Measured cheering

I've become a bit of a cheerleader for novels that start with a slower burn. Primarily this is because my stories aren’t of the type that set everything up in the first 250 words. I whinged about it here. I do appreciate pace in a book- it’s a large part of what makes me love YA books- but I don't demand that I have to be hooked in a paragraph. If the wording is good, I am more than happy to sit back and let things unfold over the first three chapters. I can be generous like that.

Two of the last few books I have read had this slow fuse characteristic. I spotted it and consciously read on, geared up to enjoy the ride. However, in these two cases the ride went on and on and on... The thing with a slow fuse is that it should still lead to an explosion. The ride has to still arrive somewhere, otherwise it isn't a journey, it's just  passing time. Amusing as that might be, the payoff isn't overly moving.

The first, a book called Penelope that was shouted about in various places, dawdled to the point of never actually getting anywhere. At all.  It covered the first year at Harvard for a socially awkward girl. I felt I was being smartly led, and I was happy to go as the small insights were well observed and humorous, but frustratingly nothing ever came of it all. I was as flummoxed by the whole experience as the MC was by Harvard. I had to check the Amazon reviews to see if it was me that had missed the point. Apparently not.

I've just finished Prep, which has many accolades, and I know I'm late to the party on this one. The writing and observation is great, and the build is slow, allowing us to get a feel for how the MC feels about her boarding school  and peers on just about every single level. But 285 pages of small font before there is any proper drama?!? (I'm not counting fainting at having her ears pierced at page 63.) If the author's intention was to convey the four years of prep school as being  long and drawn out, maybe she hit the mark after all.

Additionally, I don’t know if it is coincidence, but I didn’t connect with or like either MC.  Was it because I was shouting “Come on!!” at them all the time?

Ultimately, my slow-fuse cheerleader status just got adjusted. YAY! for measured starts that let stories unfold, but BOO! for stories that take the reader's goodwill too far or don’t bring the goods at all. 

Anyone else experienced this?