Which book has defeated you?

[xsquared]

Inspired by the top 100 thread, I thought I'd start a thread about books that you've tried reading, perhaps more than once, but given up on.

For me it's bloody Middlemarch! I'm 39 now and I started reading it around 15 hopefully in time to do an English essay about women's roles in 18th century literature, which was met with a "whoo" from my teacher at the time. She was right though.

Tried reading it again in my early 20s but was distracted with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Tried again at least twice more, probably on holiday somewhere and I think I've got to admit defeat. I don't seem to get much further than shortly after Dorothea marries Casauban.

I got half way through War and Peace when it was televised but lost interest when the series finished. I may try it again this year!

The name of the rose.
I couldn't get past the first pages. But then I had watched the movie already, so the motivation wasn't as great.

Also, The Pope's Rhino. I had some interest because of my nationality, as we all hear about us bringing the first rhino to Europe. However, the first chapter starts in a bleak landscape in Denmark and it's incredibly boring IMO.

Maybe I should jump to the second chapter in both.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Everyone I know who read it loved it.

The Great Gatsby. Pretentious, dull pile of wank.

Catch 22 here too.

I love Pratchett but have to be in the mood to read them because the lack of chapters pisses me off when I need to stop reading to help a child or make tea!

Glad not alone with catch 22.

Loved time travellers wife, Jane Austen, hobbit Lotr. Had to admit defeat with a few Dickens though read Christmas carol every other Christmas

War and Peace - tried it as a student when I had a long coach commute to a mindless summer job. If I couldn't manage it then, I'll never manage it. Too many characters for my sub-par concentration span.

Ulysses I did just about finish, but was totally skim-reading by the end, and cannot claim to have understood it, never mind enjoyed it.

I had a failed crack at Bleak House two years ago, but liked it enough to try again - next time I will need a clear head, a notebook, and possibly some York notes if they still exist.

I was coming on to say Ulysses. I've tried to read it three or four times and just did not understand it. I decided to Google it just now and read the Wikipedia page about it. I don't recognize anything from the description.
It was just incomprehensible to me.

Loved Catch 22 and The Catcher in the Rye but read them as a teenager and probably wouldn't revisit them.

Pride & Prejudice is on this this list?? (fans self then faints)

I was fond of Dickens as a youngster (there wasn't much on tv back then and the best things were the classic series!) but I could never get into the Pickwick papers or Martin Chuzzlewit and couldn't finish A Tale of Two Cities ... I know how it ends, must be one of the most famous endings in literature.

The one I rather wish I hadn't finished was Villette. Without a spoiler I can't explain why it pissed me off.

I also haven't finished A Suitable Boy. I used to read solid books on long flights, I got this for my last trip to the Californian office when I was expecting DD, and got maybe a quarter of the way through. Then I didn't have any trips for ages and fell out of the habit of reading much (except every Sir TP as soon as out in paperback) ... I was quite enjoying it but I'm not sure I can bear to start over with it.

I couldn't finish We Need to Talk about Kevin, or The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

It took me a few goes to get into Life of Pi. Once it got to them boarding the boat, I loved it, I just found the beginning tedious with him going on and on about various religons.

I forced myself to finish Her Fearful Symmetry. I loved Time Travellers Wife and was just so disappointed by her second book.

Eat pray love. What a pile of self indulgent shite.

A few books have beaten me over the years, most notably:

The Silmarillion - Tolkien this has defeated me on more occasions than I can remember. Love all his other work though.

Any Jane Austen, with a special mention for Mansfield Park. All overrated turgid garbage.

Jude the Obscure - aptly named. Overall though I'm a Hardy fan

I love Catch-22 though. Have read it at least 6 times and can feel a re-read coming on.

Finnegan's Wake.. ye gods.
It's not the sort of linear book to read from start to finish, so I just dip into it occasionally, to get my mind blown or fucked, not sure which.

For me it's bloody Middlemarch!

I have been reading Middlemarch for MONTHS - I never seem to get much further on but I am definitely going to finish it this year month.

I have just put Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell into a bag for the charity shop.

It's sat by my bed for 10 years and I keep trying to get into it but can't get past the first 100 pages, plus it weighs a tonne.

I hate giving up on a book as some that I've enjoyed the most took quite a while to get into, but I just can't with this one.

I'm glad someone mentioned To The Lighthouse. I got half way through and I had no idea what was going on, if anything at all!
Moby Dick. Seriously, lots of waffle, half way in and they'd only just got on the boat. I was bored and annoyed and I know I'd be disappointed if the boat didn't sink and drown the deathly dull lot of them.
Anything by Alexandre Dumas. I can read Dickens happily. I can read Tolkien. I have attempted to read The Man in the Iron Mask several times and I just can't. Do we really need to know the details of a visit to the tailors that has nothing to do with anything? I lost interest in everyone in the book pretty fast.

I couldn't finish We Need to Talk about Kevin - did you read the end bit to know how it finished up, longtompot? Shocking. I liked the book, though.

Remember loving Catcher In The Rye as a teen.

Have never attempted the really hefty ones like Anna Karenina, War and Peace.

The ones that really spring to my mind as trying and failing several times or thinking were utterly overrated bilge are:

The Hobbit
Captain Correlli
Life of Pi
Time Traveller's Wife

Lots of pps mentioning The Life Of Pi.

Took an age to get into that, but I was glad I persevered in the end as once the action moves onto the sea I thought it was fabulous.

The Silmarillion

Oh, surely that one goes without saying, for those who've ever bothered starting it.

The Luminaries - yawnfest
How to be both - pretentious twattery

@Whitney168 no, I didn't, but I did watch the film when it was on and actually really 'liked' it. I have thought about rereading it, but its just a thought ;)

I also have Cloud Atlas but couldn't make head nor tail of what was going on. We saw the film, and it was incredibly confusing, until a lightbulb moment and it all suddenly made sense, so another I shall try to read. One day.

Don Quixote. Tried so hard but it was awful !!!!

We need to talk about Kevin. Just couldn't cope with it emotionally. Have a difficult relationship with my brother (not suggesting he's a mass murderer or in prison) but it did bring up lots of emotions reading the book so I had to put it down. I kinda figured there are enough books out there that I needn't feel obligated to finish a book just for the sake of it. I may as well spend my (very limited) free time reading one I enjoy.

The Lovely Bones.

I'm not one to give up on a book but I tried and failed three times.