# Have you ever put a book down because of the name of one of the characters?



## Chris Redding Author (Aug 14, 2010)

I haven't, but I wondered if anyone else has.
cmr


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

One person stopped reading my novel Firefly Island because of a character named Aeolia; they just couldn't pronounce it, so they stopped reading.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Not after I have started reading it, but If I see a name that sounds stupid in the description, I won't read it. I notice this happens particularly often with police and FBI/CIA characters.


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## JoshLudeker (Sep 6, 2010)

Wow, I have to say that's pretty harsh if someone actually does this. I don't believe it would be terribly difficult to replace that name with a similar one in your own mind, just to get past it. But, putting it completely down because of one simple name? I wouldn't.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

That's one of the upsides in e-books that are DRM free. Just put the book into an editor (Sigil, a free ePub editor, is the one that I use). Click on "Replace", type the name you want it to look for, the name that you want to use instead, click "replace all". The only thing that you have to worry about are the name variations (it might be more complicated with the newer versions of Sigil as the books are broken into chapters, whereas the version I use loads the entire book, I never tried it long enough before going back to the old version).

I did this once just for the heck of it, I didn't keep the changes though, but if a name truly bothered me I could easily change the name.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'm pretty sure I've never stopped reading a book just because of a character's name. However, poor naming has probably been a contributing factor among several other factors that have lead me to not like, and possibly not finish, a book.

I think some authors overlook how important names can be, both for subtle hints to the character's make-up (not obvious plays on words, please!). More importantly, good naming helps the reader keep track of who is who. Two characters with similar names can be confusing, and characters with weird names (hey, you, fantasy and sci-fi writers!) can also be confusing or jarring, yanking the reader out of that state of willing suspension of disbelief.


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

No.  Sometimes I've been unable to pronounce a name so I just made up my own version of it; I suspect that's not all that unusual though.


Dawn


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I gotta say, I can't ever imagine doing this.  The name is a choice by the author, I'm going to go with it.  

Betsy


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## Travis haselton (Jul 24, 2010)

I have always been able to overlook wierd names and think of as "That guy" or "that chick"


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Dawn McCullough White said:


> No. Sometimes I've been unable to pronounce a name so I just made up my own version of it; I suspect that's not all that unusual though.
> 
> Dawn


Same here - I just try to pronounce it phonetically and think "good enough". Sometimes, if I really want to know how it's pronounced though (assuming it's a real name and not made up) I will look it up on www.behindthename.com which usually provides a pronunciation.

I can't imagine not reading a book because I don't like the name of a character - I don't refuse to get to know someone if I don't like their name so why should I do the same with a character in a book? I thought "Leeloo" was a dumb name but I still love The Fifth Element.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Contrived names have kept me from reading a book, or rather, poor name choices along with a jaded, hackneyed plot exerpt serve to warn me off books.

For (a made up) example: Hammer McSteel used to be a cop. When he found out his partner was dirty, he tried to turn him in but got sent to jail. Now he is out and wants revenge. His ex-partner, Slimey McGillicutty, is now the chief DA, so that might be a problem. As if that wasn't enough, Hammer's ex-wife, Tushy Bottom, works for Slimey as well. But Hammer is ready to start driving in nails of justice!

Goofy sci-fi and fantasy names are a recurring issue, especially when there are lots of apostrophes, capital letters, and odd phoenetic spellings. Like an alien cat race called the Gww'RawpuRRs or something.


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## CDChristian (Jun 4, 2010)

jason10mm said:


> Contrived names have kept me from reading a book, or rather, poor name choices along with a jaded, hackneyed plot exerpt serve to warn me off books.
> 
> For (a made up) example: Hammer McSteel used to be a cop. When he found out his partner was dirty, he tried to turn him in but got sent to jail. Now he is out and wants revenge. His ex-partner, Slimey McGillicutty, is now the chief DA, so that might be a problem. As if that wasn't enough, Hammer's ex-wife, Tushy Bottom, works for Slimey as well. But Hammer is ready to start driving in nails of justice!
> 
> Goofy sci-fi and fantasy names are a recurring issue, especially when there are lots of apostrophes, capital letters, and odd phoenetic spellings. Like an alien cat race called the Gww'RawpuRRs or something.


I really don't have too much to add to this except I love the Hammer McSteel summary you got going here. I actually laughed on this one.

Also, I wouldn't be done with a book because of a name. If it bothered me that much, I would just take reader license and dub the character something else I liked better.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

I haven't actually put a book down because of it, but I have chosen not to buy the book in the first place because of it. Fantasy authors are particularly guilty of making up unpronounceable names (Gww'RawpuRRs is a perfect example LOL) and as soon as I read the blurb, I immediately stop even considering the book. I know that if I try to read it, those names will drive me insane and I'll never get through the book.


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## Emmalita (Feb 24, 2009)

I haven't ever put a book down because of the names of characters, but John Grisham's character names do drive me crazy.  I don't know why, but they seem so contrived to me that it takes me right out of the book.


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## Barbiedull (Jul 13, 2010)

Dawn McCullough White said:


> No. Sometimes I've been unable to pronounce a name so I just made up my own version of it; I suspect that's not all that unusual though.
> 
> Dawn


That works for me too.

I've never stopped reading because of a character name.


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## Concrete Queen (Oct 19, 2009)

I came pretty darn close when "Renesmee" came up in Breaking Dawn.  Really?  Renesmee??  It sounds like something a 12-year-old girl would come up with.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I've put books back on the shelf because of stupid character names. I remember reading the back of a Tabitha King book and found out the MC's name was Kissy. Kissy? No thanks. Back on the Waldenbooks shelf you go. I wouldn't be able to take the character seriously with a name like Kissy.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

worktolive said:


> I haven't actually put a book down because of it, but I have chosen not to buy the book in the first place because of it. Fantasy authors are particularly guilty of making up unpronounceable names (Gww'RawpuRRs is a perfect example LOL) and as soon as I read the blurb, I immediately stop even considering the book. I know that if I try to read it, those names will drive me insane and I'll never get through the book.


I do this exact thing. I read that blurb and then skim through other parts of the book. If I can't pronounce the names - I pass on the purchase. Exceptions would be when I'm reading a series and in book seven the author adds a character with an odd name. I'll keep going and just make something up.

I'm also slightly dyslexic so if two character names are similar, I may also not buy the book. For example in the Twilight series (sorry, feel free to groan) we have Charlie and Carlisle. This may not seem like an issue but trust me, my brain does some amazing tricks with these names. I kept reading but ... it took me out of the story often. I don't think authors should leave anything in that pulls a reader away from the story. Just my opinion.

Jenna


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

I really have no right giving my opinion on character names. In my story I have: Jeremy, Tracy, Cody, Maggie

Where's Buffy and Trixie?


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## CNDudley (May 14, 2010)

I find it really handy if the author chooses an unusual name and helps us pronounce it, like in Ron Hansen's _Mariette in Ecstasy_ (Marr-yet), or how NOT to pronounce it, like when Viktor Krum calls Hermione "Hermy oh ninny."

As for names like McSteel, Dickens picks a lot of heavy-handed ones like Wackford Squeers and Bradley Headstone. I kind of like them.


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## Guest (Sep 7, 2010)

Trite names turn me off on the story.  But poor name choices are generally a sign of a larger problem with the author's work.  They aren't the root problem themselves, but more like a warning to the reader.

Of course, we all bring our own baggage to the book as well.  I've never been able to take any character named Tonya seriously.  It always invokes strippers and trailer park trash in my head, but that's because the Tonyas I've known have been either strippers or trailer park trash. (No offense to any Tonyas on the board!).


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 7, 2010)

I had a publisher reject a novel, and second in the list of reasons was that they did not like some of the character's names. They understood the reasoning behind them, but just didn't care for them in the story.
They cited the name of a mercenary in my story called Road Toad.

My novel eventually found a publisher, but editors are readers too and, nevertheless, I found it interesting.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Absolutely, I've put down a book because of the character's name. I read for entertainment and pleasure, and I don't want to have to work to pronounce the hero's name. There are plenty of other good books out there with pronounceable names. If it's a minor character (like Renesmee), I'll make something up in my head to replace it with. But it definitely influences my decision on whether or not to read a book.


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

Jack Kirby, known as the King of Comics (comic books), began writing his own comics in the early 1970's through the early 1990's.  he became enamored of cutesy names ("Granny Goodness" was a typical one).  Reading them was to cringe- from a true master of comics yet.  I gave them up and never looked back.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I've never quit reading a book because of a name but unpronounceable names do drive me crazy . SciFi/Fantasy is definitely the worst. And I just don't understand it. Obviously, the author knows how to pronounce the name, so how about letting the reader in on the secret? I would not be offended by a page at the beginning titled "On the Pronunciation of Names". While I will try to make up my own pronunciation and go with it, it's a jarring sort of thing and takes me out of the story a little bit every time I see the name. Wow, this is irritating me just writing this! Authors: Stop being so clever! You're


Spoiler



p***ing


 us off! 

Okay, I went and pet the dogs and I'm feeling much better now.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Yep. Unpronouncable names are a real experience killer, and it's something every fantasy author has to take into account. Names are one of the things that lend ambience to our worlds, and they need to be chosen carefully...even the names of the supporting charactors for they are the background against which the protagonist acts. So it always pays to remember we are defining our world in the eye of the reader with the names we choose. S'nnnkwgrrl sounds like a great name for some cthonic god, but it stinks for a hero.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Dawn McCullough White said:


> No. Sometimes I've been unable to pronounce a name so I just made up my own version of it; I suspect that's not all that unusual though.
> 
> Dawn


That's what I've taught my students to do in order to keep them from getting hung up on a name.

Personally, I can't imagine not reading a book because of a character's name. In fact, it had never occurred to me that someone might do that until I saw this thread.


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

No, but if ever a book came close it was Breaking Dawn with the name "Renesmee".  WTF?  Horrible, horrible name.


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

concrete_queen said:


> I came pretty darn close when "Renesmee" came up in Breaking Dawn. Really? Renesmee?? It sounds like something a 12-year-old girl would come up with.


Omigod, girl!! I hadn't seen your reply when I posted mine and we almost quoted each other. Jinx!

Edit to add: On the subject of Renesmee (as a name), I seriously stopped reading for about 5 minutes as I shook my head over the name and tried to wrap my brain around it. First time that's ever happened, but it was just SUCH a horrid name that it seriously knocked me right out of the book.



jason10mm said:


> Goofy sci-fi and fantasy names are a recurring issue, especially when there are lots of apostrophes, capital letters, and odd phoenetic spellings. Like an alien cat race called the Gww'RawpuRRs or something.


Ooooh. This is actually relevant for something I'm working on. I have a character who is a... imp, for lack of a better term. I wanted his name to be something tongue-twistingly appalling (like your example) but aside from just mentioning his name once (or maybe twice if someone is addressing him formally) he'll go by... G'raw (to use your example). Would that still turn you off, or would that be a good compromise?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I really think the names are one reason I don't like to read sci-fi or fantasy. Let's see, it usually goes like this - J'aal is the son of J'a-el, who was the brother of Sim'el. Sim'el married Jan'aei, who had an affair with J'a-el but thought it was his evil twin Sam'el, who no one else knows exists. All this takes place on the planet Kar'elis, where the species is Ka-arelian. The enemies are the Jr'allaneen fighters. Not to be confused with J'aal, who is a Ka-arelian fighter, and is really the son of Sim'el. I understand the need for it. I just can't handle it. It's like the worst genealogy from hell. I'd rather have a father named John, who names his son John Thomas, who names his son John, who names his son.... you get the picture.


There's really no need for it most of the time, IMHO. If the author were writing the entire book in the imaginary language which contained some names, sure; but since s/he is writing it in English (if I'm reading it), s/he might as well "translate" them into something either reasonably intelligible, or else the English translation (e.g., similar to how we generally read about "Sitting Bull" instead of "Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake").


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

askenase13 said:


> Jack Kirby, known as the King of Comics (comic books), began writing his own comics in the early 1970's through the early 1990's. he became enamored of cutesy names ("Granny Goodness" was a typical one). Reading them was to cringe- from a true master of comics yet. I gave them up and never looked back.


GG is annoying and, frankly, the character unnerves me, but you might try some Kirby again. I think, in many ways, The New Gods is even better now.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It's been really interesting to me to read the number of members who won't read (or dislike having to read) a character's name that's hard to pronounce.  I never thought about that, as I don't read the books out loud.  I just see a pattern (character name)  and recognize it each time it appears.  I never think about the pronunciation. But apparently I'm weird, based on what I see in this thread.   

Betsy


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> It's been really interesting to me to read the number of members who won't read (or dislike having to read) a character's name that's hard to pronounce. I never thought about that, as I don't read the books out loud. I just see a pattern (character name) and recognize it each time it appears. I never think about the pronunciation. But apparently I'm weird, based on what I see in this thread.
> 
> Betsy


I'd say that I'm definitely one who hears the words as he reads them. It's one of the reasons that I've never been a fast reader (not slow, either, but definitely not in the fast category), at least not for pleasure: I pretty much read at the speed I can speak it in my head.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm with Betsy. . . . .I pretty much just notice a name as "that long one that starts with A and ends with ion" or whatever.  Doesn't slow me down a bit.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Arkali said:


> Ooooh. This is actually relevant for something I'm working on. I have a character who is a... imp, for lack of a better term. I wanted his name to be something tongue-twistingly appalling (like your example) but aside from just mentioning his name once (or maybe twice if someone is addressing him formally) he'll go by... G'raw (to use your example). Would that still turn you off, or would that be a good compromise?


Shouldn't be a problem, especially if there is a catchy contraction or nickname. Like Lewis's Reepicheep is cool, not only because the character is stupifyingly awesome, but he is relatively unique. The problem comes when there are legions of unpronounceable aliens and their names, when they can be pronounced, just SOUND silly. Making animalistic aliens have names that sound like the noises the animal they are based on make (meowing cat aliens, barking dog aliens, buzzing bug aliens) is like having humans called goo-goo-ga-ga or ziggy-zakky. Tolerable in small doses, but for a large civilization another solution needs to be worked out. Use of cool titles helps, or human nicknames given by a starry eyed human interloper who serves to explain everything to the reader (which is a whole 'nother trope in and of itself). I'd expect the same consideration for an english reader if I was setting a series in India or some other earthy place that has long unfamiliar names that could be distracting. The desire to be authentic must bow before the need for clarity and understanding, unless you INTEND to confuse the reader for some purpose.


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## Rebekah (Oct 9, 2009)

The names won't keep me from reading a book if the story is good enough, but I do admit that some names do annoy me as I am reading.  


1. Characters whose names don't fit the character.  Unless there's a plot specific reason, please don't name a present day teenager something more befitting to a great-grandmother.

2.  Someone else mentioned this, but if there are two or more characters with similar names it distracts me. 

3. I have a very short list of certain names or rather "tough guy" nicknames that come up from time to time particularly within the international crime/spy genre that annoy me.  For no reason.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> I'd say that I'm definitely one who hears the words as he reads them. It's one of the reasons that I've never been a fast reader (not slow, either, but definitely not in the fast category), at least not for pleasure: I pretty much read at the speed I can speak it in my head.


It's been interesting to me to read that people "hear" what they reading. I never knew...learn something every day. But pattern recognition is what I do , not surprising it's how I read. 

Betsy


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

Have to second the unrpnouncable names in fantasy and SF can sometimes be off putting.  I can't remember what book it was but the was a reptilian race in it and half the character were called Zqri ZZanzae etc.  
The only other name and I know it was meant to be a joke but I didn't like Hiro Protagonist in Snow Crash it just took me out of the book a bit luckily he was mostly just refered to as Hiro so not to bad.

Hammer McSteel Maybe it's just my bad tatse but I actually want to read a book with Hammer McSteel in it now!


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2010)

Rebekah said:


> The names won't keep me from reading a book if the story is good enough, but I do admit that some names do annoy me as I am reading.
> 
> 1. Characters whose names don't fit the character. Unless there's a plot specific reason, please don't name a present day teenager something more befitting to a great-grandmother.


Yep, this annoys me too. Names need to fit both the time period and the culture. In some cultures, parents would give their children names that actually meant bad things (like ugly, slow, unintelligent) because they believed the demons or other supernatural creatures came at night to steal worthy children, so giving the child a bad name was a form of protection (I suppose they figured the demon would think "Wow, this kid must be ugly for his parents to name him ugly. Let me go find a pretty kid to kidnap ). In some cultures it is common to name the firstborn son after the father, but in others it is considered bad luck to name a child after a living relative. Particularly if you are trying to build a sense of place, using the wrong names can completely screw up the vibe of a story.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I can't recall putting a book down because of a character name, but there have been plenty of times when a name has irritated me 
Renesmee is the all time number one horrific character name, IMHO. _What_ was she thinking? I didn't like the name "Pug" in Feist's The Magician either. And some of Rowlings' character names were a bit too silly, but as HP is aimed at kids & teens I won't get too picky.

I have hesitated on reading Charlaine Harris because of "Sookie" In Australia, a sook is someone who whinges (whines) and cries all the time. To be sooky is to be a whinger. It's hard to imagine why anyone would be named Sookie. 

I always make up my own pronunciation and sometimes I even get it right! e.g. Egwene & Nynaeve in the W.O.T. series

*Daniel Arenson*, how _do_ you pronounce Aoelia? I decided on Eeliya


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

In an Arthur C. Clarke Rama book, a minor character had the same name as the person who made my life miserable in Jr. High School. Can't blame Arthur or his co-author, they didn't know. Still, I put the book down for a few days before I could go back to it.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

lorezskyline said:


> Hammer McSteel Maybe it's just my bad tatse but I actually want to read a book with Hammer McSteel in it now!


Ok, then I'll try a novel, er, unique approach to writing. I'll put up a sample chapter. If it sells well enough for me to retire from my day job I'll finish the rest of the book 

Back when I used to write I probably ran afoul of my own distaste for cheesy names. I had protagonists with names like Stag Jones, PI and Tuesday Mourning, computer hacker (this was well before I ever saw a Tuesday Morning store, and I still don't know what they sell exactly). There certainly is a fine line between a cool name for a gritty hero and a jokey one.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I haven't ever not read a book because of the names but I will admit that if I read a book description and there are a lot of really funky names and places then I usually don't read it, of course I don't read a whole lot of fantasy or Sci Fi either. 

I do dislike it if I can't pronounce a characters name but usually I will just take my best guess and go from there. It doesn't ever stop me from completing the book. Ir is usually rare for me to not complete a book, it has to be pretty bad or just not hold my interest at all.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I don't just hear the words, I see a movie in my head.

I don't know what it is about apostrophes that makes a name seem alien or fantastic, but they are definitely overused.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

concrete_queen said:


> I came pretty darn close when "Renesmee" came up in Breaking Dawn. Really? Renesmee?? It sounds like something a 12-year-old girl would come up with.


Lol, yes.... such a disappointing choice.


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## terryr (Apr 24, 2010)

DArenson said:


> One person stopped reading my novel Firefly Island because of a character named Aeolia; they just couldn't pronounce it, so they stopped reading.


Good grief, if I stopped reading books because of words I couldn't pronounce, I never would have started reading anything in the first place. As a kid it took me almost five years to realize that word on the page: richochet --- was pronounced the same as Rick O'Shay. (as in Rabbit, for those who remember.  ) Or Rendezvous. Or, for that matter, any of those names or places in the Bible...I mean, who could instantly read and pronounce Nebuchadnezzar?

Sheesh.

Oh, and I guess the answer is no. Not yet, anyway. (If I see a silly name in the description/blurbs and vet the samples and the entire book sounds "off", I just won't get it to start reading.  )


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

Definitely. If too many names sound alike or if there are too many girly names (like Kissy, I'm with you on that one, David), then yes, I put the story down and move on.
L.J.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

MLPMom said:


> I haven't ever not read a book because of the names but I will admit that if I read a book description and there are a lot of really funky names and places then I usually don't read it


This goes for me. If I see things like a preacher named Reverend Holierthanthou I reailze it's supposed to be funny or cute but I never find out because I never try to read books like that. I can't remember ever stopping reading anything because of character names, but I have put a few aside if too many characters were introduced too quickly right at the beginning.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I'm about halfway through Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins right now and I really dislike the names of the characters in the series, but it wouldn't make me not want to read the books. Like so many others here, I don't tend to really notice the names, at least not once I get past the first part of the book and really get into the story.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't think I've ever quit reading a book because of a name. I usually don't even think about how to pronounce them until I try to talk about the book with someone else and realize it's a really weird name. I remember back before the Harry Potter movies came out that NO ONE I talked to could figure out how to pronounce Hermione.


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## RosemaryStevens (Aug 15, 2010)

No, but a book where many of the characters have names beginning with the same letter might make me put it down.  Don't make me work to keep everyone clear in my head.

When I'm writing, names can drive me crazy.  A character just has to have the "right" name.  I know it when I see it...or sometimes hear it.


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## Cathymw (May 27, 2010)

Selcien said:


> That's one of the upsides in e-books that are DRM free. Just put the book into an editor (Sigil, a free ePub editor, is the one that I use). Click on "Replace", type the name you want it to look for, the name that you want to use instead, click "replace all".


See, now you could *never* do this with a print book. 

Can't say I've ever put down a book I had already planned on reading based on names, but I can understand putting down one in a store after reading the blurb. Add me to the list that wouldn't read a book about "Kissy".

After reading this thread, all of us authors are going to put together focus groups to analyze potential names.


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## Rye Catcher (Sep 7, 2010)

I wasn't fond of the name Dale Barbara Stephen King used in Under The Dome

It didn't bother me, but I just kept changing my perception of him throughout the book because I couldn't imagine his characterization vividly enough. (An Iraqi vet that everyone called Barbie).

Also, Yossarian, in Catch-22 took a bit to get used to, but has since grown on me and he's become one of my favorite characters.

So, no, I've never hated a name enough to miss out on the story.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Rye Catcher said:


> It didn't bother me, but I just kept changing my perception of him throughout the book because I couldn't imagine his characterization vividly enough. (An Iraqi vet that everyone called Barbie).


See, now, I haven't read that book. . . .but just from that I can imagine a grizzled Vet that's pretty tough because he grew up being called "Barbie". . .as a kid it taught him to stand up for himself; from his mates in the military I have no doubt it's said with nothing but respect.

It's the guys who get called "Tough Guy" and "Hard


Spoiler



Ass


" who probably aren't really. . . . .


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> ...pretty tough because he grew up being called "Barbie". . .as a kid it taught him to stand up for himself


A boy named Sue...


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

No but I admit the name Sookie really annoyed me.  I only made it thru two books of the series, but it had mroe to do with her being biploar than her name.


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## Rye Catcher (Sep 7, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> See, now, I haven't read that book. . . .but just from that I can imagine a grizzled Vet that's pretty tough because he grew up being called "Barbie". . .as a kid it taught him to stand up for himself; from his mates in the military I have no doubt it's said with nothing but respect.
> 
> It's the guys who get called "Tough Guy" and "Hard
> 
> ...


LOL, wonderful insight. As a matter of fact, that's how I felt about him by the end of the story. It just caught me off guard in the beginning but the novel is long and it caught on eventually.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Names that are difficult to pronounce don't bother me as much as cutsie poo names. As a kid, I was a reader, not a talker, so I mispronounced a lot of words early on. Also I have a lot of Norwegian relatives and sometimes struggle with their names, so I simply figure when I can't pronounce a character name, it's me, not the author. Cutsie poo names, however, tend to come across in a heavy-handed way, as if the writer is using an axe instead of a scalpel to carve out their story, and I don't like the sense I'm being preached to with a character's name. Let us find out for ourselves what the character is really like. Now names that a subtlely symbolic, that's a whole other matter (I'm thinking of the title character in Alice Hoffman's brilliant novel _Green Angel_, which I just read). Symbolic names, if they're done right, come across as mysteries to be solved about a character, and I love a good mystery.


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## tachydactyl (Sep 10, 2010)

history_lover said:


> ... I thought "Leeloo" was a dumb name but I still love The Fifth Element.


LOL - I named my cat Leeloo

I have never put down a book because of a name, but I have changed it in my head.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm picky, and I have put books down because of the names.  Usually if they are hard to pronounce in my head, or just stupid, like David's example, Kissy.  (But that's only if I haven't been grabbed by the story.  If it's a good story, I'll keep going, and change the name in my head like others do.)

Now that opens me up for everyone nit picking my books and looking for stupid or hard to pronounce names.  

Vicki


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## PCBsmith (Apr 16, 2010)

If you read John Sandford's Lucas Davenport series, you'll remember a character named Del. In an interview, Sandford said he's named after the Delete key on the keyboard.  His last name is Capslock.  Whenever he appears in a book, it sort of derails me.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

This thread is very interesting to me. I read a lot of history, and I've written a few historical novels set in ancient Egypt, Rome and Athens. So I'm used to all kinds of strange names. 

For example: Bint-Anath (the name of Ramses II daughter) or Agrippina, the name of Nero's mother (by the way, Nero's name at birth includes: Ahenobarbus), and then there's his personal assassin, Tigellinus. The book I'm currently writing includes some of these characters and, consequently, their names. I intend to list a cast of characters--and this thread has convinced me to include a pronunciation key.

Thanks,
Suzanne


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

SuzanneTyrpak said:


> This thread is very interesting to me. I read a lot of history, and I've written a few historical novels set in ancient Egypt, Rome and Athens. So I'm used to all kinds of strange names.
> 
> For example: Bint-Anath (the name of Ramses II daughter) or Agrippina, the name of Nero's mother (by the way, Nero's name at birth includes: Ahenobarbus), and then there's his personal assassin, Tigellinus. The book I'm currently writing includes some of these characters and, consequently, their names. I intend to list a cast of characters--and this thread has convinced me to include a pronunciation key.
> 
> ...


I, for one, would love a pronunciation key in books with difficult names. I don't need one... heh... Steven - Stee - van. 

Vicki


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## RJ Keller (Mar 9, 2009)

Rye Catcher said:


> I wasn't fond of the name Dale Barbara Stephen King used in Under The Dome
> 
> It didn't bother me, but I just kept changing my perception of him throughout the book because I couldn't imagine his characterization vividly enough. (An Iraqi vet that everyone called Barbie).


I listened to the audiobook. The narrator put such a cool, creepy spin on the way Junior said the name (Bahrrrr-beeeeee...)


Spoiler



especially towards the end when Junior really starts to lose his mind


 that I ended up really liking it. I wonder what my opinion would be if I'd read the print copy instead.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Daniel Arenson said:


> One person stopped reading my novel Firefly Island because of a character named Aeolia; they just couldn't pronounce it, so they stopped reading.


That's interesting. My editor asked me to change a couple of names in my novel because she said if readers can't pronounce it, they won't remember it, which means they're less likely to ask for it in the bookstore.

Debra


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

RosemaryStevens said:


> No, but a book where many of the characters have names beginning with the same letter might make me put it down. Don't make me work to keep everyone clear in my head.


Did anyone see the episode of Big Bang Theory where Raj was complaining about Stan Lee for giving so many of his characters first and last names that began with the same letters? Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Stephen Strange...

Personally, I have never refused to continue reading a book because of a character's name. Truth be told, I use several odd names in my own book, but that's part of the gimmick and I would hope that wouldn't turn anybody off to it.

I'm a math teacher, and there are often some odd or unusual names in the word problems that we see, so I usually tell the kids to just go with the first letter of the name, rather than get hung up on trying to figure out the pronunciation. I've done that a few times while reading a novel, though I usually just guess at the intended pronunciation. I can back Jessica up on the "Hermione" debacle when Harry Potter first became popular. In my head, I had been saying, "Her me own." I thought it was pretty clever of Rowling, in Book 4, to have Viktor Crum mispronounce her name in exactly that way, so that the character could speak aloud the correct pronunciation.

Oh hey, has anybody ever read Crime and Punishment?


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I'm a huge Harlan Coben fan and I've read all his 'stand alone' books pretty much as soon as they were published, but I've never yet been able to bring myself to read his Myron Bolitar series, simply because of that name. To me it's the name you give a character in a comedy and I just don't feel like I could take him seriously.


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## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

There was a romantic suspense novel that I read where I never could take the hero seriously because his name was A.C. Slater. I just kept picturing Saved by the Bell. I couldn't get past the name and the book never felt suspenseful to me. And another book that I was interested in reading but landed up putting back was a contemporary suspense/thriller where the heroine name was Hummingbird. I don't mind unusual names (matter-of-fact, I like using them when I write) but if it doesn't fit the story or character, I never got lost in the story as I'm always reminded that I'm reading a book when the name appears.


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## AJB (Jul 9, 2010)

There's an excellent book on the Authonomy site called _The Firelord's Crown_ by Jim Darcy. Originally his main two characters were called Ashfalath and Borolas. I loved the story but found Ashfalath in particular to be an uncomfortable, rather harsh-sounding name for a hero, while Borolas was too much like a combination of Boromir and Legolas from Lord of the Rings. I see they've now become Falath and Rollo - so I imagine other people had the same problems and the author has responded to that. Good for him!

Amanda


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## toj (Aug 2, 2010)

I loved "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo', but a friend of mine who borrowed the book barely got a third of the way into it because all the Swedish names made it too difficult to remember who was who. She finally returned it when she gave up.


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2010)

It didn't stop me but my wife had fits about Terry Brooks' character Cinnamonson. Terry, come on!


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Cinnamonson? Seriously?
> Dave, who did your dragon?


Cinnamnonson...Really. As I said. Terry, come on!

Jerry halkyard of http://www.renderosity.com/ the dragon as well as the covers for my Book 2 and 4. I found him in his gallery under the name dragonfrog
Check my thread, a couple of posts down to see the covers.
You know how hard it is to find a good dragon for sale on line!!!


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## Roger E. Craig - novelist (Aug 28, 2010)

Yes.  The hero of the Ginger Man by J  P Donleavy was Dangerfield.  A kid at our elementary School had that name and he was an obnoxious bully.  I threw the book away.  However, later I realized how silly that was and I bought another one.  I'm glad I did because I've kept a copy of that book for years and I read it again and again.


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

can't say that I've ever stopped reading a book because of a character's name. I've wondered, a time or two, what an author was thinking when they named certain characters...as I'm sure others have wondered about me. lol

Sandy


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