The Bell Jar
by grahamgator

Comment:
Interesting take on the novel. I think it follows the cover art in a way, and that's nice.

I do think it fails to really convey the darkness and despair of the novel, the butterfly is just way too pretty and nice.

...

Photographic merit is pretty good here though, sharpness is really nice, exposure is great, composition is at least good. (there seems to be a slight tilt)..

So... dunno? 6 I suppose

"North and South," by John Jakes
by ShaneBlake

Comment:
Good enough fit.

Love the rain drops and sparks flying from the mouth of the cannon.

What I don't like is the absence of faces, and the ear plug which kinda dispels the period 'feeling' of the shot.

6

Don Quixote (de la mancha)
by Harlequin

Comment:
Initial Reaction: Windmill...
Suitability for Challenge Topic: Tilting at windmills.. Hmm... Figurative, but directly related to the text.
Aesthetic: A little bit low contrast, and a touch soft. Tilted composition works here, and not just because of "tilting at windmills"..
Needs Work: Exposure/contrast
Final Thoughts: While this doesn't really tell me a story, it is at least applicable.
Score: 6

'Something Wicked This Way Comes' by Ray Bradbury
by IAmEliKatz

Comment:
Dude. Really?

I mean, it's Halloween season, and you deliver this for "Something Wicked"?

Disappointing. 3

Having spent more time with this, and really trying to see what's going on, I've finally found a face (more obvious in thumbnail), and think it adds to the photograph.

Can't give it HUGE love, because it is so faint, but that 3 just became a 6.

"Please Sir, I want some more"
by Shifty_Powers

Comment:
Lovely. The hands look rather well cared for, but I suppose 'poor' hands are hard to come by on short notice.

I think it fits the challenge very well, and is reasonably executed.

The big issue I have here is the lighting, not only is it a bit too harsh (Chiaroscuro is good, but only to a point), but the entire midtone range is quite low-key and the highlights are a bit low as well.

6 for meeting the challenge well, but not quite the processing that I would have preferred.

Captains Courageous (Rudyard Kipling)
by tome

Comment:
Fits the novel well enough. Not quite perfect, but hey - not bad either.

The image itself leaves something to be desired - it seems flat, and just isn't striking. Despite that, it does fit well and isn't badly deficient in any manner.

6

Lord of the Flies
by posthumous

Comment:
Not 'dark' enough. But it does almost get there. Love the sticks. :)

6

"A Prayer for Owen Meany"
by Dudski

Comment:
Fits the novel well enough, since faith and the church was a big part of that one.

I like the image's composition, and the subject.

The building's facade is nearly perfect, but the rest of the image seems to be over-sharp, and the shadow area of the building seems really soft. Quite strange overall.

Add to that the selenium coloration, and hard clouds, and we start heading down a rather dark path.

I'm giving this a 6 for meeting the challenge well, and having a good composition.

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
by rodfulk

Comment:
Given the strong racial content of the book, I think this image does a strangely good job of evoking the feel of the novel's subject.

Composition isn't quite what I think I'd like - but it's generally quite good.

7

To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
by Kroburg

Comment:
This was a novel that literal worked for. I think the tonality here is great, and love that rich yellow.

Powerlines should have been cloned out, and I would have just loved a tiny touch of 'structure' on that building.

Anyway, 7