I recently wrote a
review of a story I thought was interesting and had some great qualities, but about which, ultimately, I was less than completely enthusiastic.
I've been thinking about that review a lot in the past several days because I felt there was quality in the writing, but I couldn't get myself totally behind it. In my original review, and in my "edited" addition, I noted that I think the main reason is that I couldn't immerse myself into the story because too much was given to me. I felt a bit like I was reading an interesting history of an adventure rather than something where I was actively engaged in making inferences and trying to predict outcomes.
So my question to you is: Do you need to engage in the story and feel a part of it to fully enjoy it? And what does that engagement look like for you? Or is reading an interesting and detailed accounting of a story enough for you to fully enjoy it?