Transitions Between Time Periods

Use this forum to discuss the June 2018 Book of the Month"The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami
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anwidmer
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Re: Transitions Between Time Periods

Post by anwidmer »

bookowlie wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 16:33
anwidmer wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 14:48
greenstripedgiraffe wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 14:32

historical fiction happens to be my thing, but not everyone likes that!
Yea, while history facinates me, its never really been my thing in books. I think i just dont have the attention span to learn and retain it. I would personally rather watch a documentary rather then read when it comes to history.
I am the total opposite! I find documentaries boring. Historical fiction is a great way to learn something about historical events in an entertaining way. I read a historical novel last year where one of the themes was women's suffrage movement. I learned so much about this period in history without having to slog through a textbook-style book about the topic.
You make an excellent point, can you recommend a good one for a newbie to the genre?
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Post by kfwilson6 »

anwidmer wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 17:42
bookowlie wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 16:33
anwidmer wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 14:48

Yea, while history facinates me, its never really been my thing in books. I think i just dont have the attention span to learn and retain it. I would personally rather watch a documentary rather then read when it comes to history.
I am the total opposite! I find documentaries boring. Historical fiction is a great way to learn something about historical events in an entertaining way. I read a historical novel last year where one of the themes was women's suffrage movement. I learned so much about this period in history without having to slog through a textbook-style book about the topic.
You make an excellent point, can you recommend a good one for a newbie to the genre?
I'm in agreement with bookowlie. No documentaries for me. I like reading about European monarchs so any of Philippa Gregory's Tudor/Plantagenet novels are fantastic. I started with The Other Boleyn Girl. Henry VIII was seriously a character. I always delve deeper into her characters real-life histories because they were so scandalous and entertaining (as long as you weren't the object of their wrath).
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Post by bookowlie »

Kfwilson, I have never read oneof Phillipa Gregory's Tudor novels, but you have made me interested in trying one. It would be a less boring way to learn more about Henry VIII. I know he killed a few of his wives, including Anne Boleyn. Other than that, I don't know much about his reign.
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Post by Mouricia Allen »

Initially it was a little hard to follow, but once I got used to it, I could keep up.
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Post by Yoli García »

I think the author did a notable work jumping time periods. I can tell she did research about the Renaissance and WWII.

My only issue with it was the number of visions Angela had. I thought the book could have done with a few less, particularly toward the end. I wanted the mystery to unfold already.
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Post by greenstripedgiraffe »

bookowlie wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 16:33
anwidmer wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 14:48
greenstripedgiraffe wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 14:32

historical fiction happens to be my thing, but not everyone likes that!
Yea, while history facinates me, its never really been my thing in books. I think i just dont have the attention span to learn and retain it. I would personally rather watch a documentary rather then read when it comes to history.
I am the total opposite! I find documentaries boring. Historical fiction is a great way to learn something about historical events in an entertaining way. I read a historical novel last year where one of the themes was women's suffrage movement. I learned so much about this period in history without having to slog through a textbook-style book about the topic.
I like documentaries all right, but I LOVE a great historical novel when it's largely accurate. You really do learn so much about different time periods, different struggles, different people... One of my favorites is about Napoleon Bonaparte! What a fascinating yet terrible man in many ways. Belle Ami's book could have been a lovely way to learn more about daVinci.
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Post by kmkline120 »

The switching between time periods can be a little confusing, but is also part of the fun of the read. Someone in another thread asked if this should be made into a movie and I think if that happens it will be much easier to note the time shift due to costume, setting, etc.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

kmkline120 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 09:16 The switching between time periods can be a little confusing, but is also part of the fun of the read. Someone in another thread asked if this should be made into a movie and I think if that happens it will be much easier to note the time shift due to costume, setting, etc.
Visual interpretations of text can add so many elements. Words on a page are so limiting. I think that's part of why children's books are so enjoyable even to some adults.

The time shifts would come across superbly well in a visual format. When reading a fictional mystery/thriller most readers don't want to get bogged down in extensive descriptions of the setting and clothes. On the big screen all of that can be taken in at once.

It seems like great writers deserve even more appreciation than we might sometimes realize.
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Post by kmkline120 »

kfwilson6 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 10:00
kmkline120 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 09:16 The switching between time periods can be a little confusing, but is also part of the fun of the read. Someone in another thread asked if this should be made into a movie and I think if that happens it will be much easier to note the time shift due to costume, setting, etc.
Visual interpretations of text can add so many elements. Words on a page are so limiting. I think that's part of why children's books are so enjoyable even to some adults.

The time shifts would come across superbly well in a visual format. When reading a fictional mystery/thriller most readers don't want to get bogged down in extensive descriptions of the setting and clothes. On the big screen all of that can be taken in at once.

It seems like great writers deserve even more appreciation than we might sometimes realize.

I completed agree! If a writer can paint a scene using the fewest words possible it can make all the difference to the reader. They get a whole picture created in their head without feeling like they had to read entire paragraphs just to get the setting.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

kmkline120 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 10:40
kfwilson6 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 10:00
kmkline120 wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 09:16 The switching between time periods can be a little confusing, but is also part of the fun of the read. Someone in another thread asked if this should be made into a movie and I think if that happens it will be much easier to note the time shift due to costume, setting, etc.
Visual interpretations of text can add so many elements. Words on a page are so limiting. I think that's part of why children's books are so enjoyable even to some adults.

The time shifts would come across superbly well in a visual format. When reading a fictional mystery/thriller most readers don't want to get bogged down in extensive descriptions of the setting and clothes. On the big screen all of that can be taken in at once.

It seems like great writers deserve even more appreciation than we might sometimes realize.

I completed agree! If a writer can paint a scene using the fewest words possible it can make all the difference to the reader. They get a whole picture created in their head without feeling like they had to read entire paragraphs just to get the setting.
I personally get bored very quickly with descriptions of food. Honestly, I really don't even care what characters are eating and drinking. "They sat down to dinner," is a good enough description for me. I don't need to be told "They sat down to a meal of crunchy French bread, chicken alfredo, a Greek salad with homemade dressing." And then an explanation of dessert and wine. Ugh, no thanks. Not relevant, adds no depth to the story at all. And please don't describe the emotions and satisfaction associated with food! Too picky???
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Post by bookowlie »

I don't care for overly long descriptions of anything whether it's food, what the room looked like, etc. This is especially a problem in a mystery where the plot should be the driving force. Just my opinion. I once read a review book where there were two paragraphs describing the contents of the main character's handbag as well as other long paragraphs describing the furniture in her living room. Snoozefest.
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Post by greenstripedgiraffe »

bookowlie wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 12:21 I don't care for overly long descriptions of anything whether it's food, what the room looked like, etc. This is especially a problem in a mystery where the plot should be the driving force. Just my opinion. I once read a review book where there were two paragraphs describing the contents of the main character's handbag as well as other long paragraphs describing the furniture in her living room. Snoozefest.
This totally made me chuckle for real! I'm not big on the overly long descriptions either, although sometimes it does nicely to create a mood or setting. However, even for that, I'm a big fan of conciseness :D In a book with time transitions, there needs to be something that alerts the reader to the switch. In the case of this book, just the character names were sufficient.
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Post by Suzy1611 »

Like a period in time roller coaster. But you still enjoy the book ride.
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Post by bookowlie »

greenstripedgiraffe wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 13:08
bookowlie wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 12:21 I don't care for overly long descriptions of anything whether it's food, what the room looked like, etc. This is especially a problem in a mystery where the plot should be the driving force. Just my opinion. I once read a review book where there were two paragraphs describing the contents of the main character's handbag as well as other long paragraphs describing the furniture in her living room. Snoozefest.
This totally made me chuckle for real! I'm not big on the overly long descriptions either, although sometimes it does nicely to create a mood or setting. However, even for that, I'm a big fan of conciseness :D In a book with time transitions, there needs to be something that alerts the reader to the switch. In the case of this book, just the character names were sufficient.
I agree it's good to have some description to make the story come alive to the reader. Still, being concise is a big plus especially in a mystery where the plot is paramount. In a more character-driven story, it might not be as important to be concise.
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Post by mcfeealexis »

For me it is hard to pay attention to different time periods because I can not visualize them and when you are moving through time that makes it harder for me. I still was able to understand because of the add touch of making angela’s vision a way for me to know that we have switch through time it made it easier to read.
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