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I started reading the last chapter first and my book club lost its mind last Thursday
So we meet at a diner in Columbus every other Thursday and last week I tried something different. For our pick, a 380 page mystery, I read chapter one, then jumped straight to the final chapter, then went back and read the rest in order. My whole point was to see if knowing the ending made the middle better or worse. Two people at the table acted like I had spoiled the book on purpose, even though I never said a single detail out loud. Here is the thing though, it actually helped me catch three clues I would have skimmed past. I finished it in four nights instead of the usual two weeks, which is a record for me. Now half the group wants to try it for next month's pick and the other half says it ruins the whole reason we read together. So where do you all land, is reading the ending first a real way to read a book or just cheating?
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stella_murray13d ago
Ugh, okay here's my take. Reading the last chapter first is not cheating, it's just a different way in. If knowing the ending helps you spot clues on page 50 that you would have missed, that's your brain working harder, not you being lazy. Like watching a movie you've already seen, you catch way more stuff the second time around. But I get why your club got mad, some people read for the surprise and you took that away from the group vibe. Just split into two groups next month and let the ending-first people do their thing without ruining it for everyone else.
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