Did you finish Roan?

Discuss the November 2016 Book of the Month, Roan: The Tales Of Conor Archer by E. R. Barr.

Did you finish Roan?

I finished it.
9
43%
I did not start it.
4
19%
I started it, and I plan to finish it.
6
29%
I started it, but I have decided not to finish it.
2
10%
 
Total votes: 21

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Eric Morris
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Re: Did you finish Roan?

Post by Eric Morris »

I did finish it (I believe that to be part of the agreement), but I really had no problem doing so. I genuinely think a good many people desire a novel that they don't need to devote the whole of their attention to, a "casual" read if you will. There's nothing wrong with that, but Roan ain't that kind of book. It demands attention and a little slice of your life. I've never entirely been part of a 'real life' book club, but I would assume it would lean more toward the casual side.

One thing I've noticed though: this book is shorter than many I read growing up. It, Needful Things, Imajica, Eye of the World, Eragon, The Stand, and so on. I think that reading, as a hobby, has really jumped in popularity recently, but I also think that the average length of the mainstream novel has been cut significantly. Therefore, a book like this seems long by comparison, but it really is nothing compared to some of the tomes I've given myself to over the years.
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

jacnthabox wrote:I did finish it (I believe that to be part of the agreement), but I really had no problem doing so. I genuinely think a good many people desire a novel that they don't need to devote the whole of their attention to, a "casual" read if you will. There's nothing wrong with that, but Roan ain't that kind of book. It demands attention and a little slice of your life. I've never entirely been part of a 'real life' book club, but I would assume it would lean more toward the casual side.

One thing I've noticed though: this book is shorter than many I read growing up. It, Needful Things, Imajica, Eye of the World, Eragon, The Stand, and so on. I think that reading, as a hobby, has really jumped in popularity recently, but I also think that the average length of the mainstream novel has been cut significantly. Therefore, a book like this seems long by comparison, but it really is nothing compared to some of the tomes I've given myself to over the years.
I have read most of the books you referenced; lengthy books do not bother me unless the storyline drags. I felt in this particular book the storyline drug. This is a subjective thing, as there are mixed views on this issue. I did enjoy the book and will continue the series. I enjoy long books and Stephen King does this to perfection.
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Post by Guppy »

I finished it in a day and a half. Long books don't always feel like long books when you're interested in the story, and sometimes they don't seem long enough.
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Post by Ripley3131 »

I just began Roan last night and made it into the forth chapter, or segment, since I don't remember seeing any chapter numbers. I 'm very pleased with the book so far and have every intention of finishing it within the next few days.
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Post by lolashoes »

I've just started the book and well, I'm far from finishing it. For the most part, the story is engaging and interesting. I plan to finish this.
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Post by Ripley3131 »

Yes, I finished Roan. I didn't find it that difficult to finish the book, partly because it has an engaging storyline, and partly because I have a lot of time on my hands. Plus, I have always enjoyed reading.
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Post by Thimble »

I started reading it and stopped 60% into the book. I think it's the first book I've ever just stopped reading. Some I've put on hold but plan to pick up again, but this one I just had to stop. I really didn't like the cause of the conflicts. Almost all of the conflicts not directly related to the big monster were just from lack of communication. That type of conflict drives me nuts. Also, all the characters just make really bad decisions. I was talking to my husband about it and we renamed it "Poor Life Decisions and a Monster".

Rant Over:
I'm glad other people enjoyed reading it since the plot sounded really interesting. I'm probably going to try to find a spoiler review to find out what happens since I want to know the ending.
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Post by CZCampbell »

While it was long, I appreciated the length. I feel if it was any shorter I would've been confused as to all of the different sub plots, character complexities, historical tales, and inter-dimensional relationships. Not only that, but I would have had a difficult time getting into the book as deep as I did. A lot of the length was Barr developing these characters, but not an in your face we have to develop them now way. It was a gradual stringing together that seemed effortless and natural in how these characters unraveled. This book would not have been nearly as enjoyable had it been shorter.
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Post by Ceciltrixiedom »

I started it and hopefully will finish it a day or so depending of my home chores schedule. It is interesting actually with some boring points maybe because i have just started it. It reminds me of Twilight movie and television series here ,the "Lobo" in which the main character,a beautiful lady transformed to a fox every full moon....well i can't wait to finish this one. I want to describe that family secrets ,of a sort, that covers the family of the character...sounds exciting.
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Post by DakotaA »

I finished it but was constantly thinking that it was too long. I usually love a book that takes me ages to read, because I love spending time with characters I get emotionally invested in. With this book though.. I really didn't like any of the characters. I was really interested in the story, but personally I just didn't like how the book was written.

It took me 6 weeks to finish reading Roan because I kept putting it down to read other books instead and found it a bit of a chore to finish. However, I have not and will not give up on a book! It's been about a year and I'm still trudging through the entirety of Hitchhikers Guide (even if it's just one chapter a month).
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