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!

Gave up on LOTR twice. Somehow I don't think its worth the effort.
But War and Peace and Anna Karenina are really worth persevering with! And yes, skim the war bits.

I tried and failed a couple of times with A Place of Greater Safety but then for some reason went back to it one more time and loved it. Now it's one of my favourite books.

Love how so many of the same books keep getting mentioned. I've "read" catch 22 twice and it's still gone straight over my head- I remember what the " catch" is but that's about it and ive tried Wuthering heights so many times but i just can't relax into it.

The Ambassadors. Just gave up on it.
The Curious Incident of the bloody Dog.

Loved Middlemarch, it is so well written, but had to re-read some sentences. I had the time, then.

The hearts invisible furies. Was recommended on here but I can't get on with it. Have picked it up and put it down a million times.

I just couldn’t get away with LOTR. I’ve tried 3 times but I just can’t.

Cloud Atlas couldn’t hold my interest either.

I loved Anna Karenina.

My favourite book is Rebecca, I’ve read it over and over and never get bored of it.

Possession by AS Byatt. Tried it 3 times since it first came out over 20 years ago. Had one last go last year, got 1/3 way through then read the epilogue. Loved the style of the epilogue and wish the whole book could have been written like that. I found it ploddy and full of literary references that I just didn't get.

Wolf Hall and A Prayer for Owen Meany ... If anyone can explain why either book is any good I’d love to hear.
I haven't read Wolf Hall but I have read most of (but not finished) A Place of Greater Safety. Mantel does have some fantastic turns of phrase but there is a lot to wade through to get to the good bits. Lots of unnecessary and irrelevant side-tracks. She needs a stronger editor.

I've never finished Ulysses. I used to think that it was my fault and I should persevere but then decided no, it's the book's fault. There are plenty of other, better books to read.

I've just read the thread expecting to see my nemesis: Pamuk"s "Snow"

The only book I have failed to finish. Ever.

On paper, it's great for me - Kurds, eastern Turkey, politics, Pamuk... Not so much in reality

There's a trick to Dickens - I always thought I hated him, and had no idea why I'd taken "Bleak House" to Africa with me. (Actually, I do-because it's 2" thick and most of the rest of my luggage was full of work stuff, so I didn't have much room for books. Ah, those pre-Kindle days!): that trick is perseverance! Basically, I discovered that you have to read long enough and far enough on the first go - once you are in to it, it's brilliant and you can't wait to get back to it. Heaven help you, though, if you only have ten minutes at a time!

It's interesting to see the convergence and divergence on this thread: there's a number of books I love and have read numerous times slated here - but I'm glad to see I'm not alone in finding Tolkien turgid

Trainspotting! Argh I have tried and tried and I just can't get on with it.

I must try again now I've given it a couple of years.

Ulysses. God help me, I just can't do it

Oh God, I've read Snow and it was a slog. I didn't find any of the characters remotely sympathetic. My name is red was quite good but I wouldn't try any of his others.

Trainspotting I thought was brilliant, once I'd got used to the phonetic spelling, but I'd never read it again. The bits from Begbie's pov were too harrowing.

Oops. Just realised I haven't read Shadow of the Wind and the boom I loved was in fact The Name of the Wind. Rather different, one imagines.

Trainspotting! Argh I have tried and tried and I just can't get on with it.

Was it the phonetic Glaswegian edition? I persevered with that because I fancied the pants off a man from Paisley at the time. I had fantasies of him reading it to me, but to no avail.

me too on Ulysses

And yes to the pp who said the Elena Ferrante books. I found that Eimear McBride book (a girl is a half formed thing) incomprehensible too.

these days I don't force myself to finish any book.

Then again, I liked War and Peace, Anna Karenina and the Luminaries.

Oh yes! I quit Snow too. It was just too.much hard work.

The Road
Vanity Fair

I’ve mentioned this on the 50 books thread but I am about to give up on A girl is a half formed thing. Is it worth persevering? I just can’t follow the writing style.

Sadly it's Lord of the rings for me. I've tried several times, but I can barely get through a few pages before I think 'sod it'.

Loved Cloud Atlas.
Liked the Wool trilogy.

Quite proud that I managed to read the whole of Gnomon (Nick Harkaway). Long, weird narrative structure, obscure vocabulary. Not sure it was worth it.

The novel I've failed to read (despite starting it more than once) is Foucault's Pendulum.

If any of you are a bit masochistic with your reading, do give Gnomon a go. Bring a dictionary.

Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It’s my dm’s favourite book and I have tried so many times (even on audio book) and I just absolutely cannot find anything redeeming in it at all (probably a very unpopular view) and I have never yet finished it. Also gave up with the Goldfinch but persevered with Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit.

Love Middlemarch. I see A Prayer For Owen Meany gets a few slaggings on this thread; both books are in my top ten. But for the life of me I cannot get into Wuthering Heights. Or Catcher in the Bloody Rye either.

Da Vinci Code . Tried twice but decided that life is too short .

Go Set a Watchman (so disappointing).
The Luminaries (I was simultaneously confused and bored).

Like many PPs I read most of my big hitting classics pre DC (as a post graduate I could take up to 20 books out of the university library which had a glorious fiction section and I gorged on it for three wonderful years!).

Wolf Hall and To Kill A Mocking Bird. Finished them both - eventually- but my word it was like pulling teeth!

Loved Catch 22 and Cloud Atlas.