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Original poster

What books were you 'supposed' to enjoy but thought were a pile of crap? And why?

237 replies

MrsMerryHenry · 03/05/2009 23:39

A Suitable Boy

Writing style far too poncey and utterly incapable of moving me.

OP posts:
janeite · 04/05/2009 15:30

A Quiet Belief In Angels - I HATED it.

Many, many others but I've ranted about those before so will be quiet now!

IrritableGrizzly · 04/05/2009 15:30

Birdsong - the most yawnworthy pile of crap I have ever encountered. I gave up with it in the end, it was making me so cross.

Jux · 04/05/2009 15:28

The Island, V Hislop. Very very very dull.

I resent it; it would have been a fantastic story if someone good had written it. She's a waste of space as an author.

DuffyFluckling · 04/05/2009 09:01

Actually I answered the question wrong. I don't think those are "a pile of crap". I just really didn't get on with them.

Katisha · 04/05/2009 08:58

Until we came to the end
Netherland
Kite Runner
We need to talk about Kevin
Time Traveller's Wife

I find I have a pretty low patience level with books these days.

missingtheaction · 04/05/2009 08:55

anything by Dickens.

DuffyFluckling · 04/05/2009 08:49

Lovely Bones. Yeesh.

That Ladie's Detective Agency series. Baaaad.

Catch 22. I just can't finish it.

To Kill A Movking Bird. I am going to try this again though.

Poisonwood Bible. Yawn .

SamJamsmum · 04/05/2009 08:49

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill

Just didn't get into it. Kept waiting to be grabbed but it just continued to plod. Others seem to be raving about it.

heuchera · 04/05/2009 08:47

'Confederacy of Dunces'. A bf of mine thought it was the comic classic of the century and said I'd love it.

I hated it and couldn't get further than the first few pages (and I rarely abandon a book unread). Deeply unfunny in my opinion; over-written and with a very unsympathetic hero I couldn't warm to, which is a bit of a stumbling-block, let's face it. I can't see what the fuss is about, yet you see it constantly cited as the funniest book ever

artifarti · 04/05/2009 07:15

MrsMuddle - I forced myself to read MC and it was like swimming through treacle. Seem to remember quite liking ASB, though. A Fine Balance by R Mistry also good if you like that genre.

potatofactory · 04/05/2009 07:08

Night Watch by Sarah Waters. Loved her other books. This one was unconvincing, and i really didn't give a toss what happened to ANY of the characters by the end (not a good sign!)

I ought, i suppose, admit to having enjoyed the first half of Midnight's Children, but I was young and pretentious myself. I never finished it though so something must have gone wrong...!

MrsMuddle · 03/05/2009 23:44

Midnight's Children.

Same reason as above.

I have got A Suitable Boy here, unread, and I was looking forward to taking it on holiday this year.

If anyone has read both of them, I'd be interested to know if, indeed, ASB is as turgid written in a similar style to Midnight's Children.