bishop2knight

I just finish reading my fifth or sixth biography, this time it was on Curly Lambeau, the man who all but created the Packers. I've noticed that no matter how interested I am in the man/woman I'm reading about, I always have a hard time finishing the book and it always seems to happen when I have about 15%-20% left to read.

Part of me sees this as a problem with the writing. Or it could be that once the character is done doing what he/she is known for, the story loses steam.

Is this something others experience? If so, why do you think it is?

bishop2knight

Does no one have a comment? Am I the only one to ever read a biography?

Blade

I've read a few, but never had a problem finishing them.

But outside of poor writing or lack of interesting subject matter, what other reason is there for having trouble finishing any book?

kcbrett5

I always have the same problem. I just finished one on Truman and the last 150 pages or so detail his life after he left office. He really didn't do anything remarkable in that time. Consequently, it took me like a week to finish those pages. It just wasnt very interesting anymore.

immortal_zeus

I don't recall ever reading a biography. A lot of the military non-fiction books I read, though, have biographical information but I wouldn't necessarily call those biographies or autobiographies. Or maybe they could be. Stuff like Bravo Two Zero and Immediate Action by Andy McNab, Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney, Delta Force by Charlie Beckwith, Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson, etc.

Nick Danger

The rise to power is exciting. The decline from power is sad. It's cool to read how someone came from nowhere to reach the top. Once he's there, it's all about keeping everyone else down. That's less fun. Eventually, someone else pulls him down, and from then on it's Where Are They Now material. That can be depressing.

In a larger sense, that's why fictional stories end when they do. The romance ends when the girl gets the guy, and doesn't go on to dirty diapers. The action story ends when the hero saves the day, and doesn't go on to his court martial for disobeying direct orders. The fairy tale ends when the boy becomes king, and doesn't go on to how his courtiers realize that the new king is a stupid (really stupid) woodcutter's son with a magic cat.

Would people rather read about the Sword in the Stone, or how Arthur got old, Lancelot and Guinevere betrayed him, and Morganna finally tore everything down again?

immortal_zeus

I love everything about the Arthurian legend so I'd read the whole thing.