Customer Reviews

Getting Hooked: Fiction's Opening Sentences 1950S-1990s

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

GETTING HOOKED is everything that I expected it to be - almost. I award it 5 stars, so my reservations are not serious ones; nonetheless, my review does consist solely of gripes, hoping that Sharon Rendell-Smock will be inspired to improve this otherwise excellent volume in subsequent editions.

First, by her own admission, she chose entries from "both obscure and popular authors, from best-sellers, genre recommended reading, and Hugo, Nebula, Edgar, and Pulitzer winners." And: "A few famous novels open with mediocre sentences." Great, so she chose sometimes obscure books with great opening sentences over popular books with mediocre opening sentences, but couldn't she have included both and let the reader compare? Further, I would have liked it if she had identified the best-sellers and the award winners.

Wow. Two minor complaints, and the book still rates 5 stars. My advice, especially to the aspiring author who wishes to see how the professionals hook their readers, is to buy this book immediately, read it cover to cover, and then get back to writing!

Loved it. Challenged my memory.

I was especially pleased when I read a line that I recognized. I thought I might be the only one to have read and remembered Pohl Anderson's Brain Wave. Not so.

I found it quite informative. I enjoyed the sections on pseudonyms and pen names too. I knew a few and guessed a few but most were a surprise.

Grand mental entertainment.

Ms Smock has captured the very essence of the skills demonstrated by leading authors in every field of fiction.

To writers, academes and students this work illustrates the skills of trained writers who craft the wealth of the English language and its succinct phraseology into simple introductory sentences; sentences which can capture the imagination and interest of the reader. Skills which artfully convince him to irresistably devour the next several hundred pages of their books.

A masterpiece of dialogue, and an excellent teaching tool. The School Boards that chose to include this work in their curriculum are, indeed, to be applauded.

Well done, Sharon Rendell-Smock, on this, your second skillfully crafted creation. We look forward to more works of similar genre.

Small but mighty, this little book of less than 100 pages is guaranteed to have readers looking at opening sentences with a new appreciation and judging them against a standard set by four decades of successful writing. Rendell-Smock has given us a "have fun book" with substance, a book to learn from.

Aspiring writers owe it to themselves to examine the offerings presented and learn how to write a one-sentence hook, all by example and without preaching. With the information organized first by decade and then by genre, the readers can easily thumb through the material, take a leisurely stroll down memory lane or try some challenging games/quizzes. Hopefully, we will one day soon see a companion piece by Sharon Rendell-Smock involving closing lines to some of the best work of the last half of the twentieth century.

Mary D. Pinto
Romance Communications

Wouldn't you like to know how professional writers - the famous and the infamous - have grabbed their editors' attention? How they've proved their book is worth publishing, right from the start? Take a look at Sharon Rendell-Smock's Getting Hooked - Fiction's Opening Sentences from the 1950's-1990's.

A valuable and hugely entertaining book, so full of fun that its ninety glorious pages are bursting at the seams. Pick it up, open it at random and begin reading - it's almost impossible to put down again. How many books can you say that about? It does exactly what its title suggests - it gets you hooked. A gem of a find for writers - a gem of a read for everyone.

I'm left with only one question - how did the author manage to pack so much in? Informative, compelling and addictive, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. Megabytes of material for minimal bucks.

I've never really seen anything like this book. What seems onthe surface as a sort of "one-shot" idea (listing theopening sentences of famous and not-so-famous books from the '50's to the '90's) turns out to have surprising depth and diversity. Use it as a trivia tool, a writer's guide for good and bad openings, or just to peruse for pleasure. Reading some of the opening sentences she lists wanted to make me run back and read some of the classics I hadn't picked up in years. . .or missed the first time around! I found this book because, believe it or not, Rendell-Smock writes a weekly Health column at the Sideroad. which only goes to shows her range as a researcher and a writer. Given that her other book, "Living With Big Cats" is on yet another totally unrelated subject, I'm VERY interested to see what project she'll tackle next! This a great birthday or Christmas gift for either a writer, or a reader. . .especially if you DON'T KNOW what they have or haven't read.

GETTING HOOKED: FICTION'S OPENING SENTENCES 1950s-1990s
Edited by Sharon Rendell-Smock
Now for something completely different. Editor Sharon Rendell-Smock provides the opening line from some of the major novels of the past four decades. It is the first sentence that typically sets the tone for the rest of the book. Readers browsing in book stores are hooked (or turned off) by that opening act.
GETTING HOOKED: FICTION'S OPENING SENTENCES 1950s-1990s is broken into the five post-World War II decades. Within each decade is a brief outline of key events, entertainment highlights, major films, important cultural figures, and notable other events and people. This helps the reader understand the historical background to the fiction of that decade. Following the historiography, the opening gamut of fifty years of fiction are divided in to several genres: mystery, science fiction, mainstream, banned, western, and romance. There are also many sidebars, trivia questions, and a trivia game.
Though not everyone's reading material, this is a fun book that reminds readers of some of the best stuff written in the second half of the twentieth century. The compilation is done in an entertaining yet educational way, turning into a pleasing reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
harrietklausner@paintedrock.com

Getting Hooked is an apt title for this book of "first lines" of well-known books written between the 1950's and now. In the category of "Why didn't someone think of this before," it is a very laudable effort at organizing famous books in various categories, and is bound to either rekindle the idea of re-reading your favorites from the past, or prompt you to read for the first time a book you are likely to enjoy because the first lines grab you--the yardstick by which most readers decide to read in the first place! For her effort Ms. Rendell- Smock deserves credit, and readers will surely benefit.

"GETTING HOOKED takes the reader on a journey through 50 years of popular fiction in this interesting collection of trivia and opening lines. A joy to read!" --Bookbug on the Web

Oh, this is a FUN book! I love hooks, and this book has some of the best, along with famous quotes, games, trends, and other information. Shara Rendell-Smock, the editor, has done a fantastic job of compiling the best hooks from the past 40 years. This is the perfect book to have at your writers meetings if you do any game playing, too, because there are trivia quizzes throughout. Shara Rendell-Smock takes us on a memorable tour from 1950 through the 1990's as she introduces some of the best opening lines of all time. Some were shocking, some were stunning, and some I've never seen before in my life...but they all are good. Each hook brings with it a sign of the times, indication of the genre and/or time period it was written in, and for some of us, vivid, pleasant memories. The editor has compiled the hooks by year and by genre, making it easy to locate a certain time period or favorite type of writing. Overall, the book is entertaining and the epitome of the perfect gift for any writer, as well as a must have for trivia fun at writer's meetings or conferences. Michele Johnson Owner, Critique Partner Connections