A good beginning is obviously vital in any book, as it can grab your attention, draw the reader in and encourage them to keep on reading. However, some books just start really slowly, or can seem uninteresting and prove a real challenge to continue. Is it worth continuing? Sometimes it can be difficult to tell, and usually I want to perservere, because I am generally optimistic about books.
One notable series I found very difficult to get into was His Dark Materials. Looking back, I can't really understand it, but the start of the Northern Lights took me forever to read. I wasn't interested and would have happily stopped right there if my family hadn't assured me they were brilliant. I'm so glad they did, as they're are now some of my favourite books, with wodnerful characters and epic storytelling.
Sometimes, books that are difficult to get into are that way for a reason. They're just plain bad. A recent example of this was the Wasp Factory, which I had heard was really good, and by a great author whose work I hadn't yet tried. So I started reading. The book had a horrible subject matter, disturbing in a way which wasn't even profound, wasn't used for some different level of understanding, just nastiness. None of the characters were likeable, or even ones you could connect to in any way. I kept reading, holding out hope that it would improve. It didn't. I read almost the entire book before I gave up, finally admitting that it was just not a book I would enjoy in any capacity.
All books should be given a chance, just don't let that chance drag on to long and leave you struggling through a story you hate.
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