When is it too early to judge a book?

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So, I was given a book as a present. I'm up to the second chapter and I already dislike it. Admittedly from the description alone I was hesitant to read the book.

However, I thought that I should at least give the story a chance. It is a short book with only a hundred and twenty-eight pages. So it should be easy enough to get through it. Although, the book does open with commentary from someone defending the author.

It remarks on the logical flaws of the fictional universe that you could nitpick, and states that you shouldn't do this. Seems strange to put this at the start of the book. I haven't even been properly introduced into this universe and you're already telling me what potential plotholes I should ignore to maintain my suspension of disbelief.

Then in the first chapter (which occurs after the commentary) there are a bunch of notes from the author about why she wrote the story and events in her life.

It comes across as though she is trying to convince the audience that the story is worthwhile. Want to do that? Then tell me the story already! Seriously, there is no need to build it up so much. You've made me lose interest and you haven't even started yet.

It's supposed to be a science fiction book. At the moment it comes across as a strangely written autobiography with Sigmund Freud quotes thrown in. So I don't have high hopes for the actual story part.

Regardless, I'm going to try to read it because I'll probably be ask my opinion on it later.

So, back to the question of the thread. When is it too early to judge a book? How long do you read something before giving up on the possibility that it might improve?

Admittedly, there have been books I just couldn't stomach to finish. But regardless, I'd say finish it, so that you'll know the difference between literature that's actually good, and the books and stories that are just trash.

Now that I know the context of this book I understand why it is written in such a way.

Originally it was a part of a collection of short stories published in the 1970's. Hence the notes from the author as this is not uncommon in-between stories in books that are a collection of short tales. Apparently the other stories are somewhat related as they exist in the same fictional world. However, this copy just features one story.

Now that I've started reading into the actual story it is incredibly apparent that it is from the 1970's; the language it uses is rather outdated along with certain ideals and character types that it portrays. Even if I end up disliking this book at least it'll be somewhat interesting from a cultural/historical perspective. There is some accidental/unintentional comedy in this story since certain words no longer mean what they used to. Particular sentences become rather amusing as a result despite the author's original intent.

The only book I haven't been able to get through was Adam Bede (George Eliot). I've read most of her other novels and I enjoyed the story well enough, but there was far too much dialogue and I got lost about who was saying what. I didn't have enough grasp of the characters to engage in their chatter. I prefer descriptive prose because I can try to picture the scenes. I've attempted the book a few times and got about halfway (200 pages) but I always tire of it and give up.

I'd say with most books you start judging on the first page. Your opinion might change as you continue, but it's normal to judge books straight away based on the writing style and the author's tone.

Off hand I would say page 100. I read "Lord of the Rings" many years ago. I found the book to be very slow and boring. But when I hit page 100, I found that I was totally hooked.

That advise doesn't help much for a short story that is only 128 pages long!

I never managed to read Journey To The River Sea (Eva Ibbotson, 2001) properly. For some reason I simply couldn't emotionally invest myself in the story. I tried a few times but I just didn't find it interesting. Despite the fact it is often critically acclaimed. I put it down for several months since I forgot that I was even reading it. Then I remembered and tried to continue reading the story but at that point I'd forgotten who the characters were. In fact I don't really remember the plot at all at this point. Only vague parts of it.



I've seen two of the films but I've never read the books. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the films so if they are any indication then I probably won't enjoy them. However, I know better than to judge a book by their film. Directors sometimes completely change stories and it rather annoys me when a good book gets changed into a mediocre or bad movie. Especially when they miss the entire point of the book. I could easily rant about that all day. Best not.

The films weren't bad, but they didn't appeal. I think that the battle scenes were too long which is a stance that might annoy some fans. Previously I have been criticised for saying that I enjoy fantasy despite not liking the Lord of the Rings. The films, anyway.

I know that some people hold an almost snobbish view towards urban fantasy, but I tend to enjoy it more than traditional fantasy. Especially if an urban fantasy either has science/speculative fiction elements or mythology. Percy Jackson along with the Magnus Chase trilogy (Rick Riordan) definitely held my attention. Especially Magnus Chase, I couldn't put those books down. I'd say I was only going to read one chapter and end up reading four in one sitting.

For TV shows, my general rule is three episodes (if they're twenty minutes long) before giving up on it unless it has something in it that's a deal-breaker. As for books, as Isabella mentioned in regards to forming a judgement from the first page, I tend to do so but give the story some time to develop before giving up on it completely. Since the book I'm reading is short I might as well read it in full. Besides, the person who bought me it will most likely ask my opinion on the book.