Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What’s your “ How did this crap get published?!” book?

521 replies

MrsGrindah · 20/12/2020 15:37

Just finished The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza. Gosh it was dreadful.Cannot understand how drivel like that gets a publishing deal. There was a scene where, in the middle of a “ dramatic” moment, one of the side characters crosses the room to his wife and “ took hold of the corner of her blouse” . What?! Who does that?! I can’t even picture it.

OP posts:
SunshineThelma · 21/12/2020 07:48

Nine Perfect Strangers will stay with me for a long time because it was absolute bobbins (I left the physical copy in an Airbnb).
Her Name Was Rose - one that came up on my book club list and was the biggest heap of tripe I've ever encountered.

I'm terrible for sticking with books, even if they're the worst. Maybe 2021 is the year to be more ruthless with jettisoning books I'm not enjoying!

hopeishere · 21/12/2020 07:53

Also Fleishman is in Trouble or whatever. Not worth the hype.

And Polly Samson's Theatre of Dreams. Worst book I read this year.

Orangesarenottheonlyfruit · 21/12/2020 08:03

@Livedandlearned

I really struggle to find a decent book nowadays.

Books that are recommended on here sound interesting, I go on my kindle bookstore, find said book and then I go straight to the reviews and that's where I make the decision not to buy the book.

I wasted so much money on disappointing books that I started becoming cautious.

Now I never buy new books and it's a shame but so many have massive hype and are just complete rubbish.

I can't recommed finding a good bookshop more highly. I think I've saved money and hours by using recommendations at my local bookshop. Mine also take online requests and I've never had a duff book from them and I read a lot. mrbsemporium.com/

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Books
HerMammy · 21/12/2020 08:07

The Other Mrs Wilson, supposedly a Waterstones best seller; man at till, you lied!!
Could have been great; was atrocious.

PimlicoJo · 21/12/2020 08:11

I'm glad others have mentioned Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris. It was absolute rubbish. Worst book I've ever read by a mile.

SimplyRadishing · 21/12/2020 08:24

Jodi picoult - perfect match.
In fact anything by her. If someone gives you a copy just treat yourself and put it in the bin.

CleanQueen123 · 21/12/2020 08:42

Eat, Pray, Love. I can actually tolerate the film as a bit of light nonsense you don't really need to watch but I didn't even make it through half of the book before it went to the charity shop.

wellthatsunusual · 21/12/2020 08:43

I loved some of these. I can put up with plot holes and the like if I find it entertaining. They only annoy me when I find it dull.

The Da Vinci Code is no great work of literature but I found it entertaining enough. Whereas, having found that to be a bit of fun nonsense, I read Angels and Demons, expecting more of the same. It was nonsense all right, but not the fun sort of nonsense, just the crap sort. Main character escapes the baddies by jumping out of a helicopter (or maybe it was a plane) using a sheet or similar for a parachute. Hmm

The worst book I've ever read was some chick lit nonsense with a pink cover there the protagonist falls in love with a man her own age, who is naturally really hot and they are in a relationship. Then she meets his father and falls in love with him instead and ends up marrying him. Then she realises it's actually the son she loved after all so she divorces the dad and marries the son instead. And both the dad and the son politely put up with all this! Can't remember what it was called though. And I can't believe I actually read it.

TheChosenTwo · 21/12/2020 08:46

Nine perfect strangers was indeed absolute bollocks! Such a weird concept and thoroughly unbelievable. Hated it. Although felt it started off promisingly.

3rdNamechange · 21/12/2020 08:49

The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Bloody awful.

rookiemere · 21/12/2020 08:49

I normally love Lynne Moriarty books, but Nine Perfect Strangers veered from her normal style of portraying normal lives, i didn't hate it but it wasn't brilliant.

likeacrow · 21/12/2020 08:56

@corlan

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. A self indulgent, unrelenting misery fest. I only got it because it was recommended on Mumsnet!
This is one of my all-time favourite books. I thought it was so moving and beautifully written. Most "chick lit" I find completely unreadable.
GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 21/12/2020 08:58

From a former insider, never believe ‘puffs’ by another author on the cover. They’ll have been asked to do them and probably won’t like to say no. I know one fairly well known author who did one anyway for a book she thought was dire.

I liked On Chesil Beach and Eleanor Oliphant. Each to her own....

Agree about The Girl on The Train though. I was distinctly underwhelmed, although it started reasonably well. Which was very annoying, since it’s better to know by about page 5 if a book is not worth wasting any more time on.

pickingdaisies · 21/12/2020 09:00

I loved Where the Crawdads sing!
Hilary Mantel, beyond black. Put me off attempting Wolf Hall etc.
Margaret Atwood, The Testaments. I mean, after all this time, if that's the best sequel you can come up with, why bother? (Mind you, Oryx and Crake etc should have been fair warning)
The lovely bones, yuck. And a whole slew of murder victim exploitation books, make my skin crawl. Which reminds me, Stephen King. He's far too fond of young victims. I read "It" when I was very much younger, it totally gripped me, I've been terrified of clowns ever since. I sort of didn't question the dodgy bits (underage sex). But I've just read The Outsider, and those alarm bells are ringing loud and clear.
Let's just say he's in no position to question JKR's credentials.

Ragwort · 21/12/2020 09:00

Like totally agree with you about 'A Little Life', I agree it was so well written and thought provoking. It was a book club choice and opinion was very divided on it, I did read it when I was away on a very relaxing beach holiday so perhaps it helped that I had enough time to really get into it. But yes, I loved it and it was one of my most memorable reads that year.

BrandyandDeath · 21/12/2020 09:05

That Brighton thriller writer, Peter James. FIL made me read a book of his. A thrill a minute if you like pointless mentions of what model car various minor characters are driving, and lots of misogynist wank fodder (I only tortured and murdered the woman because me ma was a redheaded hoor who seduced me and I subsequently set fire to her lolz).

BrandyandDeath · 21/12/2020 09:07

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

From a former insider, never believe ‘puffs’ by another author on the cover. They’ll have been asked to do them and probably won’t like to say no. I know one fairly well known author who did one anyway for a book she thought was dire.

I liked On Chesil Beach and Eleanor Oliphant. Each to her own....

Agree about The Girl on The Train though. I was distinctly underwhelmed, although it started reasonably well. Which was very annoying, since it’s better to know by about page 5 if a book is not worth wasting any more time on.

Re: author puffs, I love Marian Keyes, but if I see her glowing approval on the cover I auto-bin the book now.
likeacrow · 21/12/2020 09:09

@Ragwort I also really enjoyed Time Travellers Wife and Girl in the Train. Each to their own I guess! I wouldn't read 50 Shades if you paid me (well, unless it was like a decent amount Grin) as from the excerpts I've seen, the writing is horrendous. And I struggled with Great Gatsby too. I found it quite dull.

likeacrow · 21/12/2020 09:10

Oh and Eleanor Oliphant was great too!

BrandyandDeath · 21/12/2020 09:12

@Judashascomeintosomemoney

Also, The Luminaries Is there a person alive who genuinely read every word through to the end?
I so wanted to like it.
HavfrueDenizKisi · 21/12/2020 09:15

This might out me a bit as I totally slated this at my book club; but The Tattooist of Auschwitz. I was actually seething.

I know it is supposed to be the recollections of an old man who lived through the horrors of the holocaust but it was so awful. And not awful in a historical sense, but the retold story actually totally trod rough shod over the real experience of those who lived/were murdered in concentration camps. It downplayed the horrors. There are so many properly written experiences or researched books one could choose. This one was a travesty.

I did actually like the goldfinch but not the secret history which was raved about.

SionnachRua · 21/12/2020 09:18

Harry Potter, such irritating books. Hated them as a child and hate them now.

Ragwort · 21/12/2020 09:19

Like I also enjoyed Girl on a Train, haven't tried The Time Travellers Wife but may try it now on your recommendation, thank you.

I couldn't even bring myself to open FIfty Shades, who on earth reads that garbage ... we get loads donated to the Charity shop I manage, they go straight into recycling Grin.

SwanShaped · 21/12/2020 09:28

@tenlittlecygnets mine love it too but it’s so awful I had to hide it. I can’t even bear to read it to them. Luckily there’s lots of actually good kids books out there!

mum2jakie · 21/12/2020 09:29

A Will Self book without any punctuation or sentences. What a pile of self indulgent wank.