Popular book that you didn’t enjoy

@elQuintoConyo
Yes to A Confederacy of Dunces. I'd forgotten about that one! I didn't get very far in it. I didn't see how it could be funny, and thought the way Ignatius spoke to his mother was very rude.

I'm with the poster who said Lincoln in the Bardo.
The quality of the writing was good, but I just found it sad and depressing. I'm into history and already knew quite a lot about Lincoln's family tragedies, and I'm not sure why this more supernatural take was so popular.
Waiting for Godot. Nothing much happens, they just wait. I can't even remember the ending, it was so underwhelming.

Definitely Secret history for me - it's always recommended on here and I just feel like I completely missed the point, none of the characters were likeable and I really didn't care what happened to them. I finished it, but it was a slog.

I'm also conflicted on A little life - I see PP described it as misery porn and that is such an apt description, but it was beautifully written. I wouldn't read it again, but I don't regret reading it.

wanderedlonelyasacloud
I wish I'd done the same. It was the audio version I had as well.
It became like something to battle through rather than enjoy and it seemed so long and never ending.
I'm usually the one saying to people "life is too short to slog on with books your not enjoying"
I didn't listen to my own advice 😆

Agree with Time travelers wife, completely overrated.

Fifty shades, I got through a few chapters and thought I’m not wasting any more time on this utter crap writing.

Shantaram, I finished it and there were a few bits I enjoyed but overall rubbish.

I was ok with Cholera, it was 100 Years of Sodding Solitude that did for me. I gave it a good go but blooming heck, on and on and on it went.

@JaninaDuszejko can’t believe the audacity of putting 50 Shades in the same category as The Time Travelers Wife and then go on with your examples in 2 and 3!

(TTTW is great btw. But I’ve tried and failed to finish your other examples as I didn’t like them - aside from 50 Shades which I refuse to even pick up! )

Oh I would like to add Love in the Time of Cholera too

But I was reading Wolf Hall when the original lockdown came in. It will forever be associated with lockdown for me 🙈😂

I've said this on a another thread before but without a shadow of a doubt Wolf Hall

mrsfezziwig I'm partial to bit of Modernism. Books where nothing happens are just like real life as far as I'm concerned. But then, I also like spaceships and lazer gun battles.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin
One Day

@lazylinguist I have to be honest and say I only read LOTR and The Hobbit. I loved both. Especially The Hobbit. I have his other works but can't make myself start them. Not sure if some of the reviews I read regarding them just put me off.

Cowbells
It was like a boring animal rights lecture where nothing actually happened.

I love Jojo Moyes normally but her much hyped newest book The Giver Of Stars is just painfully slow. I've got about a quarter way in and given up.

Agree that Lovely Bones was rubbish.

Gone Girl I enjoyed but the ending was infuriating.

Not a fiction story but having seen Matt Haig mentioned a few times; Reasons to Stay Alive I'd heard was amazing for depression sufferers. I didn't get it at all, definitely hasn't helped my mental health. I also lost interest in How To Stop Time.

I don’t know that anyone could say they “liked” We Need to Talk About Kevin as it was such an uncomfortable read, but to me it was fascinating.

Aware that the point of this thread isn’t to try to change people’s minds about books they hate!

Harry Potter. I have tried and tried to read them but I can't

I feel like if I read them now I'd think they're total codswallop but because I read them as a child I enjoyed them at that age and the memories of that enjoyment allow me to be able to reread it. I cannot imagine connecting to the characters and plot at this time in life. Tolkien however I read as an adult and he is a master.

I read HP as an adult when they first came out, have read them umpteen times and still love them just as much. Tolkein is a master... of some things. I love LotR and used to read it every year or two. But reading other (good) fantasy does make one notice some major flaws in Tolkein imo. Particularly his tendency to 'information dump'.

I also love The Kite Runner and The Goldfinch.

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime

Twaddle.

I've not read normal people but enjoyed the tv show, but read Conversations with Friends and thought everyone in it was either boring, unkind, annoying or pretentious or a mixture of all 4.

So glad you mentioned Donna Tartt, I've tried to read The Secret History and The Goldfinch and have found both soooo hard to get into, I just want to scream "get on with it!".

I loved the TV adaptation of Normal People but when I read the book after I was so disappointed.

Even worse is Conversations with Friends by the same author. The characters are all horrible people and very little actually happens. I kept reading waiting for a plot to develop and it never did. One of the worst books I've ever read.

Thursday Book Club tripe. I can’t believe anyone enjoyed it.

Agree also hated The Slap and We need to talk about Kevin

Me too @IHaveBrilloHair. Everyone in the slap is just such a complete dick. Maybe that’s supposed to be the point, but I deal with dicks all day long, why would I want to read about them too?

The Slap.
Stupid typos.