I’m ready to beg. My reading history is sprinkled lightly with first-person stories (Mary Stewart was a favorite) and ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (which I read after seeing the movie) but lately I have to look at ten books before I can find one written in third person. And I prefer omniscient.
I love the opportunity to read a short sample because many storylines (blurbs) catch my attention. But I always read the first page now before adding the book to my lists or diving in: just enough to confirm that the writing isn’t first person, because I can’t read it, and in my opinion, many writers don’t write it well. Or, not well enough for me to read.
Unfortunately, I “hear” screaming narcissism in first person and I can’t take it. And poorly written first person does not succeed in bringing me into the world enough before making me, the reader, the active character. I am not the character and I don’t want to BE the character, nor do I want to read her diary. I want to read about the character’s journey and I want an omniscient view of the scenario, not a limited first-person view. Not even if the writer swaps POV, because now I’m TWO people? I don’t think so. Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar cured me of ever wanting that.
I found a great trilogy recently that I’ve read at least twice and I’m pretty sure I’ll read it again: The Boonsboro Trilogy. The writer tingles all my delights: rough and realistic characters (and dialog) doing real world contemporary jobs, who have relatable problems and (slightly more intimate detail than I like) relationship issues. Oh, give me more!