Character and plot

Discuss the October 2016 Book of the Month, Unspeakable Acts by Janet Leigh Green.
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Character and plot

Post by gali »

Do you think the author equally invested in both character and plot? Did you find the characters believable?
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Post by DB44 »

I thought the plot was well done. However, I found the characters very one-dimensional for the most part and simply did not care about them.
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

DB44 wrote:I thought the plot was well done. However, I found the characters very one-dimensional for the most part and simply did not care about them.
Thank you for your comments. I hope you find the characters more interesting in Book-2! I'm working on that. ?
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Post by AA1495 »

DB44 wrote:I thought the plot was well done. However, I found the characters very one-dimensional for the most part and simply did not care about them.
Agreed. The plot was very well done and was unique. :D
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Post by Gnome »

I agree that the plot was gripping and the reason it only took me a few hours to read the book. For the amount of time spent with the characters I felt that I would not be able to tell characters apart if I were asked to.
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

Gnome wrote:I agree that the plot was gripping and the reason it only took me a few hours to read the book. For the amount of time spent with the characters I felt that I would not be able to tell characters apart if I were asked to.
This is all very helpful, thank you all so much!
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Post by Scott »

Martha was simplistic, I thought. I like Asa as a villain as the story developed. I would have loved even more exploration for his tenderness towards Mary and his sort of sense of duty and loyalty to Martha.
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Post by Rachel1019 »

DB44 wrote:I thought the plot was well done. However, I found the characters very one-dimensional for the most part and simply did not care about them.
I agree with everyone else on this topic that the characters were sorely lacking. I appreciate that Asa became more developed as the story went on. But I found it very difficult to relate to any of the main characters, because it didn't seem like they were real life people. I find that people mess up and are confused about their feelings, and they push people away. Nothing is as simple as these people love each other and nothing ever goes wrong or gets messy and confusing. But I did think the plot was interesting. I thought it was original and was captivating enough to pull me in, despite my feelings about the characters.
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Post by Kia »

I also have to agree that the author seemed to spend more time on the plot than the characters. However, I look forward to seeing how much better developed Charlie, Sheila, Doug and Scott become in book 2!
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Rachel1019 wrote:
DB44 wrote:I thought the plot was well done. However, I found the characters very one-dimensional for the most part and simply did not care about them.
I agree with everyone else on this topic that the characters were sorely lacking. I appreciate that Asa became more developed as the story went on. But I found it very difficult to relate to any of the main characters, because it didn't seem like they were real life people. I find that people mess up and are confused about their feelings, and they push people away. Nothing is as simple as these people love each other and nothing ever goes wrong or gets messy and confusing. But I did think the plot was interesting. I thought it was original and was captivating enough to pull me in, despite my feelings about the characters.
This was put very nicely. I also found the characters hard to relate to and one-dimensional. However, I have a feeling that we will be getting to know the crew much better as the series continues. Also, like Rachel1019 has said the plot was intriguing and original, so kudos for that! :)
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

hsimone wrote:
Rachel1019 wrote:
DB44 wrote:I thought the plot was well done. However, I found the characters very one-dimensional for the most part and simply did not care about them.
I agree with everyone else on this topic that the characters were sorely lacking. I appreciate that Asa became more developed as the story went on. But I found it very difficult to relate to any of the main characters, because it didn't seem like they were real life people. I find that people mess up and are confused about their feelings, and they push people away. Nothing is as simple as these people love each other and nothing ever goes wrong or gets messy and confusing. But I did think the plot was interesting. I thought it was original and was captivating enough to pull me in, despite my feelings about the characters.
This was put very nicely. I also found the characters hard to relate to and one-dimensional. However, I have a feeling that we will be getting to know the crew much better as the series continues. Also, like Rachel1019 has said the plot was intriguing and original, so kudos for that! :)
Thank you! I am trying to fatten the characters up in the rewrite. I hope you check out the second release of this book. I'm putting a lot of work into it with my new editor!

Yes! They are all in Book-2, as well as the books that follow!
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Awesome! I'd definitely be interested in the rewrite!

Also, I can't wait to see the gang again in Book 2!
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

hsimone wrote:Awesome! I'd definitely be interested in the rewrite!

Also, I can't wait to see the gang again in Book 2!
I think it will flow better and it will be a lot tighter; of course the errors are being addressed. It has really helped gathering all of the feedback from this book club. The information is invaluable and I appreciate it very much!

Book-2 will come out after the second release now. I want to get Book-1 right first! ☺
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Janetleighgreen wrote:
hsimone wrote:Awesome! I'd definitely be interested in the rewrite!

Also, I can't wait to see the gang again in Book 2!
I think it will flow better and it will be a lot tighter; of course the errors are being addressed. It has really helped gathering all of the feedback from this book club. The information is invaluable and I appreciate it very much!

Book-2 will come out after the second release now. I want to get Book-1 right first! ☺
That makes a lot of sense. I think it's great when an author takes feedback positively and applies it in their writing. It makes the reader's voice that much stronger and appreciate the author's work even more, so thank you for that. :)

Can't wait to give it a read!
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Post by greenstripedgiraffe »

there could have been more character development and emotional undertones. That always helps the plot deepen and become more of literature instead of just a quick read. For instance, I felt that Jay was left sort of hanging. He shows up with only a bad reputation, and then all of a sudden, it's all "okay" because he was taken over by a ghost or whatnot ... and everyone loves him and he is accepted, and actually - he has this amazing ability... This is rather sudden. It would be more believable if Charlie struggled to accept Jay, I mean - she has some pretty bad memories! All in all, the characters all feel like they're going on a vacation instead of battling murderous ghosts that won't move on.
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