location 91 I think a word is missing in this sentence: Emma always seemed to enjoy just a bit too much her control of his day’s....
The word “of” should be added between the word much and her.
Other than that, this seemed professionally edited.
I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages and will send it out on my social media for others to look into. I probably wouldn’t have found this on my own search as I don’t read a lot of fiction.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 10:24 am by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
Just from the cover, I wasn't sure what to expect from "Gathered" by Kurt Hansen. The title and cover art could easily belong to any genre, from a thriller to a poetry book. In fact, when I read the opening quote about autumn I thought this was a poetry book. The blurb didn't speak to me, maybe because I have to admit I've never read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and also because of its brevity. Amazon reviews are very good but some of them belong to the author's lifelong friends, so I'm not sure they're to be trusted. So, from first impressions, I wouldn't buy or read this book. The first ten pages, although they have some remarkable qualities, didn't change my mind. I found Sol to be a very relatable character. I often find myself going through life on autopilot such as him, and thinking "Just another friggin' day" (position 73). I like how he reflects on the maple tree that seems to jumpstart autumn as I often daydream about things like that. The language usage is also outstanding. However, I don't really understand what the stakes are in this novel and I didn't find the first pages intriguing enough to read the whole novel. The book seems well-edited but I did find two mistakes, both when the author uses Spanish in position 104 on the Kindle app. It should spell "manchego" and not "mancheco" and "jamón Ibérico" not "jamon Iberica". The book has an official review that highlights aspects I enjoy such as amazing character development, but it didn't convince me to read or buy the book. If anything should be improved I think the blurb could be lengthier and catchier to show the reader if this is the right read for them.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 10:20 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I like the cover of this book and the title. Both are intriguing to me and make me interested to find out what the book is about. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. The first ten pages introduce Sol and his family. He is dropping his daughter off at high school and thinking about how fast time is going by. He goes to work when he has an important job in the financial industry. His wife is a surgical nurse and they meet for lunch. After work he takes some leaves and then picks his daughter up from her friend’s house. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages so I believe the book was professionally edited. I wasn’t drawn into the story enough in the first ten pages to finish reading this book. However, I will read a review and may change my mind.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 10:13 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
After enduring a tragedy, Sol Severson decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery by moving to Wisconsin and discovering more about his family roots. I am not interested in reading a story of redemption or family relationships, so I would not have read the book without The First Ten program. Reading both the sample and the OBC review did not change my mind. However, I found the cover interesting, and the Amazon blurb was quite descriptive. I also appreciated the fast-paced writing style and engaging dialogues. As I did not find any typos or grammatical errors, the book seemed to be edited professionally. Undoubtedly, fans of the genre will appreciate it, but I am not the target audience.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 9:27 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
LV2R
The book cover and title were both good. The Amazon blurb mentioned that the story was about “disconnection and redemption.” Sol Severson seemingly had it all, but he was empty, going through the motions with his relationships, and cut off from his family of origin. After a tragedy, Sol wants to know more about his family roots and his father. I was not sure if I wanted to read the book or not. The sample began with Sol taking his teenaged daughter, Amy to school, then going to work. He seemed depressed, unhappy, and not giving himself credit for being a good accountant. He met with his wife Jan for lunch but was not interested in her job as a surgical nurse. He had no emotions about finding out his Uncle George died. He has been detached from his family for about the last 20 years. I best liked that he noticed (for the last 15 years) that a maple tree’s leaves always seemed to turn fall colors before all the other trees. I think that he wants to identify himself with that tree, to stand out and be brave to be himself. The book seems to be edited well; however, it seems that there may be an extra comma at location 11% of the sample: “... Sol pulled ahead, getting on with his day, too, but without…” (...getting on with his day too, but without…) Though, I am not absolutely sure about this punctuation here. The OBC review mentioned that the book was written and edited very well and that the characters were well developed. The reviewer mentioned that Sol experienced a traumatic loss that makes him face his buried feelings about his father. He returns to Wisconsin to know more about his family roots. I do not want to read this book because it seems Sol is depressed or going through some kind of mid-life crisis. I am not interested in his estranged family relationships and his feelings of emptiness. It is a little too depressing for me to read.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 9:04 am by LV2R.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Lee
The thing that first struck me about the cover was that it looked ominous with almost a "Fargo" vibe. The cover looks like a self-published book. Reading the blurb on Amazon, though, intrigued me and I saw the cover in a different light: symbolic of Sol's feelings of being alone and his journey. The blurb, not the cover, made me want to read the book. The cover doesn't look very professionally done, so that's a turn off.
I also read the OnlineBookClub review. It confirmed my interest in the book. What I like most about the book is how deeply introspective it is. The author has a very skilled way of evoking emotions. There's (so far) not a lot of dialogue but I found I didn't miss it because I was so deeply buried in Sol's mind and emotions.
I didn't find any typos or formatting errors. It looks professionally edited. The one thing I found that could use some minor tweaking was misuse of present versus past tense. The very first paragraph is told past tense (as it should be, seeing as the telling is occurring AFTER the actions described). However, two uses of the word "this" strike a bit of a jarring note, seeming to place the paragraph in the present tense: "The leaves were starting their annual fashion show of decay a bit early THIS year . . . On THIS first day of the new school year . . . ." For the first instance, simply take out "this year." It's not needed. In the second instance, change "this" to "the." That will make it flow smoothly in past tense. (Just have to insert here what a beautifully descriptive first sentence that is!!)
The second instance is found in the second to last paragraph of chapter one. The third sentence reads: "Fall really was coming, he thought to himself." This instance is the exact opposite of what is explained above because here he is thinking to himself. Therefore, it should be in present tense. We always think to ourselves in present tense. We never think in the past tense, so it should be "Fall really is coming . . . ."
I am not going to buy it today because, ironically, it is so well written, I'm not up for the emotions I know this book will draw from me. I'm dealing with some heavy issues in my own life and such a deeply introspective book is not something I want to read right now. However, I am adding it to my Want-To-Read list. I would enjoy any book that so adeptly paints such evocative verbal images.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 8:53 am by Laura Lee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I'm not interested in stories that are overly dramatic, and this sounds like a main driver behind this one. After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I liked and enjoyed the slight dry humour in some of the text. One that caught my attention, was the description of the Nordic, cautious reluctance to come to the dinner table. That being said, there doesn't seem to be enough excitement in this one to keep me interested. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on January 13, 2020, at 8:40 am by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 20%
Gathered earned a score of 20%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 20% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Gathered
