What did Cynthia facing constant danger do for the book?

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Ferdinand_Otieno
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Re: What did Cynthia facing constant danger do for the book?

Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Nisha Ward wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 13:52
Lucas Kalinic wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 11:41 Cynthia facing constant danger was a big boost for suspense in the novel. Yes, she made certain wrong moves and I was always inquisitive on learning what was going to next happen to her.
Did it though? I mean, it was kind of predictable for a while there.
She would get in trouble then somehow survive it.....then get into trouble again....
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Brendan Donaghy wrote: 23 Jun 2019, 06:25
jessinikkip wrote: 21 Jun 2019, 00:54 Any good book is a series of ups and downs. The characters need to face danger and then enjoy a calm before facing danger again. A character who always faces danger, to me, is a poorly written character.
I agree. Apart from anything else, it becomes monotonous after a while. Empathy fatigue sets in!
Keeping the reader constantly reading tense situations which are easily avoidable made me question the character development and specific character profile of Cynthia.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 23:06
Nisha Ward wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 13:52
Lucas Kalinic wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 11:41 Cynthia facing constant danger was a big boost for suspense in the novel. Yes, she made certain wrong moves and I was always inquisitive on learning what was going to next happen to her.
Did it though? I mean, it was kind of predictable for a while there.
She would get in trouble then somehow survive it.....then get into trouble again....
Over and over and over again.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Nisha Ward wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 02:48
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 23:06
Nisha Ward wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 13:52

Did it though? I mean, it was kind of predictable for a while there.
She would get in trouble then somehow survive it.....then get into trouble again....
Over and over and over again.
At some point the author should have gone to some other boring character to build suspense,....like Dan.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 09:39
Nisha Ward wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 02:48
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 23:06

She would get in trouble then somehow survive it.....then get into trouble again....
Over and over and over again.
At some point the author should have gone to some other boring character to build suspense,....like Dan.
Or put more effort into the warfare part of the book.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Nisha Ward wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 13:04
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 09:39
Nisha Ward wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 02:48

Over and over and over again.
At some point the author should have gone to some other boring character to build suspense,....like Dan.
Or put more effort into the warfare part of the book.
That's an excellent idea.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Lucas Kalinic wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 11:41 Cynthia facing constant danger was a big boost for suspense in the novel. Yes, she made certain wrong moves and I was always inquisitive on learning what was going to next happen to her.
But at some point monotony should have set in. She continuously landed in precarious situations, then survived them only to start the cycle again. Empathy fatigue should have already set in for all readers.
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Post by mmm17 »

That is a good point! She was in constant danger, wasn't she? I'm not sure what that did for me. Cynthia wasn't a well-developed character, in my opinion. I felt that the fact of being constantly in danger did not do her character any favours.
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Post by Fatima_Palacios »

Nisha Ward wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 13:52
Lucas Kalinic wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 11:41 Cynthia facing constant danger was a big boost for suspense in the novel. Yes, she made certain wrong moves and I was always inquisitive on learning what was going to next happen to her.
Did it though? I mean, it was kind of predictable for a while there.
agree it was not forgettable but predictable
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Post by Agnes Masobeng »

I want to believe that the author was trying to think out of the box. Or maybe charatirises Cynthia as an imperfect protagonist with "too visible" flaws. Anyways the portrayal of Cynthia as a protagonist was too irresponsible and vulnerable for most of us.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

mmm17 wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 10:12 That is a good point! She was in constant danger, wasn't she? I'm not sure what that did for me. Cynthia wasn't a well-developed character, in my opinion. I felt that the fact of being constantly in danger did not do her character any favours.
Yes, she wasn't a well-developed character and this became more and more evident in the course of the book when she ignores or forgets her self-defense skills and credentials.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 06:37
Lucas Kalinic wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 11:41 Cynthia facing constant danger was a big boost for suspense in the novel. Yes, she made certain wrong moves and I was always inquisitive on learning what was going to next happen to her.
But at some point monotony should have set in. She continuously landed in precarious situations, then survived them only to start the cycle again. Empathy fatigue should have already set in for all readers.
It really should have, particularly since she didn't actually learn from those mistakes. She just kept doing the same thing over and over again.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

Agnes098 wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 12:53 I want to believe that the author was trying to think out of the box. Or maybe charatirises Cynthia as an imperfect protagonist with "too visible" flaws. Anyways the portrayal of Cynthia as a protagonist was too irresponsible and vulnerable for most of us.
I wish it were just a case of that, but I don't think she was being portrayed as imperfect. We're supposed to believe that she's badass with a side of vulnerability but the first part never actually comes through in the narrative.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Nisha Ward wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 16:53
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 06:37
Lucas Kalinic wrote: 26 Jun 2019, 11:41 Cynthia facing constant danger was a big boost for suspense in the novel. Yes, she made certain wrong moves and I was always inquisitive on learning what was going to next happen to her.
But at some point monotony should have set in. She continuously landed in precarious situations, then survived them only to start the cycle again. Empathy fatigue should have already set in for all readers.
It really should have, particularly since she didn't actually learn from those mistakes. She just kept doing the same thing over and over again.
Despite her so called credentials and experience.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Nisha Ward wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 16:54
Agnes098 wrote: 28 Jun 2019, 12:53 I want to believe that the author was trying to think out of the box. Or maybe charatirises Cynthia as an imperfect protagonist with "too visible" flaws. Anyways the portrayal of Cynthia as a protagonist was too irresponsible and vulnerable for most of us.
I wish it were just a case of that, but I don't think she was being portrayed as imperfect. We're supposed to believe that she's badass with a side of vulnerability but the first part never actually comes through in the narrative.
Yes, her badassery is severly lacking in this book.
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