Would love to discuss what everyone thinks makes a book deserve 5 stars

[Alison]

any comments? For 5 stars I need a story that feels like my best friend(s) died when I close the book - a story that takes me somewhere else completely - where I no longer exist but am living the lives in the book.

[Scott]

I need to have the sense that the book will stand the test of time, and that the author truly has a unique story, POV and way of expression. It also has to be a book I would want to re-read at some point in the future.

[Anthony]

Alison, I certainly agree that makes for five star book, but I would set the bar a little lower. Been a long time since a book swept me away like that. Clyde Edgerton does that. Louise Erdrich, at her best, Barbara king solver, Gloria naylor, Alice Hoffman, on occasion.... Graham Greene and William Faulkner did, dang it, I wish they were still writing!

[Anthony]

Bill Bryson does it with non fiction! As did William least heat moon in blue highways, but not in river horse..

[Ruth]

Anthony wrote: "Bill Bryson does it with non fiction! As did William least heat moon in blue highways, but not in river horse.."

Agree.

[Carole- Ann]

Only 2 books have done it for me in my near 40 years and that was Stephen Kings it and shawshank redemption. Just going to start game of thrones and hoping that will too. 5 stars to me is being there with the characters in the story!

[Ruth]

It has to be a helluva lot more than a good plot. The writing has to be exceptional. That's most important for me.

[Anthony]

Ruth wrote: "It has to be a helluva lot more than a good plot. The writing has to be exceptional. That's most important for me."

exactly

[Peter]

I want to begin by saying that a certain amount of indescribable magic has to be present. Not terribly helpful, I know, but when I start breaking it down into those special elements, it never quite sounds right or complete. I'm more of a character than plot person, though a five-star has to have greatness in both. The author's style has to bring me into the story - almost literally, if you know what I mean. The few really great ones have changed me for the better, making me feel like I understand my world and its inhabitants just a little bit better, creating the illusion that the author knows me better than I know myself. That's some of my thinking on this subject. Character, plot, style, insight and, of course, magic.

[Doreen]

I don't want to sound cynical, but I have noticed that when a book has been a First Read giveaway, that so many of the first reviews are 5 star. Does this increase one's chances of winning another book? Well, we shall see, as I am one of the First Read winners for Colum McCann's new book....and almost every book of his that I have read so far has been a 4 or 5 star....

[John]

The last book I gave five stars was one I read at night before going to bed mostly, which I looked forward to during the day. Basically, that rating meaning I couldn't find anything negative to say about the book at all, except perhaps a quibble or two. Four stars means the writing (and storyline) were excellent, but I wasn't left with a "something special" feeling.

[Xdyj]

I would give 5 stars if a book makes me feel something that I think I'll still remember in a few months or a few years.

[Doreen]

Do you re-read your personal 5 star books, and if so, which ones? Fiction and nonfiction, short novels and long novels?

[John]

I rarely re-read anything, which is why I own very few books (just a library card and an Audible membership).

[Anthony]

John wrote: "I rarely re-read anything, which is why I own very few books (just a library card and an Audible membership)."

i rarely re read but we have thousands of books

[Ruth]

I'm almost 78. No time for rereads if I'm gonna get it all read before I conk off.

[Peter]

I don't often re-read, except for those that I have to for my job. |56034]The Grapes of Wrath stands the test of time. I read it 35 years ago in high school and then again a ouple years ago. Admittedly, the books I awarded 5-stars were events from years past. The last 5-star book I red was [book:The French Lieutenant's Woman, which I did re-read and would still award 5 stars. I read it about 5 years ago, I haven't read a 5-star book since.

[Cateline]

There are a few, maybe 6 or 7 books that I've reread many times and are old friends. But in general I rarely reread. An exception would be if the book was particularly twisty or different, I may have to reread to really "get" the thrust of the book. John Banville's The Sea. I had to read it three times to correctly understand his various time lines. But it was also for a discussion. :)

As far as 5 star books, I suppose it first must have a story or meaning I am interested in, for whatever reason. Then the prose must have something, a flow, or a clarity.......it. The indefinable IT. I have to have the feeling when I close the book of WOW. And the characters have to stick with me, move me in some way.

[Elizabeth]

I think that a Five Star book has to have an immediate and a lasting impact. A Five Star book has to go somewhere beyond entertainment for me; it has to awaken new ideas or rebirth old ones, or the language itself has to make me want to speak it. The feel of the book and the author's voice should linger with me.

[Anthony]

pretty much twain, faulkner, and greene make up the only books that i re read, though i might re read the bean tree trilogy one day....
funny how some books are so highly rated by some of us and despised by others. thinking how much i hated both goon squad and grapes, and how some folks hate faulkner that way:)

[Linda]

Offering my "humble opinion"... I think a 5 star book is one that you savor slowly because you don't want it to end. It's the book where you do want to know how it ends and you take a peek at the last chapter. It is the book you tell your friends about or suggest to a book group. You want more - you want the story to continue. You pass the book on reluctantly in hopes that it comes home to you.

And I add, what is most important to me, is that a continuation book be by the same author and - can we hope - as good as the first!

[Sherry, Doyenne]

For me to give a book five stars, I must be fully engaged in it. The writing must be very very good, but not too "pretty" or I get distracted. It has to have an emotional impact on me. The characters must be real, complicated, not all bad or all good -- psychologically realistic. It must make me think.

[Yasmin]

For me 5 stars is a book that I love that I know will stick with me for a long time, I would recommend to anyone as a must read, I couldn't put down/ always looking for an excuse to read it, that just gives you that special feeling that John ^^^ refers to, and you are sad when it ends.

[Yasmin]

This comment bares no relevance to the topic for which I apologise but I don't know who to ask.

I cannot invite people from facebook or even my email account, has anyone else had this problem and how did they fix it?

I don't know anyone on GoodReads, so currently a bit of a nigel-no-mates. Any help would be appreciated

[Anthony]

Nigel no mates?!?! Where are you from? NZ?

[Peter]

There are books that really amazed me immediately after finishing them, but, for one reason or another, didn't have the staying power that others do. One such book is A Visit from the Goon Squad which I remember really enjoying but it didn't leave as lasting an impression. Does that mean I should lower the ranking from 5 to 4?

[Joan]

For me, a 5 star has to be well written and just as importantly has to engage that indefinable gut reaction. That's subjective, of course. I tend not to think in terms of ranking, rather in strengths and weaknesses.

[Jane]

My criteria are:
Good story. Plausibility in historical fiction.
Well written but not overwrought, i.e., "purple prose"
Sympathetic characters. Good character development--either to the good or to the bad.
One that stays with me long after I read it. And is worth rereading at a later time.

[Agatha]

Joan wrote: "For me, a 5 star has to be well written and just as importantly has to engage that indefinable gut reaction. That's subjective, of course. ..."

+1
I would give 5 stars to the books that I can relate personally.

[Ann D]

I rate books within their genre. For example, I might give a mystery 5 stars if I think it is an especially fine mystery book. That doesn't mean that I necessarily consider it better than a 4 star piece of literary fiction.

I like books that are are original in some way. I am also drawn to books, fiction or non-fiction, which make me think about things in new ways.

BTW, have you all noticed that almost all Amazon books are now rated 4 stars? Their star rating isn't meaningful any more.

[John]

Indeed, Ann, both there and and here, I pay attention to the written remarks.

[B.D.]

Alison wrote: "any comments? For 5 stars I need a story that feels like my best friend(s) died when I close the book - a story that takes me somewhere else completely - where I no longer exist but am living the..."

Wow, that was beautifully put, and it really rang true for me. The difference between 4 and 5 stars is vast in my opinion. I will give 4 stars for something that is well written and enjoyable to read, but for me to give it 5 I need to simultaneously feel a yearning for more because I was so engrossed in the story, and a feeling of contentment from the ending.

[Corinne]

Alison wrote: "any comments? For 5 stars I need a story that feels like my best friend(s) died when I close the book - a story that takes me somewhere else completely - where I no longer exist but am living the..."

This is my list of 5 starts: The Book Thief (Audio), Unbroken, Defending Jacob, Help, Room, The Art of Racing in the Rain (Audio, Sarah's Key, The Storyteller....I'd love to know if any of these are on your list and what you have on your 5 star list.

[Nicolas]

I don't really have a rubric or anything, but I'd vocalize it something like this:

3-4 stars.
Good plot, may or may not have limited technical flaws in plot or editing, decent presentation. Plot doesn't have to be groundbreaking, but it does have to be well presented. Preferably with consistent, logical characterization and continuity (This is what separates most of my 3 stars).

5 stars
All of the above, plus a technically distinctive voice to the writing. If you read this book, it won't read like the twenty million other *insert genre* books out there, it'll have something very unique that sets it apart. Maybe it's banter between characters. Maybe it's the structure and meter of the prose descriptions. Maybe it's an amazingly original plot. Maybe it's a unique setting that causes the reader to question their own ideas. But it has some tangible element that sets it apart from the deluge of comparatively well-done genre fiction.

That's just me, though.

[Yasmin]

Anthony wrote: "Nigel no mates?!?! Where are you from? NZ?"

No, England. Why? Where are you from?

[Kim-Lost-In-A-Book]

For me to rate a book 5 stars it really has to touch my soul deeply. It has to be written beautifully (or incredibly well in another way - humor for example). The words have to float off the page, touch my heart and never let go.

All that being said I do tend to give more 5 star ratings than many of my friends LOL

[Quinn]

Five stars--as a writer, I always want to apologize for not giving 5 stars, as I know the feeling of falling short, and the joy of getting it just right. For 5 stars it has to have a plot that hooks me and then fascinates me (Ken Follet did that in World Without End). It must have characters that are fully developed and that I can care about (as Barbara Kingsolver did in The Poisonwood Bible), and it has to be well-crafted and well-written (as Neal Stephenson did in Snow Crash). And that's asking a whole lot.

[Donald]

Brooke wrote: "Alison wrote: "any comments? For 5 stars I need a story that feels like my best friend(s) died when I close the book - a story that takes me somewhere else completely - where I no longer exist bu..."

Yes, a great comment; I can forgive a lot in a book if it takes me away, makes me almost sad to finish it, and gets me so absorbed that I 1) care about and believe in the characters; and 2) forget the real world around me while in that world instead.

[Dottie]

Kim N - Lost-In-A-Book wrote: "For me to rate a book 5 stars it really has to touch my soul deeply. It has to be written beautifully (or incredibly well in another way - humor for example). The words have to float off the page..."

Sounds quite a bit like my way of determining stars, Kim.

[Donald]

A. wrote: "I think awarding five stars should be a rare and special thing reserved for the truly outstanding. I give four stars to any book I thoroughly enjoyed and had felt only a few misgivings about missed..."

I do that with films - have been keeping track of every new movie I see for 6 years now, make sure to do at least 50 new films a year, and only give 5 stars to a film I would seriously PUSH other people to see; reserve it, as you said, for the cream of the film crop. Same with novels, I think.

[Kim-Lost-In-A-Book]

I'm much more "lenient" with movies - I'm so easy to please when it comes to movies - usually all you have to do is make me laugh and I'm happy :-)

[Kim-Lost-In-A-Book]

Quinn wrote: "Five stars--as a writer, I always want to apologize for not giving 5 stars, as I know the feeling of falling short, and the joy of getting it just right. For 5 stars it has to have a plot that hook..."

I have to love the characters as well. I recently tried reading J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy and couldn't make it past the first 20-odd pages. I didn't like any of the at least 10 characters that I was introduced to in that short time and I did not want to spend time with them at all, even though I liked the writing style.

[Jane]

Ronnie wrote: "Try "The Mushroom Poet" checkout the reviews at http://www.rmtanksley.com"

Ronnie,
You wouldn't be trying to sneak a promotion into this thread, would you? If so, please move it to the promotions thread.

[Jane]

Yasmin wrote: "This comment bares no relevance to the topic for which I apologise but I don't know who to ask.

I cannot invite people from facebook or even my email account, has anyone else had this problem and ..."

Yasmun,
This comment will probably be answered if you make a new thread and move it over to the Salon.

[Ronnie]

Anthony wrote: "Alison, I certainly agree that makes for five star book, but I would set the bar a little lower. Been a long time since a book swept me away like that. Clyde Edgerton does that. Louise Erdrich, at ..."

[Ronnie]

Anthony wrote: "Ruth wrote: "It has to be a helluva lot more than a good plot. The writing has to be exceptional. That's most important for me."

exactly"

[V.R.]

Alison wrote: "any comments? For 5 stars I need a story that feels like my best friend(s) died when I close the book - a story that takes me somewhere else completely - where I no longer exist but am living the..."

I agree totally Allison. I like to connect with the story as if I'm actually in it; omnisciently of course, but a sense that I'm there all the same.

[V.R.]

Carole- Ann wrote: "Only 2 books have done it for me in my near 40 years and that was Stephen Kings it and shawshank redemption. Just going to start game of thrones and hoping that will too. 5 stars to me is being the..."

Enjoyed your comment and concur, Carole.

[V.R.]

Carole- Ann wrote: "Only 2 books have done it for me in my near 40 years and that was Stephen Kings it and shawshank redemption. Just going to start game of thrones and hoping that will too. 5 stars to me is being the..."

[V.R.]

P.S. I read both those books as well and found them to be captivating also. King's the Dark Half captivated me as well.