How important is the setting of a novel to you?

[Kathy]

In the reviews of my two novels to date, many people have commented on the settings (one in England, the second in France) and how they have related to them. It seems a significant factor in their appreciation of the books. Inevitably, some prefer one to the other.
I wondered how much you take into the account the setting when you choose a book to read? Would you reject a novel on the basis of its setting?

[Dwayne]

Kathy wrote: "Would you reject a novel on the basis of its setting?"

I wouldn't flat out reject something based on the setting, but I am more inclined to read something that has a setting that appeals to me. The characters are most important to me in my reading and my writing. Plot, style, level of humor, etc. are all probably more important to me than setting. Setting is important, but not important enough to make me want to read something or not read something.

[Brenda]

I have a literary theory. It revolves around the five traditional parts of fiction -- plot, character, theme, tone and setting. My theory is that each of the genres has a favored part.

Romance novels, for instance, totally call for character. It's not a romance novel unless two people fall in love. And a failure in character development will make the book collapse; it is impossible to imagine a romance novel without lots of character.

Mysteries focus on plot. Who done it, where, when and why.

And setting rules in fantasy and science fiction. There are plenty of novels in the genre that are nothing but setting, with a thin layer of plot and character to help you learn more about the place. A good example of this would be RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA -- cardboard characters, and the entire story is 'let's explore Rama.'

And tone is the domain of horror. How can it be a horror novel if you're not horrified?

[Kathy]

Thanks for your responses, Dwayne, Brenda. For me, I think I tend to decide mostly on character too but your theory is interesting, Brenda. I've never thought about it in that way.

[K.P.]

i learned that theory in literature classes ages ago. thanks for the reminder!

[G.G.]

Brenda, generally speaking, what you say is true. Yet, unless the plot is spectacular, characters are what makes the difference between a good book and a great book. Take horror for example. How can it be scary if you don't care about the characters. Who cares who dies if they mean nothing to the reader. And if they mean nothing, then it's not scary anymore, it almost becomes funny.

I love character driven stories, yet, I'm not a huge fan of romance. My preference goes to scifi and urban/contemporary fantasy and I can tell you that I won't read a book with cardboard characters no matter what the genre is. Mysteries might be the only one that can rely solely on plots IF well done.

As for the original question, the settings, I can understand someone being drawn in a story because for example, it's in the city they grew in, or in a country they either would love to visit or have visited.

On the other hand, if you are a romance lover, setting shouldn't be too important. Who cares if the love happens in the ghettos, or on a ship in space. Sure the back story will be different and one might be more enticing than the other for some people but in the end, love is love.

In horror, I see it in two different povs. In our world, or the city we live in, it can add to the horror because one might wonder if it will happen for real where as if it happens let's say in a spaceship, it might be harder to relate (for some readers).

In my opinion, a good mystery could be set anywhere. The same could be said for sci-fi and urban/contemporary fantasy. The only one I see differently would be the real fantasy, which requires its own special world.

[Shomeret]

I go for the unusual in books. If a setting is unusual enough to attract my attention, I'm likely to want to find out more about the book. Yet cardboard characters or a lagging plot will cause my interest to flag.

I do have such a thing as favorite settings, but I'm not going to read any book set in Tibet. I'll need an unusual plot or central character. Yet "Tibet" in the title will definitely pique my interest and cause me to explore further.

[Janna]

I would not necessarily reject a book based on setting, but I don't typically read books that are set in Western times or divergent apocalyptic-esque worlds. I prefer books set in America, though I love "The Kite Runner" which takes place in Afghanistan and America. Setting can be a factor like any other story element in choosing a book to read. I myself love books set in New Orleans or some small town somewhere. These settings add glamour and romance. I agree that character and plot ultimately drive the story, but setting can add or detract as well.

[Shomeret]

JANNA wrote: "I would not necessarily reject a book based on setting, but I don't typically read books that are set in Western times or divergent apocalyptic-esque worlds. I prefer books set in America, though I..."

Janna, New Orleans is another of my favorite settings. Yet it's also an extremely popular one. It irritates me when authors take advantage of the popularity of this setting to write books that could have taken place in any city with almost no sense of place.

[Victoria]

Sometimes setting will play a part in my choice whether or not to read a book, but very rarely. Usually it's the plot and characters (in that order) that help me to decide if I should read a book or not.

However, the details of the setting can sometimes affect how much I enjoy the book when I come to read it.

[Lenita]

It depends on the genre. If you read fantasy, setting is very important.

[Brenda]

Exactly. This is not to say that a fantasy novel can be nothing but a travelogue. But if you aren't passionately and energetically involved in setting, you are not going to write LOTR, or DOWNBELOW STATION, or THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS. Notice how many SF and Fantasy novels are titled with the place.

[Ken]

This is a really interesting discussion. Two of my novels take place in non descript places and I purposely spent very little time or energy on the settings. All you know is that the books take place in small towns and cities (in one I name the states and not in the other) and I have not heard any negative feedback since the stories are so heavy on character development and plot. I did think about what is being discussed here but ultimately went with my gut.

[Zara-jo]

I'm a reader, not a writer - First I like characters that I can believe exist - Second a strong plot with an end I can't guess (I like romance but not the sort where it's obvious two people are going to get together.) Three is setting. I think it matters a lot. I like finding out how a Merchant Bank works, what happens behind the scenes in a theatre, or how people lived long ago. What I don't like is finding out some of the facts aren't right... and the setting has to BE the setting, not a sort of picture with cardboard people doing nothing much that matters,

[Justin]

Reading wise? I don't really think about it. I mean unless it says so in the synopsis and even then I don't see it impacting or making a decision on whether or not I want to read it.

[Debra]

I'm big on research. When I choose a setting, I study all about it first. Not only does it keep me from looking stupid, it also gives me ideas for my story lines. For instance, I'm writing a story that takes place in Louisiana. I learned that Opals are mined in Louisiana, so now opals are woven into the story. In another story, one of my characters was a big government supplier of lime after learning that my chosen location, South Carolina, has big lime pits that the government uses.

Yes, the locations are important. Give us a picture of the scenes in every chapter and use research to make sure its correct and for some extra info.

www.DebraEasterling.com

[Yzabel]

I tend to be attracted to characters and plot first, but I consider setting as equally important: if the world-building in a story goes wrong, even slightly, I'm bound to notice at some point, and it'll detract from my reading experience.

I agree that setting usually prevails in SFF more than in other genres. On the other hand, setting done wrong in, say, a romance novel would also be problematic for me. For instance, if a love story is set in Paris, but the author has the city all wrong, I'll find this ridiculous. And it's not so hard to notice as you'd think--I've noticed oddities regarding cities I've never set foot in.

So, yes, it's important for me, and part of those things an author can't ignore. I mean, you can't say "setting doesn't matter as long as plot and characters are good", because the latter being true is not such a given (how many times have we seen reviews stating that the characters in book X were well-done and believable, while half the other reviews state exactly the contrary? Matter of perception and all that). Better cover all your bases.

As for rejecting a novel on the basis of its setting: I don't think I'd do that, not only with a blurb to go by. I'm more easily attracted to urban settings, sure, but because a story is set in a country manor doesn't mean I won't be interest. I could "reject" it afterwards if the setting was wrong, though. It doesn't have to be woven within the story every three lines, nor does it have to be very detailed (long descriptions can be boring); it just has to be right, and to be able to give me a good enough idea of what kind of place the story's set in.

[Brenda]

Yeah, we can distinguish between setting and milieu -- the big setting and the dolly-in smaller one. The setting is New York City, in the modern day, yes. I have no problem with that.
But if the milieu is the high-fashion industry and all the characters are walking down catwalks in five-inch stilettos whenever they are not in dressing rooms adjusting their eyeliner, I am not very interested.
A milieu on the upper East Side in the basement of St. Patrick's Cathedral, where the rector has just discovered a mysterious tomb down in the crypt with strange markings carved on the slab, now there you have me. He takes a selfie with it and posts it to the church's FB page, and hijinks ensue...

[Kathy]

Thanks to everyone for your contributions. It's been really interesting hearing all the different views so far. :)

[Aaron]

I find that in fantasy, setting can play a much larger role in giving the reader a reason to progress. In much more realistic contexts like historical fiction or contemporary romance, I find myself disregarding setting, or at least putting it behind the character's likability and the overall voice and tone of the author.