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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:
Bryonyshcmyony · 21/06/2021 21:01

@ivegotdreadfulpmttoday

The Salt Path. Judgey woman in pickle of her own making
That book actually gave me the rage. And I didn't believe half of it. She was so horrible about the locals and their predicament was stupid
ivegotdreadfulpmttoday · 21/06/2021 21:00

The Salt Path. Judgey woman in pickle of her own making

Holothane · 21/06/2021 20:31

Didn’t get very far with Lord of the rings, Sebastian Faulks Bond novel, utter drivel compared to Fleming, I’ve read Fleming since I was 13,(it didn’t go down very well in our house).

Hoolihan · 21/06/2021 20:26

To Kill A Mockingbird is basically a perfect book imo. Even though it is so well known, it is still so incredibly powerful and moving and beautiful. I have read it maybe 10+ times and I love it as much as I did the first time I read it.

Bryonyshcmyony · 21/06/2021 17:07

Everything that's recommended highly by a celeb. It's put me off reading tbh. I absolutely hated Crawdads, dross. Ditto anything by Matt Haig. Hamnet - hated.

The last thing I really enjoyed was Piranesi.

SheepGoBaaaa · 21/06/2021 17:04

I actually love both the mad, overwrought Dark Rural Passions of Precious Bane and its satirising in Cold Comfort Farm.

CaptainMyCaptain · 21/06/2021 17:01

It was Mary Webb that inspired CCF. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Webb
I think it is one of the books that I have re-read the most.

CaptainMyCaptain · 21/06/2021 16:57

@Alcemeg

I love Cold Comfort Farm!

Did you know it was a sort of piss-take of DH Lawrence (who, actually, I also love!)?

I love CCF too. I think it was a parody of Mary Webb (? I'll check that) who wrote using very overblown flowery prose,but quite possibly also DH Lawrence.
Luckyelephant1 · 21/06/2021 16:20

@Wishimaywishimight

The Great Gatsby. I remember making myself read 20 pages per day just to get it out of the way. Found it terribly dull.
Oh yes same. Although I did like the film.
Bigassbeebuzzbuzz · 21/06/2021 15:32

Lord of the rings. I got a couple of hundred pages in didnt have a clue what was going on so gave up. Tried the films but they were just as bad.

Wishimaywishimight · 21/06/2021 15:19

The Great Gatsby. I remember making myself read 20 pages per day just to get it out of the way. Found it terribly dull.

StColumbofNavron · 21/06/2021 15:11

I think I must be the only person in the world who fell in love with the books that I studied, precisely because we took them apart. TKAM was one of them and I have read it many times, including last month. I have a special place for Macbeth too.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 21/06/2021 14:54

@NattyDiamondDoll

To kill a mockingbird
I agree completely.

I studied this for O level English Lit, and picking it apart made it even worse, and took away any vestige of enjoyment I might have had in this book. When she published her second book, I decided there was no way I was going to read it.

LunaNorth · 21/06/2021 14:44

@StyleAndLasers

Ooh so I have Americanah on my list to read, am currently reading The Goldfinch, and I did like Wolf Hall and Cold Comfort Farm. Haven't read the others, apart from The Stand which was so long ago I can't remember it. I think what this tells us is I just have no discrimination and like almost everything. Apart from A Little Life, Chesil Beach and Game of Thrones.
Grin

It’s good to have broad tastes!

LunaNorth · 21/06/2021 14:42

Ha, yes, that’s what I love about it. I think it’s a bit of a snark at Thomas Hardy and his misery-fests!

Alcemeg · 21/06/2021 14:40

I love Cold Comfort Farm!

Did you know it was a sort of piss-take of DH Lawrence (who, actually, I also love!)?

StyleAndLasers · 21/06/2021 14:38

Ooh so I have Americanah on my list to read, am currently reading The Goldfinch, and I did like Wolf Hall and Cold Comfort Farm. Haven't read the others, apart from The Stand which was so long ago I can't remember it.
I think what this tells us is I just have no discrimination and like almost everything. Apart from A Little Life, Chesil Beach and Game of Thrones.

LunaNorth · 21/06/2021 14:31

@StyleAndLasers ha, here goes! Some of my favourites...

Wolf Hall
Americanah
The Goldfinch
Mr Loverman
The Stand
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Cold Comfort Farm

littlepeas · 21/06/2021 12:03

@VienneseWhirligig

I can't decide if I love or hate The Bone Clocks. I've read it twice, first time I really liked it but then the second time found it odd. Not sure if it was because the twist was already revealed the first time I read it though

Can't read Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I've tried but it leaves me cold. As does anything where I can't pronounce the names of the characters or have a good go at it - if I can't picture them in my head, or get mixed up by the names, it turns me off.

I adored the first chapter of The Bone Clocks - I had read mediocre book after mediocre book for quite a while and thought I'd finally found something amazing to read. The second chapter and the end were ok - I didn't enjoy the intervening chapters at all - found them really self indulgent and boring. I was so disappointed.
Toddlerteaplease · 21/06/2021 11:18

Thursday murder club. Awful!

StyleAndLasers · 21/06/2021 11:16

[quote LunaNorth]@StyleAndLasers how funny! Should I post a list of my favourites and we’ll see if you hate them? Grin[/quote]
I was going to ask you that but thought it would be cheeky!

StyleAndLasers · 21/06/2021 11:15

*On Chesil Beach

No-one needs a whole novel about a sexually inexperienced dude spraffing in his pants. Ian McEwan, I'm sorry that happened to you mate but honestly, you could have kept it to yourself.*

Oh I had forgotten that one, yes, I completely agree. I like most of his other books but that one, no.

HoldontoOneMoreDay · 21/06/2021 11:11

@Kottbullar

Atonement On Chesil Beach The Children Act Thursday Murder Club
On Chesil Beach

No-one needs a whole novel about a sexually inexperienced dude spraffing in his pants. Ian McEwan, I'm sorry that happened to you mate but honestly, you could have kept it to yourself.

StColumbofNavron · 21/06/2021 11:08

@TheWindOnTheMoon I think it’s odd that we constantly compare WH and Jane Eyre anyway tbh. Just because they were sisters or two women writing at the same time. I guess they are both gothic in some respects but we never seem to discuss The Woman in White and WH/Jane Eyre or whatever.

I use ‘we’ in the very general sense.

Holothane · 21/06/2021 10:59

I hated Lord of the flies just wasn’t interested.

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