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Original poster

Hyped up books! - did you read them?

127 replies

tobee · 09/04/2025 17:35

I'm probably a bit too fascinated by this, but what books do you remember being hyped up to the max and "everyone was reading"? Did you read them at the time? Did they live up to the hype? Do they stand the test of time?

So, off the top of my head, I'm thinking

The Silence of the Lambs
The Secret History
The Essex Serpent
Where the Crawdads Sing
A Little Life

I think it's interesting to me because I tend to shy away from anything hyped because I assume it will be disappointing, I'm stubborn and don't want to feel duped by the hype.

For example I never hear people talking about The Essex Serpent any more or see it recommended. But people still talk about The Secret History as evidenced by the thread on here currently. The Silence of the Lambs has been superseded by the film.

OP posts:
AlwaysPerfumed · 09/04/2025 19:26

I couldn't wait to finish, The Essex Serpent and Where the Crawdads Sing.
Over-written badly controlled bilge.
If I had to re-read one it would be, The Essex Serpent but there would have to be a literary gun to my head.

A recent over-hyped book is, On All Fours. Good on Miranda July for being hyped in this way-she must be hardly able to believe her luck. Shortly after reading this bilge I read Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney- same type of subject matter, except Breakdown was marvellous. I really couldn't understand why it slid under the radar and yet All Fours was lauded.

I think it boils down to the marketing team and the budget they have to spend.

FionnulaTheCooler · 09/04/2025 17:39

I read A Little Life. It was boring and a slog to get through, I only managed because I was hanging around for hours waiting for DD at a sports event and there was nothing else to do.