Appeal Factor: Character
Annotation:3rd person narrative of characters in a logging town in NH. Father and son become fugitives after an accident and constantly are moving. Spans 5 decades. Plot would be 2nd appeal. Readalike could be The Missing by Tim Gautreaux.
Place a Hold
Annotation:Flawed characters. Imagine that. The story revolves around Hobbie, with his cystic acne and a penchant for picking when stressed, and his absent, obese, common law wife, Kari, who has admitted herself to a weight loss clinic with explicit directions that Hobbie not contact her. Well of course, Hobbie is not happy and when a situation arises where he must contact Kari, he is sent on an adventure with fractured family in tow, to see if love can survive. In the end, this is a story exemplifying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that in our beautiful world, everyone deserves to be loved. Strong characters are woven together with this delightful story.
Annotation:When a neighbor's dog is slain, Christopher, an autistic teenager, decides to solve the crime. Author Haddon had worked with austistic people in the past, and his first person recreation of how Christopher views and attempts to interact with the larger world is stunning. A compelling examation of an outsider, one that is sympathetic yet never patronizing.
Annotation:Explores the women who shared their lives with famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Will appeal to those who like historical settings, and examining the lives of prominent figures from different perspectives. A bit more literary and opaque than Horan's Loving Frank.
Annotation:Franzen offers readers a multifaceted character study filled with dense prose. He explores the hearts and minds of a Midwestern family of five and their relationships with one another during various stages of life. Franzen is a powerful and talented writer, but if you are not in the mood for a hard, critical and satirical look at American Midwestern values and capitalism, he is not the author for you.
Annotation:After a woman’s mother dies, she reacts by abruptly quitting her job and then suffers through a nervous breakdown. This book is described as “humorous stories” and “dark humor.” I didn’t find it to be either, but it might appeal to fans of (very) dry British wit.
Annotation:A young woman goes missing the summer before she leaves for college. Examines the profound effect the disappearance has on her family and friends as they deal with uncertainty, worry, and grief. A very sad story, that focuses on the interior thoughts and feelings of the characters rather than the mystery of the girl’s disappearance.
Annotation:Told from the perspective of a rat who lives in a bookstore, this was a quirky, silly, and all together interesting read. The rat is very down on himself because he must scrounge for food and can never be a human, but he has a heart of gold and is very well versed in literature. The book balances his rodent lifestyle, like eating out of the toilet and sleeping in trash, with his longing for something more. I was hooked and felt for the rat. Overall, while I know it will not be for everyone, I definitely found myself needing to see how it all played out.
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Description
Books that are character-driven feature three-dimensional characters who almost seem to setp off the page. When readers describe these novels, they often start with the people in the novels--"I felt like I knew the chracters," or other similar phrases. Readers who enjoy books with strong character appeal often enjoy a wide variety of other mainstream fiction titles as well, and also may be open to nonfiction including "life stories"--biographies, memoirs, and relationships. --from Now Read This III by Nancy Pearl and Sarah Statz Cords
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