I know some readers have a "50-page" rule (I think Maureen Corrigan, who reviews books for NPR's "Fresh Air" has this) -- if the book doesn't grab the attention by then, it's time to move on. But...I feel that once I start, I've made a commitment. So it's hard for me to just walk away. I think that there must be something wrong with me that I'm not "feeling it," or "getting it," or I'm not in the right frame of mind, so more often than not, if I do stop reading something halfway through, I try again later on.
That said, right now I am in the middle of a huge, disappointing, absolute BORE of a book, "The Girl at the Lion D'Or" by Sebastian Faulks. I had been impressed with two other books of his -- "Birdsong" and "Charlotte Gray" -- but this one is so plodding I wonder if it's from the same author. Luckily, it's only about 250 pages so it's no big deal. But still...it does try the patience. I keep hoping the plot picks up but given that I'm more than halfway through, even that is looking doubtful. If this were a standard size. 300+-page work, I would be giving serious thought to bailing, despite what I wrote above.
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