Is it possible to determine in a few minutes whether a particular work is worth attention, so that a trip to the bookstore becomes a pleasant experience, and the 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 chosen book does not bring the expected satisfaction? It happens that you see, it seems, an ingenious creation, crowded into dense rows of literary products displayed on the shelves of a bookstore, which grabs attention literally after a few lines, you should take a quick glance at them, and now you stand at the checkout, impatiently waiting for the moment when from an open book smells of the characteristic freshness of a printed product. But then the long-awaited moment comes, the door to another literary dimension is thrown open, 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 turn into biting snakes spreading before our eyes. After this, you feel deceived and for a long time do not dare to plunge into the wonderful world again, calling from the pages of another literary creation.
Fortunately, the complexity of the literary community allows us 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 just need to know a few rules by which the author himself is guided when writing a book, unless they should be applied for a different purpose. But since not everyone has time to understand all the intricacies of literary art, support, advice is needed, 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 book covers.
It is often possible to see how someone, hiding from the outside world between the rows lined with works of young authors and recognized classics, flips through the book, thoughtfully but fluently studying its contents, jumping over whole chapters, looking for the very magic that should call out from pages to his feelings and give birth to a thirst for adventure in his heart. And this is the first mistake. The most obvious reason not to do this is because you might inadvertently discover an important plot detail that will sink into memory and further spoil the reading experience. But then how do you know if it is worth wasting time on the book of your choice? And the answer is simple and logical, but sometimes hidden from the insatiable gaze of the book lover, swallowing one story after another and always thirsting for new adventures, beckoning 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 outline what kind of journey the author is going to take, a lot about the book is easy to understand, oddly enough, from the first pages, much more than you might imagine.
First of all, the beginning of any work can be considered a greeting, from which the reader's acquaintance with the author and the world created by him begins. It is on this, on the very first lines, that you need to focus attention in order to find out what to expect from the chosen work. Much can be learned about a person only by the impression he makes upon first meeting. And with the book everything is exactly the same. If the acquaintance begins slowly and unhurriedly, gradually dragging on, captivating the reader, then, most likely, the narration will continue to proceed in a measured step, the action will develop gradually, and by the end of the work it can so conquer the thoughts of the reader that he will impatiently, losing sleep, will swallow every word, wanting only to know what will happen next. If, from the first words of the reader, it is as if they are thrown into a portal that takes him outside the visible universe, into a world that has not yet had time to open up in front of him, if the action begins so violently that it does not let him breathe, then it is reasonable to assume that the author will continue play with the feelings of a guest drowning in the sea of words on the pages of his book. One should expect bright emotions from such a work, prepare for adventure, for struggle and great deeds, for meeting heroes and villains. And the narration will go in jumps, then increasing the pace, heating the atmosphere, and then giving a little time to catch your breath.
There are, of course, exceptions, but, as you know, those only confirm the rule. And do not forget that no less important is the presentation, style and beauty of the syllable with which the author greets the reader on the first pages. Perhaps this is worth special attention. It's not a secret for anyone that the very first lines should captivate, few people will want to continue communication after a vulgar joke from a stranger, which can both make you laugh and allow you to relax, but is hardly suitable for dating. Bold, ambiguous techniques are more likely 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 clues 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 to the endless universes of the book worlds. It happens that the author already on the first pages allows himself to express himself confused, florid, uses complex semantic constructions, thus proving his worth to the reader. And sometimes, you open a book, read the first word and already catch yourself turning the page, starting to be interested in the fate of still unfamiliar characters. Whoever says anything, but the genius of literature will not be able to find such words so that behind their simplicity it would be impossible not to discern a majestic structure, an independent world that the author painstakingly created, on which he worked, so that anyone could plunge into it headlong, barely starting to read? It is more likely that one who has mastered prose to perfection will not allow for a moment to be distracted from thoughts about the book, as soon as the reader's gaze catches 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 are more often faced with unremarkable works that can sometimes discourage the desire to read for a long time. And you can learn to choose books in such a way that each acquired work will bring pleasure, with the most rare exceptions.
Oddly enough, but literary wealth depends almost entirely on the reader, which is why it is important that he be able to find and recognize a good book. And the author reaches out to introduce himself as the first words hit 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 in any way, because on the first page you can always see a vague image that stretches out his hand, modestly hoping that someone will answer his greeting.
