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What is the most tedious book you have ever read?

368 replies

Figmentofmyimagination · 26/02/2015 20:12

I am going out on a limb here for my first thread - I am struggling through The Well of Loneliness by Radcliffe hall. Aargh. I read it out of "historical interest" because I was interested by her boldness and by the obscenity trial etc but bloody hell she should have got herself an editor. The writing is truly dire. I am not sure I am actually going to make it to the end.

OP posts:
SilkStalkings · 27/03/2015 08:02

Couldn't finish Jonathan Strange but am v proud to have struggled through The Children's Book by AS Byatt. Was exhaustingly academic, felt like I'd sat an A Level in fin de siècle sociopolitical history - won't be reading her again.

YouFargingIceHole · 25/03/2015 14:23

The Slap - although I persevered until the end. Tedious and hateful.
Everything is illuminated or some such tosh - didn't get past first chapter.

And ANYTHING BY RICHARD SCARRY. DS loves his books but the text is so cringeworthy and tedious to the power of 10.

SilkStalkings · 25/03/2015 13:55

The Historian and Kate Mosse's Labyrinth. Both containing great swathes of history dissertation where the authors have completely forgotten they are writing fiction or are meant to be in character.

mumslife · 23/03/2015 22:30

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 23/03/2015 21:18

Quangle you've actually quite upset me just be mentioning the Hare With the Amber Eyes.

It was so tedious that I've tried to wipe it from my memory.

Agree with Lord of the Rings, tried twice and it really was just as bad the second time.

We are all completely beside ourselves and Gone Girl. 50 shades is by far the worst though.

mumslife · 19/03/2015 22:14

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BreakingDad77 · 19/03/2015 13:31

Moby Dick is the only book that I have given up on (approx ten years ago) - May have another go at it in the future!

JeanneTheRabidFeminist · 19/03/2015 11:50

I love H is for Hawk and Name of the Rose. And I like Wolf Hall.

Can't fucking stand The Glass Menagerie (if we're allowed plays). We had to do it for A Level and it made me think pulling out my own fingernails with tweezers would be more fun.

I can't get into Susan Fletcher's 'Corrag'. I loved her first book, but this one just isn't doing it for me. Also 'Island of the Day Before'. I've read everything else he's written in terms of fiction and enjoyed most of it.

Also, I really don't much like Chaucer. Meh.

ViccyMan2 · 19/03/2015 09:44

Labyrinth is appalling.
The Historian
LOTR and sequels

hooker29 · 16/03/2015 20:00

The Woman who went to bed for a year......what the fuck was that all about???

sherazade · 15/03/2015 14:44

Life after life sorry

Queazy · 10/03/2015 20:44

Atonement by Ian McEwan. I honestly couldn't stand it. I wasted many hours on that book. It was the one book I started and gave up on. I even finished 50 shades of grey!!!!

vixsatis · 10/03/2015 10:28

Loved Never Let Me Go and Middlemarch and all of Jane Austen
I liked WH and BUTB but they're not THAT good- I actually thought the TV adaptation was better
Simply could not get beyond the first chapters of Catch 22 and Moby Dick
Read the whole of Catcher in the Rye because it is short but can't see the point of it. Also not keen on To Kill a Mockingbird
Struggle with Chekov

Children's book winner has to be "Duck in the Truck". soundtrack in head would be muttering "fuck the duck in the truck" throughout

TodaysAGoodDay · 10/03/2015 10:04

Hated 'Gone Girl' and 'Never let Me Go'.
And I don't much care for 'To Kill A Mockingbird' either.

fizzycolagurlie · 09/03/2015 01:32

Oh no Puddings, I have already read the others and agree with you - awful.

Laquila · 08/03/2015 21:22

I loved The Historian!!

Happydays - I felt exactly the same about Ishiguro. Remains of The Day is in my top 5 books ever. NLMG was blah.

Loved Cloud Atlas though...

Puddingsandpiglets · 08/03/2015 19:38

fizzy might be an idea to put the rest on a wishlist Smile

fizzycolagurlie · 07/03/2015 23:10

Oh Puddings you had three of my favourite books on your hate list.

Sad Sad Sad

Dumpylump · 07/03/2015 22:25

White Teeth by Zadie Smith..... I just hated it, and it's one of the few books I've been unable to finish.

Usually, even if I don't enjoy a book, I still read it to the end - just so I know what happens I suppose, but with that one, I didn't even care!

squeezycheesy · 07/03/2015 22:19

I'm really struggling with 'The Ice Twins' just now - anyone else?

treaclesoda · 07/03/2015 22:17

I found We Need to Talk about Kevin really gripping, I couldn't wait to see what happened. And I loved The Historian too. And I'm part way through The Goldfinch and whilst I think it could definitely be condensed into fewer words, I'm keen to find out what will happen.

Am I going to be thrown off this thread? Grin

Puddingsandpiglets · 07/03/2015 21:03

Kafka's The Trial
The Hobbit
If On A Winter's Night A Traveller
100 Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
Madame Bovary
A Place of Greater Safety, mostly the second half

HugAndRoll · 07/03/2015 19:46

Postchildrenpregranny I'm 30 this year and I'm not even going to attempt that one. Grin

No Muddha, it was on here but it huffed off because someone ate some chicken.

wickedlazy · 07/03/2015 11:34

50 shades of grew here too. I had to see what all the fuss was about. Awful writing. I gave up at the end of the second book
and didn't even bother attempting to read the third.

MsQueenie22 · 07/03/2015 11:30

I loved The Well of Loneliness, I read it at university.

The Name of The Rose was a real struggle for me. Apparently, reading it is supposed to be a penance of sorts. It was certainly one that I couldn't endure!

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