to think this is the most over-rated book ever

[SlightlyJaded]

'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things'

I love books. From big dramatic plotlines and epic storylines to subtle and beautfifully written prose with well drawn characters. I like quirky books, classic books, modern literature, poetry - anything well written or engaging.

I almost never have to 'force' myself to finish a book but always do finish a book if I've started (why do we do that? ) but thought 'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things' was the dullest most over-rated dross I've ever read.

Or did I miss something?

And yes, this should be in books, but I prefer AIBU

If we are slagging off the Brontes please may I nominate "Villette". Yuk.

Da Vinci Code: written by a computer with so little structure and imagination it was depressing.

Foucaults Pendulum: one of the few books I stopped reading

Catcher in the Rye...what?

Anything by Brett Easton Ellis.

Anything by Jane Austen

Little Dorrit

Clarissa

Thomas Hardy is forgiven because he wrote Jude the Obscure.

Enduring Love, Dinah Rod. Great opening, then zzzzz.

Oh yes, all McEwan. Can't stand Sebastian Faulks either - I find his characters totally unconvincing.

I read the first two pages of Time Traveller's Wife and threw away with great force.

Also agree about Wuthering Heights - although I do mean to give it another chance one day. I find it hard to believe that people in Yorkshire are fired by elemental passions (unless you're talking Sean Bean)

I put The Slap on my list and took it off a few weeks ago after reading all the reactions to it.

The worst book I have ever read is The White Family by Maggie Gee.

Short-listed for awards - check
Plastered in quotes and huge acclaim - check
About a subject matter I am interested in - check.

In reality - awful awful awful, one-dimensional characters that just exist to represent the author's views on race and immigration and spout unbelievable dialogue that is totally humour and humanity free. The main character is a racist park keeper who works in a place called Albion Park (GEDDITTT?????) where he closes the gates each night (GEDDITTT?????). His son is racist because he secretly has homosexual fantasies about black men. The daughter marries not just any guy but an African prince. Who is now dead to save the author doing any characterisation on the only non-white character in the book (if I recall correctly). I kept putting it down, re-reading the reviews and saying to myself Tondelayo, give it another go. But I got three-quarters of the way through and couldn't TAKE IT ANY MORE.

Which is a shame as I have read lots of articles by the author and she comes across as a good sort whose writing I should like.

Don't get me started on Wolf Hall. The only person who enjoyed that book was Hilary Mantel.. i was so excited to read it but just couldn't keep track of all the chnages in tense and syntax and character. Everyone was referred to as "he" without using their names so you had no idea who was in the scene, apart from lots of men. Grrr.

Excuse my typos- I can both read and write effectively!

I loved Wuthering Heights, and the Time-Traveler's Wife, which is spelt with one L because it's by an American, was kinda ok, but the most overrated overhyped books ever ever ever are Jonathan Franzen's. I gave up whne turds started talking, but then they had been all along...though Zadie Smith. Pure shite. And Monica Ali = death.

Ooh yes sieglinde. Brick Lane - what drear that was. I don't mind Zadie Smith though.

Oh, and Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. Did it for A Level and it was single handedly (if a book can be single-handed, ahem) responsible for me deciding not to do English Lit at university.

Utter utter utter useless drivel.

"Also agree about Wuthering Heights - although I do mean to give it another chance one day"

IMO it doesn´t improve

I mean the characters are all so horrible.

Love story-between who?

Heathcliff & himself?
Cathy & herself?

I quite enjoyed 'Vilette' till the very end which sucks very badly.

I loved The Slap - I think it says a great deal about undiscussed sides of family life, and what family is, and what binds us to those we love. I also found the choices interesting that the author made in terms of whose viewpoints he chose to convey and in what order. So there.

Agree with Sebastian Faulks being massively overrated, though.

Oh I don't mind horrible characters diddl. Uncle Matthew in Love in a Cold Climate is my on of my favourites - right-wing, reactionary aristo. IRL I would hate him but I find him rather endearing as a fictional character.

In my head, Cathy is Dolores O'Riordan from the Cranberries, whom I also find very annoying.

Cathy and Heathcliff would have both benefitted from more time on the naughty step in childhood.

The one and only good thing about reading Wuthering Heights is - as someone said above- it makes you appreciate Cold Comfort Farm more.

I love Foucault's Pendulum! Eco's later stuff is pretty bad though.

I second whoever said Jane Austen- I find her writing so dull and parochial. OK for a TV adaptation but otherwise....

I can't stand the 'men' writers. Philip Roth is the perfect example. And Henry Miller. Yuk.

Can I just add that I read 'The Slap' and I quite enjoyed it - once you got past the fruity language (and I don't think I am such a prude!) it was an interesting read. Though I don't think I would like any of the characters in real life ...

I would nominate Time Traveller's Wife as the most overrated load of tosh - utter drivel

Can I be really heinous and add the Harry Potter books to the bonfire ...

Can I heartily recommend reading Wuthering Heights as a satire? I did (couldn't help it really, specially once the puppy hanging starts) and really quite enjoyed it. Everyone in it is horrible and selfish. The idea of Heathcliff as romantic in any way is monumentally fucked up. Who next? Dracula?

Most over-rated book ever...that is some stiff competition. Most hyped up books are totally unreadable IMO. First prize for me goes to Atonement, an essentially plotless book that nevertheless serves to reinforce the stereotype of girls lying about sexual abuse. One or two of the war bits were alright, but the rest was frankly loathsome.

Wide Sargasso Sea - it's ruuubbish, it's not a modern classic fgs just because Mr Rochester is in it. It's fan-fic.

Oh yes Pamela by Samuel Richardson, one of the first novels apparently. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of an irritating girl cunningly avoiding rape, and being beaten/felt up by another woman, before she finally agrees to marry would-be rapist because he is rich. Yum. Save yourself time and read "Shamela" by Henry Fielding which is hilarious and very very short. :o

Another book I hated was the Thorn Birds, oh, and Gone With the Wind.

Didn´t like the main female characters.

"Frankly my dear,I don´t give a damn"

And neither did I

Elephants - Wild Sargasso Sea as fan-fic . I don't agree, but that did make me smile.

I loved Wuthering Heights when I was an angst ridden teen. I re-read it last year and was so cross with Cathy and Heathcliff that my husband nearly took the book from me. God they both needed a good slap!

I am worried about re reading Hardy, I used to love him.

I liked Kevin and Time travelers wife, and even bits of Captain Corelli. I agree Ian Banks is totally over rated, ditto Sebastian Faulks. And you can't slag of Orwell, its against the law, I love him.

Wolf Hall was shite, I couldn't keep track and got bored half way through. Most over rated crap would have to be anything by Cecila bloody Aherne.

Wide Sargasso Sea as fan-fic!

The Thorn Birds - ah, I remember that - it should only be read by teenage girls who have previously only had access to chaste Woman's Weekly romantic fiction.

Right glasto - while you're here, what is likeable about Wuthering Heights? I am truly mystified.

I liked Wolf Hall, but then I'm a massive history geek.

Glastocrat - well of course 1984 and Animal Farm are genius and Homage to Catalonia v good too.

But have you actually struggled through, with bleeding eyes as it's so shite read D&O in P&L?!

Grr, strikethrough didn't work!