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Most disappointing books you've read this year?

160 replies

whatausername · 14/12/2023 14:56

Off the top of my head, mine are Modern Baptists by James Wilcox, Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding and Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert. The first two, to be fair, are very much of their time but even so they were incredibly unfunny and not particularly well written.

OP posts:
PurplePim · 15/12/2023 07:11

Owlish by Dorothy Tse. It had moments of genius and some great descriptions but mostly I felt it was just chaotic and unclear. I saw a review that described it as a fever dream, which is spot on. It was thought provoking, in a way, but I could never recommend anyone uses their time reading it when they could be reading something else.

AngryBirdsNoMore · 15/12/2023 07:10

I also hated The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller. It actually made me cross I hated it so much. But it was back in January and I can’t remember why I disliked it so much!

AngryBirdsNoMore · 15/12/2023 07:04

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. It got such rave reviews. Just really didn’t enjoy it, and it felt like it was patting itself on the back for being so clever. Same style as Hilary Mantel but…not as good.

RAD15 · 15/12/2023 06:59

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 03:45

@Strokethefurrywall

Reminders of Him - Colleen Hoover. I'd never read her before so decided to see what the fuss was about...

I did the same with Verity which was so bad it was almost funny

Completely agree on Verity. It was so bad. I cannot bring myself to read any of her other books now.

Leafysuburb · 15/12/2023 06:52

I listened to the sequel to P.S. I love you. It was so so so so bad it angered me most of the way through and whenever I think about it I get annoyed. (Spoilers to follow)

It was essentially a flashback book to the first book but where it got details wrong and you find out that Jerry was a controlling arsehole. The main character essentially child traffics a baby too which we are supposed to find endearing and a wholesome finish.

It was my own fault, I never should have thought reading Celia ahern after being 15 would be a good idea and especially not listening to it straight after running grave (which was amazing)

renthead · 15/12/2023 06:52

I'm so glad other people have said Lessons in Chemistry. I've been dipping in and out of it for over 6 months and I just cannot seem to finish the damn thing, although it won't defeat me. I just keep thinking what is the point of this book? And I had such high hopes.

The Marriage Portrait was also incredibly disappointing, that one I did officially give up on. But I find Maggie O'Farrell very uneven as a writer- she can be brilliant or boring.

londonguild · 15/12/2023 06:50

Lessons in chemistry- what a load of old waffle!!
I was falling asleep whilst trying to read it!

MargotMoon · 15/12/2023 06:46

Came on to say Lessons in Chemistry but have been beaten to the punch by almost everyone! What the hell was all the stuff about the dog?!

I bought myself The Fraud by Zadie Smith as a Christmas present to read over the holiday so will be gutted if that's rubbish. I've loved everything else she has written.

Also have the Island of Lost Trees by Eli Shafak waiting on my Kindle so hope that's not a dud.

Mushroomwithaview · 15/12/2023 06:41

This year's greatest disappointment was Tom Hanks - The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece. I think he's a smart guy and probably has clever things to say, but I was so far removed from the target audience of the book that it was entirely unrelatable to me. I wanted to love it. It's my only DNF this year.

Knackeredhamster · 15/12/2023 06:37

The Thursday Murder club, so bloody tedious I was really disappointed and thought how can this be written by him!
I didn't give up but drip drip read it and it took ages.

9 Perfect Strangers, really crap and I've liked other ones by her.

DoraChance · 15/12/2023 06:35

I started In Memoriam this week and really can't get on with it. I've put it back on the shelf for now and will try it another time. Disappointing as I've heard so many good things about it.

Often I think books that are massively hyped, with the gorgeous covers and sprayed edges, don't live up to their promise. Most of my favourite authors have been dead for at least fifty years 🤣

Frenchfancy · 15/12/2023 06:04

Just finished An unwanted inheritance by Imogen Clark, but don't know why I bothered.

I got partway through Grown ups by Marion Keyes but cared too little about the characters to bother finishing it.

Still Life took me 3 tries to get into but I enjoyed it in the end. The writing saves it.

I really enjoyed lessons in Chemistry but I listened on Audible and it is very well narrated which can make a huge difference.

Flatandhappy · 15/12/2023 05:54

I feel better about giving up on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow now! I was disappointed in Shrines of Gaiety too although I did finish it.

littleblackcat27 · 15/12/2023 05:48

toastofthetown · 14/12/2023 18:54

Lessons in Chemistry for me too. It says nothing that isn't mainstream or widely accepted. Wow, women should be allowed to study science. So brave. I am a woman with a chemistry degree and was so excited to read it. Elizabeth reminded me of the type of pretentious snot person who would (unironically) use scientific names in day to day life solely to sound more intelligent and feel superior. Kind of like the book really: wanted to seem witty and intelligent but came across as utterly vapid.

Yes yes to all of what you just said.

It was so cliched as well - couldn't stand it after the first few chapters.

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 04:41

Agree about The Hunting Party - think she was trying to do an Agatha Christie with a modern twist but couldn't pull it off.

ChristmasFairywings · 15/12/2023 04:24

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilka, 2022 Booker Prize winner.......hated it.

And The Hunting Party Lucy Foley, it was a gift so had to read it......

BlueberryVelvet · 15/12/2023 04:17

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 03:40

I have struggled with a lot of Margaret Atwood novels @BlueberryVelvet and wondered what I was missing. I put off reading The Handmaid's Tale until this year despite the hype and TV series and loved it.

I think my mistake was starting with Handmaid’s Tale. I loved it and so wanted to love everything else she wrote too.

The Testaments was ok but it felt like a lazy, “here you go” attempt to sew up the Gilead loose ends.

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 03:49

The heart is a lonely hunter was an early read for my book club @GreyDuck and everybody was disappointed. We score our reads and I think it got the lowest score ever

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 03:45

@Strokethefurrywall

Reminders of Him - Colleen Hoover. I'd never read her before so decided to see what the fuss was about...

I did the same with Verity which was so bad it was almost funny

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 03:40

I have struggled with a lot of Margaret Atwood novels @BlueberryVelvet and wondered what I was missing. I put off reading The Handmaid's Tale until this year despite the hype and TV series and loved it.

Mothership4two · 15/12/2023 03:36

Milkman by Anna Burns - just awful. Gimmicky: dense/no paragraphs/no names given. Extremely dull.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah Maas - book 4 in a series that started off well but gradually deteriorated. Main character overcomes MH problems and has lots of fayrie sex - dire plot.

The Twins by L.V. Matthews - ridiculous plot and felt like a padded out short story.

The Volcano Lover by Susan Sontag - long and boring.

MissBattleaxe · 15/12/2023 00:18

Colleen Hoover It Ends with Us: laughably unrealistic and contrived. It reads as if it's teenage fan fiction and I hated the main character and her stupid flower shop.

Costacoffeeplease · 14/12/2023 23:35

And Still Life, given up for now

Costacoffeeplease · 14/12/2023 23:34

Agree with the Richard’s Coles and Osman. Doubt they’d have got near a publisher without their ‘celebrity’

Hated Tomorrow etc

Hated Hello Beautiful

covenant of water could have been 1/2 to 2/3 the length and not lost any of the story - the audible version was painful when he attempted Scottish and Geordie accents

finished lessons in chemistry but can barely remember it

Started The Smallest Man but have given up for now

senua · 14/12/2023 22:52

Tistheramseason · 14/12/2023 22:24

Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day. Self indulgent, boring, taught me virtually nothing despite promising so much.

That's the second Elizabeth Day book that has been nominated. Can I also add Magpie to the list.
She got a panning on here the other day for her podcast, too.

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