These questions work well for any novel—use them for memoirs, biographies and histories as well.
- 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?
- Do you find the characters convincing? Are they believable? Compelling? Are they fully developed as complex, emotional human beings?
- Which characters do you admire or dislike? What are their primary characteristics?
- What motivates a given character's actions? Do you think these actions are justified or ethical?
- Do any characters grow or change during the course of the novel? If so, in what way?
- Who in this book would you most like to meet? What would you ask or say?
- If you could insert yourself as a character in the book, what role would you play?
- Is the plot well-developed? Is it believable? Do you feel manipulated along the way, or do events unfold naturally?
- Is the story plot- or character-driven? In other words, does the plot unfold quickly or focus more on characters' inner lives?
- 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?
- If you could rewrite the ending, would you? In other words, was the ending satisfying?
- 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?
- Does the book remind you of someone - a friend, family member, co-worker, boss - or something - an event, problem - in your own life?
- If you were to talk to the author, what would you want to know?
- 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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