In your opinion what would you consider to be the perfect length for a book. You could answer in pages, words, chapters, or anything you like.
2006-09-23 14:27:12 · 16 answers · asked by harrisbradley 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
The book should be as long as it takes to get the story told with a nice resolution at the end.
2006-09-23 14:29:32 · answer #1 · answered by ? 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Somewhere between 300 and 500 pages. A little longer and I might not finish it. A little shorter and I'll probably wish it was longer or I'll think that it could have been more detailed.
But it also depends on what kind of book. The 300-500 page thing is more for novels/narratives, and I have read books that were shorter and still enjoyed them, but like I said, I would have enjoyed if they were longer, I would have liked to know what was going to happen after.
When a book is about 300-500 pages, near the end I feel this sense of satisfaction, like I've been on this long enjoyable journey and I've gotten to know all the characters as well as I possibly could. (But if a story is REALLY good, I just wish it would never end...)
2006-09-23 16:12:28 · answer #2 · answered by hersheyshayer 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
As long as can be without the plot dragging! Look, I'm already investing my time and energy (and often money) by reading the book- I want my investment to pay off!
Complexity (which requires length) is something I absolutely adore- it makes the book-world real. The more "real" the world of the book is, the more the characters and the action can come to life. It's just so much richer and more satisfying to be deeply involved in a dozen character's lives for six 900-page books than it is to be involved in two characters' lives for one 350 page book.
P.S. Appendices, glossaries, and maps make books even better!
2006-09-23 19:41:20 · answer #3 · answered by dragonheartsong 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Apparently the magic number for novels with publishers at the moment is about 90,000 words, but every publisher is different and a great novel can set its own parameters - within reason.
I have a novel of 170,000 words that I am trying to cut down at the moment. But if you lose too much, then of course the story just won't make sense.
Remember that perfection is attained when nothing more can be removed, not when nothing more can be added. When Michaelangelo carved the angel, he said 'I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set it free'. He didn't glue stuff onto the marble block until it looked like an angel, he removed the excess marble. Good luck!
2006-09-23 18:17:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I personally really like long books. I am presently reading "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand and I'm really enjoying it. The book is about 700-750 pages long. If the book is a good book then I dont want it to ever end, but if is boring then the sooner I finish it the better. I used to think I only liked short books, but I've recently realized that I like long books.
2006-09-23 15:13:30 · answer #5 · answered by Asterisk_Love♥ 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It should be:
For ages 1 - 5 Between 5 and 50 pages
6 - 10 Between 60 and 120
11 - 12 120 - 1000
13+ 1000+
2006-09-23 15:30:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It really depends on the story. If the story has a lot of mystery or can catch the reader's interest for a very long time, then make it longer, because the reader would want to read more and more; if it doesn't then, it should just be short and simple so the reader doesn't get bored.
2006-09-23 19:11:09 · answer #7 · answered by blue_bee 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I like them to end at about the place where the author runs out of interesting things to say. Unfortunately, most of the modern ones don't! And if they're really good, I wish they'd NEVER end. I'm over 50 and I feel that way about Harry Potter. And no, I'm not an idiot. my IQ was 187 when I was 12 - the last time I let them test me.
2006-09-23 15:07:39 · answer #8 · answered by Baby'sMom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
tough question to answer, 'cuz it depends on what kind of book and how good it is.... if it's being made longer by adding a bunch of boring stuff that just drags things on then shorter is better, but as a general rule i read long books... i read a lot of stephen king novels that are very often 600+ pages... (or thousands of pages if count multiple books that make up one story)
2006-09-23 14:30:53 · answer #9 · answered by Roger 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Of course it depends on the type of book and the conciseness of the author. For a good inspirational novel it needs to be between 300 and 400 pages.
2006-09-23 14:30:35 · answer #10 · answered by delmaanna67 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋