Generic questions for novels
These questions work well for any novel—use them for memoirs, biographies, and histories, as well.
1. Overall—how did you experience the book while
reading it? Were you immediately drawn into the
story—or did it take a while? Did the book intrigue,
amuse, disturb, alienate, or irritate, you?
2. Do you find the characters convincing? Are they
believable? Compelling? Are they fully developed
as complex, emotional human beings?
3. Which characters do you admire or dislike? What are their primary characteristics?
4. What motivates a given character’s actions? Do
you think those actions are justified or ethical?
5. Do any characters grow or change during the
course of the novel? If so, in what way?
6. Who in this book would you most like to meet?
What would you ask—or say?
7. If you could insert yourself as character in
the book, what role would you play?
8. Is the plot well-developed? Is it believable? Do
you feel manipulated along the way, or do events
unfold naturally?
9. Is the story plot or character driven? In other
words, does the plot unfold quickly or focus more
on characters' inner lives?
10. Consider the ending. Did you expect it or
were you surprised? Was it forced? Was it neatly wrapped up—too neatly? Or was it unresolved,
ending on an ambiguous note?
11. If you could rewrite the ending, would you? In
other words, was the ending satisfying?
12. Can you pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound or interesting—or perhaps
something that sums up the central dilemma of
the book?
13. Does the book remind you of someone—a
friend, family member, co-worker, boss—or something—an event, problem—in your own life?
14. If you were to talk to the author, what would
you want to know? (Many authors enjoy talking
with book clubs. Contact the publisher
to see if
you can set up a phone chat.)
15. Have you read the author’s other books? Can
you discern a similarity—in theme, writing style,
structure—between them? Or are they completely
different?
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