Is it simply whether a novel is commercially successful?
Replies
I re-read my favourite novel every year! It's the book that opened my mind to great writing and I never tire of it. I have five different editions and copies in German and French!
I don't think so, Adrian. In fact quite a few great writers died unpublished or in poverty. I'm thinking, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe.
Fortunately for us aspiring writers, there are lots of different people out there and as they say, one man's meat...
For me a good novel is one that stays with me after I've finished it. One that makes me feel empathy for the characters.
I read all kinds of things, and different books serve different purposes. Chick Lit and Thrillers are great summer reads and stress busters. Classics make me feel a sense of achievement and teach me a lot. Contemporary novels make me understand the world we live in...
I re-read my favourite novel every year! It's the book that opened my mind to great writing and I never tire of it. I have five different editions and copies in German and French!
I believe a good test is whether a novel is re-readable.
I don't think so, Adrian. In fact quite a few great writers died unpublished or in poverty. I'm thinking, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe.
Fortunately for us aspiring writers, there are lots of different people out there and as they say, one man's meat...
For me a good novel is one that stays with me after I've finished it. One that makes me feel empathy for the characters.
I read all kinds of things, and different books serve different purposes. Chick Lit and Thrillers are great summer reads and stress busters. Classics make me feel a sense of achievement and teach me a lot. Contemporary novels make me understand the world we live in...