Problems remembering characters/plots

Meathlass

Does anyone else have a problem remembering the plot lines and characters in books they've read? I don't mean every book they've ever read but the classics that people refer to regularly.

As a child I worked my way through Treasure Island, Jane Eyre, Last of the Mohicans, Railway Children, Dickens etc

At college I read a lot of Henry James, Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy, War and Peace, Great Gatsby.

Now I couldn't tell you anything about any of those books. It's gotten so bad that I've started writing short synopsis of books as I've read them. I read forums like boards and people have opinions on all manner of books/authors where I struggle to remember the main plot. Am I alone? Any tips for rectifying the situation?

quickbeam

No, not really. I might forget some character names for some books after a while, especially if they're not that well known. But I'd usually remember the basic plot. It isn't such a bad idea to not remember everything as it can make a re-read interesting.

Meathlass

quickbeam wrote: »

It isn't such a bad idea to not remember everything as it can make a re-read interesting.

True, but there is such a huge numbers of books out there that I've still to read I don't want to have to reread constantly. I find after about 5 years I have a very limited memory of books unless I've studied them or perhaps seen the movie version.

MagicMarker

Yes I'm very bad at this OP. Some books stick in my mind, and I remember them quite well, but most of the time I only remember very vague details. In fact the only reason I can tell if you if I liked a book is because I remember how I felt when I read it, rather than remember the book itself.

Miss.Mayhem

I'm bad at this too. I joined Goodreads and it lets you rate books and write down notes/reviews/synopsis of each book you've read. I use this site to keep track of them all. I find this site a great help.

Meathlass

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with this problem. I bought Dubliners last night at a charity event and even though I've read it at least 5 times and seen a stage play version I could only really remember the details of one or two of the stories.

Kilgore__Trout

Think it's pretty normal to be honest, a limitation of human memory. Books are detailed, so after a few minutes, you've already begun to forget small details as you process more of the book. After a few weeks, unless you've been making an effort to keep the book in long term memory, pretty much anything finer than the broad strokes of a story will be gone.

It's kinda good in a way, as you can enjoy books a second and third time through semi-fresh eyes.

Harry Angstrom

The mark of a good book is if you can remember its plot and its characters after a certain amount of time has elapsed. There are some books that I forget immediately after I've finished them, but the memorable ones will always stand out.

ncmc

I agree with Harry, there are books I read that I forget pretty instantly, but I think the mark of a good book is one where you remember the characters or the story. Or even if I can't remember the exact details, I sometimes remember how a book made me feel at the time and that to me is also a sign of a great book. I second the recommendation for Goodreads, handy reminder of what books I've read and if you right a quick review it can jog your memory further. OP, I can go one further, there are some books I've rated on goodreads and I don't remember reading them... Even after reading the synopsis! Now that's surely the sign of a poor book!

Greenmachine

Not good with complex plots when it come to reading. I got the given the hobbit as a book when I was about 11 or 12. Struggled with it. Too many original concepts for me to take in. I am better with movies, I know I will be slated for that, my imagination is very verbal, I think you need a very visual imagination to fully appreciate books like that. A movie make it easier for a dope my me because the visual are put right under your nose.