Initially, I was hesitant in purchasing this book as I saw so many copies becoming available as "used". When that happens, either the book is lacking in content or its organizational style makes it difficult to read. Well, I am glad I purchased it because the book offers a very detailed look on Point of View as well addressing advanced particulars in mixing POVs, voice, and time. Almost every chapter is followed with a recommended reading list for further study as well as helpful exercises to emphasize craft.
This is definitely a book that needs to be read more than once. Not because of level of difficulty but because of the amount of helpful information. Perhaps that is why there are so many copies available. Her book is not organized with boxes of summaries, lists, a lot of white space or diagrams. No space is wasted and perhaps for some this style might be intimidating as it seems (visually) like you are about to read a novel.
Rasley is definitely an author to watch out for in terms of "Writing How-To's. I would love to see her write a book on Dialogue as there are so many duds out there.
In The Power of Point of View, Rasley notes her personal preferences when writing herself, but does not allow her explanations of POV to be biased by that. She talks about Genre conventions, narrative distance, to individualizing POV. She uses a conversational tone in her explanations and makes learning POV easy to understand. My only minor pet peeve is that she did not include a bibliography at the end of the book to wrap up all the books that she has mentioned and recommended.
Here is the Table of Contents:
1. What is POV
2. POV Choices and What They Communicate About Your Story
3. POV and the Elements of Story
4. First Person
5. Second Person
6. Impersonal Third Person
7. Personal Third Person - Single
8. Personal Third Person - Multiple
9. Individualizing POV
10. Levels of POV
11. Creating Alternative and Unusual Voices
All in all, if you are ready for a full immersion of a Master Class in POV, then definitely get this one!
If you are looking for just a basic primer to start off with on POV with some of the more advanced nuances explained in briefest terms, than check out Donna Levin's "Get That Novel Written". It has 2 excellent chapters on POV and Time.