The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
by Bensted

Comment:
Black Swan or at least a goose it is.. Comp, tones and detail add up to an appealing image. 6

Hold back the water
by whiterook

Comment:
Don't know the book and can't find it with Google. Doesn't seem to have any reference to the dike plugging story, so regrets for defaulting to a DNMC. The image looks unprocessed on my monitor, but could be improved in a photo editor as with most digital images. Overall, it needs contrast and some selective editing to bring out detail and accurate colors. 4

Tribute to O.Henry
by lei_73

Comment:
Why choose a short story writer for a "Classic Novel" topic? Visually I love the wet cabbage. Hold for topics such as "colitis cures", or "vegan card party" challenges. 5 for the cabbage.

On Golden Pond
by dtremain

Comment:
This lacks atmosphere or a connection to the "golden" aspect of the story. Just a country pond. Color is good but the composition is uncommitted. Like a passing glance with lots of trees and not much pond. Could have been better as a landscape centering on the pond's breadth and depth with watery reflections of gold and red. Even a simple cropping out the upper 60% of the shot could come closer to title's idea. 4

Catcher in the Wry
by daisydavid

Comment:
I suppose this is a "wry" take on "rye" but I'm sorry for not getting it. I look forward to some kind of hint when voting is over. Trying even to relate the pictural elements is a struggle. Let's see: black curtain; Hendricks poster; another poster seems familiar but can't place it; a balding smiley face (lurking in the Hendrix Experience museum?); and a sprig of rye? Probably. But what does it all mean? Something obscure, at least to me. I like obscurity. 6

you have left a part of your heart, of your blood, of your soul, in those pavements - Les Misérables
by Epsi

Comment:
The sentiment seems a stretch mitigated by the quote to guide our thinking. So we see residue and I think detritus of past lives such as Jean Valjean's on the run. Still a stretch, but I enjoy edgy shots and this has a spare visual quality that prompts our minds to take another look and thought. 6, for the edge.

Don Quixote (de la mancha)
by Harlequin

Comment:
Windmills in his mind. I like the point of view here as seen by the knight - a target for his lance. Technically, it's a little dull - some processing to bring out contrast and details would help. I give it a 7 for content, a 6 for composition and a 5 for technique. Result: 6

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury
by ThingFish

Comment:
Beautifully appropriate setting and well executed nocturnal atmosphere captures the spirit of the novel. 8

Flowers for Algernon
by flaherma

Comment:
Only knowing the book from its synopsis, this seems an appropriate enough reference to the story. It's also photographed well with appealing tones, tint and texture. The composition is very static and carefully arranged, but to my eye, the balance is a little off - too heavy on the left which could be easily fixed by a slight crop from the right. Unless, however, you are trying for some instability in which case a different composition would work better.. So the overall effect is not satisfying. To break it down, it's a 6 for content, 6 for technique but only a 5 for visual impact. So, it squeaks by with a 6.

Captains Courageous (Rudyard Kipling)
by tome

Comment:
Lacking any period schooners to shoot, a modern sloop of two or three may be a reasonable substitute with some weather thrown in to provide seafaring atmosphere. But the overall effect lacks any sense of the spirit of the book's narrative of a rich kid's rescue by a fishing boat and his coming of age tribulations as reluctant member of the rescuer's crew. Visually, the shot lacks drama as the boaters here seem to be passively waiting for the weather to change or giving up for the day. A tighter crop might provide more detail and sense of involvement in whatever activity there is. Regrettably, only the weather itself has any interest because of the natural tones and color in the photo. The image might have been better as a spare, gray seascape devoid of boats to represent the sense of isolation of the kid in the story. 5