Stefanie answers “I have a question with the layout of this...”

Emily asked this question about The Pull of the Stars:

I have a question with the layout of this book. When I looked at the Kindle sample online, there was no dialogue. Was this a mistake? Or is there literally zero dialogue throughout the book? I'm a sucker for a good historical fiction book so I'm very interested in reading this book but unsure with how it's laid out.

Stefanie The lack of quotation marks was distracting to me at first and almost made me abandon the book a few pages in. I'm glad I didn't. I quickly got used t…moreThe lack of quotation marks was distracting to me at first and almost made me abandon the book a few pages in. I'm glad I didn't. I quickly got used to it and, for the most part, didn't notice them missing once I got going. The book is told from a very intimate first-person point of view and the lack of quotation marks actually helps you feel even more like you're in Nurse Julia's head. Looking back, after having finished the book, I think that adding quotation marks back in would slow the pace of the book down. Kind of like their "added bulk" would be a physical, inky barrier that would slow you down. As it is written, you zoom alongside Julia's thoughts and emotions.(less)

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Wendy I agree with you. It was an excellent book.
Aug 29, 2020 03:46PM

Meredith Whitford I felt exactly the same. At first it bothered me -- so many 'trendy' authors are above using ordinary punctuation -- but then as I got into the book ( ...more
Sep 26, 2020 09:19PM

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The Pull of the Stars

by Emma Donoghue (Goodreads Author)

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