Is it possible to determine in a few minutes whether this or that work of attention is worthwhile, so that going to the bookstore becomes a pleasant experience, and purchased books are better than expected? Someone will say that this is impossible. And it will be wrong, because, like the rest, this can be learned.
How often does it happen that the selected book does not bring the expected satisfaction? It happens that you meet, it seems, a brilliant creation, huddled in dense rows of literary products exhibited on the shelves of a bookstore, which captures attention literally after a few lines, you should run a quick glance over them, and now you are standing at the checkout desk, looking forward to the moment when from an open book it smells of the characteristic freshness of a printed product. But here comes the long-awaited moment, the door opens to the next literary dimension, and its borders are not so endless, the colors are not so bright, and the lines leading along the winding paths of the magical world are turned by biting snakes, creeping before our eyes. After this, you feel cheated and for a long time do not dare to plunge into the beautiful world, calling from the pages of the next literary creation.
Fortunately, the complex structure of the literary community allows you to weed out most of the low-quality products from the shelves of bookstores. But, even so, the risk of stumbling upon a weak, ill-conceived work is quite high. Meanwhile, to avoid this trouble is very simple, you only need to know a few rules that the author himself is guided by when writing the book, unless they should be used for a different purpose. But since not everyone has time to understand all the intricacies of literary art, support is needed, advice, because this is the only way to make the world of books better, and besides, this is the only way for the reader to learn how to navigate the countless universes languishing behind the covers of books.
You can often see how someone, hiding from the outside world between the rows, laden with the works of young authors and recognized classics, flips through a book, thoughtfully, but fluently studying its contents, skipping over entire chapters, looking for the very magic that should appeal to pages to his feelings and give birth to a thirst for adventure in the heart. And this is the first mistake. The most obvious reason not to do so is that you can inadvertently open up an important plot detail that will sink into your memory and will further ruin the impression of reading. But how then to understand whether it is worth spending time on the selected book? And the answer is simple and logical, but sometimes hidden from the insatiable look of the book lover, swallowing one story after another and always eager for new adventures, alluring from the pages of the next bestseller. In addition to a brief annotation, usually located on the cover, which is designed to bring the reader up to date, to describe what journey the author is going to send him, much about the book is easy to understand, strangely enough, on the first pages, much more than you can imagine.
First of all, the beginning of any work can be considered a greeting, which begins the reader’s acquaintance with the author and the world he created. It is on this, on the very first lines, that one needs to pay attention to find out what to expect from the selected work. A lot can be learned about a person only by the way he impresses at the first meeting. And with the book everything is exactly the same. If the acquaintance begins slowly and leisurely, gradually dragging it out, enthralling the reader, then most likely the narrative will continue to take a measured step, the action will develop gradually, and by the end of the work it can so gain the reader’s thoughts that he impatiently loses sleep and swallows each word, wanting only to find out what will happen next. If, from the first words of the reader, they are as if thrown into a portal that takes him beyond the boundaries of the visible universe, into a world that has not yet had time to open before him, if the action begins so violently that it does not allow a break, then it is reasonable to assume that the author will continue to be play with the feelings of a guest drowning in a sea of words on the pages of his book. From such a work it is worth waiting for vivid emotions, preparing for adventure, for struggle and great feats, for meeting with heroes and villains. And the narrative will go in leaps, then building up the pace, heating up the atmosphere, and then, giving a little time to catch your breath.
Of course, there are exceptions, but, as you know, those only confirm the rule. And do not forget that the presentation, style and beauty of the syllable by which the author welcomes the reader on the front pages is no less important. Perhaps this is worth special attention. It's no secret that the very first lines should be captivating, few people will want to continue communication after a vulgar joke from the lips of a stranger, which can make you laugh and allow you to relax, but is hardly suitable for dating. Bold, ambiguous tricks, rather a sign of a young, inexperienced author. The master will not rush, but rather make the guest think that he wandered into his world of his own free will, and not following the prompts left between the lines, because the spirit of adventure is not born on the way along the asphalt highway.
And, of course, you need to pay special attention to the language, because it is he who serves as a guide in the infinite universes of the book worlds. It happens that the author already on the first pages allows himself to express himself confusedly, ornately, and uses complex semantic constructions, proving to the reader his consistency. And it happens, you open a book, read the first word and already catch yourself on the fact that you turn the page, beginning to be interested in the fate of still unfamiliar characters. Whoever says anything, but the literary genius will not be able to pick up such words so that for their simplicity it would be impossible to discern a magnificent structure, an independent world that the author painstakingly created, worked on, so that anyone could plunge into it with his head, barely starting to read? It is more likely that one who has mastered prose to perfection will not allow one to escape for an instant from thoughts about the book, only the reader’s gaze will be hooked on the first line of his creation.
Naturally, literature is an ambiguous thing. But you can learn to recognize a competent author already on the first pages of his work. We all know more or less what to expect from a person when we see him for the first time, but not many are able to do this trick with a book, and therefore more often come across unremarkable works that can sometimes discourage the desire to read for a long time. And you can learn to choose books so that each acquired work will be a pleasure, with the rarest exception.
Oddly enough, but literary wealth depends almost entirely on the reader, which is why it is important that he knows how to find and recognize a good book. And the author reaches out to introduce himself when the first words penetrate the minds of book lovers across the planet. You should be able to accept this handshake and listen, because otherwise the author cannot get to know the reader, because on the first page you can always see a vague image that reaches out, modestly hoping that someone will respond to his greeting.
