Ten Things that Make a Thumbs-Up Novel

Today, I’ve decided on a very subjective  exploration about what makes me give a novel an unflinching thumbs up. This is not a blog that represents anyone’s taste but mine. Purely personal. I’m guessing there wouldn’t be another literary agent who would duplicate this list, but as a starting point for a discussion, here goes my top ten.

Atmosphere

I crave a novel with atmosphere. Whether it is a bog setting in seventh century Ireland, a dust-filled wagon train moving across the deserts, an Italian eatery in Calabria smelling of a rich ragu that has simmered all day, or the old gothic mustiness of a Victoria Holt mystery— I want to experience the novel through all five of my senses. When I open a book or a manuscript, I want to live there for the duration. A story gets a big thumbs up from me if I come to the end and am surprised at the real room in which I find myself.

Historical Setting

There are many contemporary novels I love, especially mysteries and suspense. I’ll confess though, I’m a sucker for an historical novel, especially one that is well-researched and plants me firmly in the culture and the era. Think Pillars of the Earth. I am a history buff anyway, but most of my serious historical research grew out of being tantalized by an historical novel. I have never understood the pull of writing fantasy when there are so many historical eras and people yet to explore.

Geographical

There are geographical settings that are always popular. I’d love to see some atmospheric southern fiction. Think back to The Secret Life Bees. Most of the “southern fiction” manuscripts I’ve looked at are not really what we think of as classic southern fiction. I’m currently reading and listening to client Ann Gabhart’s The Song of Sourwood Mountain, set high in the hills of eastern Kentucky. The Appalachian setting is so beautifully woven into the novel that I can almost smell the wildflowers and taste the cornbread. I’m reading slower than ever because I don’t want to leave Sourwood or the folk that live there. But there so many favorite geographical settings– the West, New Orleans, the hardy Scandinavians of Minnesota and the Dakotas. Great Britain is a favorite of mine, but there are so many more we’ve yet to explore.

Characters

We know that believable characters are a must in a novel, but I personally like my protagonist to be wise. I want to hear things come out of his or her mouth that make me want to grab a pen and write it down. Yes, they will make mistakes, but no anti-hero for me. An Atticus Finch character lives in our hearts long after we’ve closed the book.

And the villain can be bad, awful, terrible, and no good as long as he’s believable with at least the smallest hope of redemption. I can’t help it, I grew up on the “good girl books” of more than a century ago. I long for hope in a book. If you have a potential Oprah pick in you, that manuscript would not rate a thumbs up for me.

Intriguing details

I love to experience new things in a book. When the heroine has an interesting job or hobby, and we get to delve into it, it immediately ups the ante for me. Laura Frantz’s Dressmaker of Acadie did that for me recently. Plus it gave me a bit of history I had never explored. (Big fan of Laura’s books. I’ve read every one.) Fashion, art, beekeeping, homesteading, photography, even historic sponge diving– all have been featured in books that I’ve loved.

Dialogue

There’s a real art to dialogue. Just turning a few words or phrases around can give us a hint of the character’s age, setting, nationality, education, etc., but it must be subtle. Just a hint, not lining out the complete Brooklyn accent in dialogue. It’s one of the hardest things a novelist must conquer– how to make each character’s speech unique but not hitting the reader over the head with it..

A previously untold story

Editors and agents are constantly on the lookout for that new novel– one that is exquisitely written but opens up a newish genre or a different take on a well-loved genre. Writers must know what is already on the shelf, what is really working, but consider the next level or a new take on it. I know it makes writers crazy when all the help we can give them is “We’ll know it when we see it.”

A familiar story told in a new way

A huge thumbs up goes to a book that takes a new look at a beloved story. Think retold fairy stories. Or take Wide Saragossa Sea, for instance. It told the story of Jane Eyre from the haunting viewpoint of the madwoman in the attic.

Entertainment value

I’m not looking for a book that will make your MFA creative writing professor applaud. I prefer a book that engagingly tells a story, not one that focuses on experimental literary devices or fancy language. It’s not that I don’t love beautiful writing. Most of my clients write with voices that are distinct and polished. Some are positively lyrical, but none of them loses sight of the fact that for their readers are finding the eight or ten hours to read a novel in these frenetic times is a luxury. Films, television, social network–all are competitors for the entertainment dollar. To get a thumbs up, your novel must entertain your reader, not impress the literary world.

Kindness Factor

Okay, this is just me, but I long for kindness these days. When you have a few kind characters in your books, it goes a long way with me. When I read the first book in Julie Klassen’s On Devonshire Shores series, The Sisters of Sea View, I wrote to tell her that the kindness of one of her characters was the high point of the book for me. I’m guessing I’m not alone in that these days.

So what about you? You are all readers. What makes you give a book five stars or makes you recommend it to others?