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Original poster

Biggest disappointments - Which book you thought would be great but did not live up to your expectation?

97 replies

CoteDAzur · 23/01/2008 12:47

I will gladly volunteer "The Quiet Girl", by Peter Hoeg, his 1996 book after a 10 year silence since "Miss Smilla's Sense of Snow".

I read the synopsis and I was so hopeful that I would love it:

  • children with special abilities (great!)
  • main character who loves Bach and talks about Bach's music throughout the book (brilliant!)

It turned out to be one of the stupidest books I have ever read, and that is against some competition. The plot is dumb and assumes the reader is an idiot. The translation is downright pathetic.

I want back the time I spent reading this rag

OP posts:
rebelmum1 · 23/01/2008 14:33

blackberry wine

UnquietDad · 23/01/2008 14:30

"...And then we went and drank more whisky. Midori was looking very beautiful. I said to her 'You are looking very beautiful.' We drank more whisky and watched the sun go down and then we had sex. I said to Midori 'You know you are looking very beautiful.' We had sex again."

And on and on and on until I wanted to shoot myself.

Sunshinemummy · 23/01/2008 14:26

Oh and anything by Martin Amis.

rebelmum1 · 23/01/2008 14:25

small island

Sunshinemummy · 23/01/2008 14:15

Oh UD agree re. Norwegian Wood. Didn't get the hype, found it very slow and very boring and couldn't stand the girl at the centre.

lennygrrl · 23/01/2008 14:09

Message withdrawn

Tutter · 23/01/2008 14:08

oi i'm the tickler round this manor

lennygrrl · 23/01/2008 14:08

Message withdrawn

Tutter · 23/01/2008 14:07
lennygrrl · 23/01/2008 14:06

Message withdrawn

TheHonEnid · 23/01/2008 14:06

I loved Norwegian Wood

I wanted to BE Midori

I vote for the Kite Runner - mawkish tripe

and probalby chesil beach - havent read it yet but think I am not going to like it

UnquietDad · 23/01/2008 14:03

Norwegian Wood. Everyone raved about it, and I waded laboriously through it. I thought the lead character was a tosser and all the women wee ciphers, and I grew to loathe the endless passages in which nothing happens, plus the forensic descriptions of food and drink.

tiredemma · 23/01/2008 14:00

Da Vinci Code.

was so appalling, I laughed most of the way through it. My 7 year old could write a better story.

Maidamess · 23/01/2008 14:00

White Teeth. Da Vinci Code.

Shitemum · 23/01/2008 13:59

Atonement.
Er....there's no ending and no atonement as far as i can see. Very disappointing

themoon66 · 23/01/2008 13:59

Agree about The Lovely Bones.

Also, Notes on a Scandle (yawn)

Iklboo · 23/01/2008 13:58

Da Vinci code

Tutter · 23/01/2008 13:57

great expectations

arfity arf

FlossieT · 23/01/2008 13:57

On Chesil Beach. I love most Ian McEwan (sorry to the many MNers that believe him to be seriously overrated) but I found it intensely irritating.

brimfull · 23/01/2008 13:08

The Island -utter shite

meglet · 23/01/2008 12:52

The Lovely Bones. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

goodness knows why I bothered to stick it out, girly and predictable.

brimfull · 23/01/2008 12:49

the one I'm reading atm
shadow of the winds by carlos something

long winded film script imo

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