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Popular book that you didn’t enjoy

459 replies

Wanttocry · 19/06/2021 16:33

Not really a TAAT but inspired by the Crawdads thread.

What’s a book that has been raved about, but that you didn’t really enjoy? For me it would have to be The Goldfinch, I just didn’t really get it.

OP posts:
notawittyname1954 · 05/08/2021 20:54

I hate the Great Gatsby.

DeliaOwens · 30/07/2021 02:59

Karen Joy Fowler’s “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves,”

Sandra15 · 30/07/2021 01:42

@Wearywithteens

The Secret History - soooo dull and the only musky interesting plot point wasn’t even part of the plot - it’s mentioned in some drug induced retrospective single paragraph buried in endless pages about a dull man with a dull existence.
This was absolutely terrible.
Wafflethefuckinwonderdog · 24/07/2021 19:32

All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr.

fluffiphlox · 24/07/2021 19:20

A lot have been mentioned but I will add ‘H for Hawk’. Sentimental and semi-plagiarised.

BlessedBeTheFruitCake · 24/07/2021 19:16

Hamnet, just couldn’t get into it.

peaceanddove · 21/07/2021 10:27

In the books Arwen only appears in 2-3 pages, and barely speaks AFAIK? Eowyn much more feisty though it always annoyed me that Tolkien eventually turned her into a simpering little wifey.

AmadeustheAlpaca · 21/07/2021 00:37

@peaceanddove thanks for the Tom Bombadil info, must check to see if I can borrow The Complete Guide to Middle Earth from the library. I didn’t mind the Aragorn/Arwen stuff in the films, but Arwen came across as quite wet and Eowyn so much more interesting.
@fedup078 I read Dracula a long time ago. Thought it started off well, but have forgotten what happened in the end, so it clearly didn’t have much of an impact.

fedup078 · 20/07/2021 21:06

Bram Stoker's Dracula . Couldn't finish it

peaceanddove · 20/07/2021 21:03

[quote AmadeustheAlpaca]@peaceanddove that’s interesting about Tom Bombadil, hadn’t realised that Peter Jackson had wanted Robin Williams to play him in the films, he’d have been perfect. I know what you mean about Heaven, always wondered who Tom was meant to be in the books, was he a nature spirit, the Creator of Middle Earth or a demigod? I reread LOTR earlier this year during strict lockdown, last read it when I was 21 a long time ago. I liked it but I have to say that I enjoyed the films more and PJ got them spot on.[/quote]
The Complete Guide to Middle Earth explains that Tom Bombadil and Goldberry were both Maia, so had roughly the same skills and abilities as Gandalf, though Tom's strengths lay with controlling nature and he had little interest in the doings of men. But on his own land, he was as powerful as Gandalf or Saruman.

Visually, I think the films were perfect because Alan Lee (the artist responsible for most of the famous Tolkien illustrations) was the Conceptual Advisor on all three films. But, as a Tolkien purist I hated how Peter Jackson buggered about with the narrative (the whole bonkers Aragorn & Arwen debacle especially).

AmadeustheAlpaca · 20/07/2021 20:13

@peaceanddove that’s interesting about Tom Bombadil, hadn’t realised that Peter Jackson had wanted Robin Williams to play him in the films, he’d have been perfect. I know what you mean about Heaven, always wondered who Tom was meant to be in the books, was he a nature spirit, the Creator of Middle Earth or a demigod? I reread LOTR earlier this year during strict lockdown, last read it when I was 21 a long time ago. I liked it but I have to say that I enjoyed the films more and PJ got them spot on.

peaceanddove · 20/07/2021 17:00

@lazylinguist

I must admit I have a slight soft spot for the preposterous Tom Bombadill Grin. And I'm not a big fan of invented extra sexy female characters (and their bloody love triangles with elves and dwarves... I'm looking at you, Tauriel!). Major kudos for slogging through the Silmarillion at 11 Shock.
I'm a life long Tolkien addict and I actually like the Tom Bombadil chapters, I find them very peaceful. Tom's house is probably what Heaven is (in my mind). Apparently, Peter Jackson was desperate to have Robin Williams play TB in the first film, but RW wasn't interested. I think Robin Williams would have been amazing as Tom Bombadil.
upinaballoon · 19/07/2021 21:42

@Smartypoppet

Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Tried three times and DNF three times. So boring...
I might have said this earlier on here. A friend couldn't get going with Captain Correlli but she lent it to me and I just loved it. The last scene is so lovely. A popular book/s which I didn't enjoy was the Lord Of The Rings. I was so frightened by The Black Riders (?) that I had to stop reading it. I think I was in Vol 2 at the time. Was there a character called Strider?
Smartypoppet · 19/07/2021 18:57

Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Tried three times and DNF three times. So boring...

pallisers · 13/07/2021 22:02

I can't finish anything by Maggie O Farrell (except her memoir one). I recognise that she is a good writer but I just lose the will to live reading any of her novels.

I think Kashou Ishiguro (sp?) is completely overrated.

Don't think much of Donna Taart either but we did a tour of the college which is pretty much where The Secret History is set (she and Bret Easton Ellis were there at the same time) and it was so so ... can't even describe it but my dd suggested we play a drinking game on the tour - every time someone used the word "curate" we would take a drink. we'd have been smashed. The food at lunch was excellent though. dd thought that was because everyone had the permanent munchies.

Viviennemary · 13/07/2021 21:49

Ive still got The Thursday Murder Club on the shelf from Christmas. I read the first half page. But I will get round to eventually.

mumcop · 13/07/2021 21:01

The Thursday Murder club. Soooooo boring!

Viviennemary · 13/07/2021 20:16

It isn't boring exactly. But horribly creepy and quite disturbing. I just wish I hadn't read it.

Kanaloa · 13/07/2021 18:59

@Viviennemary

Just out of curiosity was wrong with the lovely bones? It’s on my list but if it’s really boring I wouldn’t bother.

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 13/07/2021 18:51

That bloody Elinor Oliphant book. Absolute tosh

Viviennemary · 13/07/2021 18:36

Lovely Bones. Totally loathed it. Worst book ever. And Middlemarch. Most boring tedious long winded drivel ever.

Sally2791 · 12/07/2021 20:01

Time traveller’s wife
We are all completely beside ourselves
Normal people
Fifty shades

jannathehut · 06/07/2021 23:41

I really didn't enjoy crawdads. It just went on and on, depressing me more and more. The ending was nice though.

AmadeustheAlpaca · 06/07/2021 13:36

@CeaselessWatcher Totally agree with your thoughts on Amber Spyglass. I didn’t like the things on wheels either.

Chemenger · 06/07/2021 13:27

The Goldfinch was not my thing but my all time over rated book is Jane Eyre. It would have been a much better book if she had caught whatever the other girl died of in an early chapter and died too. What a tedious little bore she is.

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