Do you think the characters in "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper are well-developed?

[London Baum]

Overall yes, there were definitely some parts that could have been more developed (no spoilers) especially the events at the end and what we learn about Vanessa and Tod. But the characters of Vanessa and Trisha and Barry were very well developed in my opinion.

[Mellisa Hornes]

Despite my criticism of the plot, especially the ending, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the character development. They were all well-thought-out.

[Rut Andrada Baston]

I've been quite surprised by the support this book has gotten, since I myself have very few positive things to say about it. And the character development is one of the worst aspects of the book. They are not only weakly presented as people, but exhibit behaviours so uncharacteristic with the little description we have of them, that sometimes I re-read large passages just to make sure I didn't skip over chapters by mistake. Genuinely surprised with the positive reactions to this book, but I read them all because I'm so curious about such differing opinions from mine.

[mihaela mitran 1]

I would have liked to read more about Dr Halle senior. He is looking like a very interesting character, who influnece a lot the main characters, but not so many details about him, just a schetchy line of his life. Also, Dr. Halle junior, I think it would have been interesting to see his motivation behind all his actions during the time of his life.

[Tessa Stewart]

Overall, I don't think that the characters are well-developed. Out of all of them, I would say Sister Rosalie is the best developed of all of them as we know the most about her personality, her views, and her interactions with Dr Hale, Dr Davies, and Sergeant Bibbs as well as Barry Hale, Vanessa, and the children of the orphanage, are the most realistic and distinct of all the characters. I found her conflict with the police officers in the early chapters hilarious as the vivid mental image of a very passionate nun wearing down the cops until she gets her way was hysterical. Her response to each person is different, and she responds to each new situation in a very realistic way. We see her cooking with Vanessa, helping her get ready, and we learn more about her character arc from a young student to the nun we see her as today. We have the most full interpretation of her out of all the characters in my opinion.

I think the next best developed character is Trisha. She is a feisty teenager, and she grows up to be an independent and effective woman with a great career in sales. Her friendship with Vanessa does grow in maturity over time, going from hanging out on the bus, at the library, and at school, to going out for lunch and supporting her friend with childcare. Their friendship was the thing I liked most about this book.

However, I found the character development of Vanessa to be minimal, at best. She was a slightly shy, quiet teenager, and, while she grows in confidence, her character is too similar to that of her initial introduction to feel like she had a satisfying character arc. I feel that a scene after her reunion with Barry Hale in the hospital showing her standing up to Todd and defending herself against his vile racism and abuse would have tied up her character nicely. Her plot lines were dependent on romance the entire way through and it quickly became boring. Considering she is the main character, it definitely damages the entertainment value of the book.

[Hannah Vance 3]

I would have liked more depth to the characters. Like what were they like to be around? What were their quirks? It seemed like there was just development or relationships and events rather than personality?

[Qwerty Writes]

I noted that the characters had some missing parts to them. Some felt realistic and others didn't. It didn't help when I understood their backgrounds and their history. At times it felt if they were supposed to be the good guy they were portrayed as the good guy or the bad guy as the bad guy. It needed a little more oomph!

[London Baum]

Overall yes, some definitely more than others. Vanessa, Trisha, and Sister Rosalie were very well developed but I felt like Barry and Tod both needed more to feel like a real person to me.

[Josephine Carnes 1]

Personally, I felt like there could have been a little more personality from Barry but the other characters had pretty good development. I enjoyed the character arc for Trisha, but I wish Vanessa had more of an arc. She seems to stay the same throughout the book and it was a little frustrating.

[Laura Jackson 4]

The characters are very well developed and the storylines are engaging and thoughtfully developed.

[Jason Felixx]

Yes, I do believe that they were well developed. However, the characters were rigid and did one specific thing.

[Sheen jenny]

Yeah, I absolutely think the characters are well developed, especially Trisha

[Nenye Charles]

I feel the characters of both Vanessa and Trisha were well-developed, including Barry. However, I can’t really say the same for the rest of the characters.

[Laura Shawn]

Yes, the characters in Deceptive Calm are well-developed. Each character has their own story and struggles, making them feel real and relatable. Sister Rosalie, Vanessa, and the children at the orphanage all show growth and depth throughout the story.

[Elizabeth-Tush4Christ]

The character development was on point. I expected more from some characters, though. This is not to say their roles were not well executed; it’s just that I enjoyed them so much I couldn’t wait to read more about them.