To ask about the worst book you have ever read.

[Whereisthecoffee]

Title says it all really. What book or books have you absolutely hated and why?

50 Shades was utter crap. If that girl 'bit her lip' and looked pensive once, she did it a thousand times. And the writing was so bad. I gave it up after about 4 pages.

It did start out as twilight fan fic. Meyer only appear to know 3 adjectives.

The Goldfinch was such a massive disappointment. I don't think I even got to end.
In my backpacking days I read a couple of Martina Cole books. Fuck me I can't believe she has sold so many, just beyond awful. Who buys that shite?!

And I didn't hate it, but "Jude the Obscure" sent my mood downwards for a good few weeks after finishing it. Unbelievably depressing.

Captain Corelli and his damn Mandolin. I had a copy, my sister and my parents. None of us finished it and we are all normally voracious readers. I found it DULL

On chesil beach. Pile of toss. Awful bloody book.

I can't remember the name, but I bought a Terry Brooks fantasy novel that was really depressing as the characters met gory ends one by one. I can't even remember what it was about, just the sense of depression as I plodded on with it. Normally, I'm happy to abandon something I find dull, but I was stuck on the Trans Siberian for 4 days so had little else to do but plod on.

The launch of the Kindle a few years later must have saved many a traveller from bad relationships with bad books

ooh now I liked we are all completely beside ourselves. I thought it was properly original and didn't see the early twist. also love the secret history and have read it a million times but I first read it when I was around 17 - I do wonder whether I'd have considered it pretentious nonsense if I'd come to it later.
Ian mcewan is one I can't get on with - you can see he's a great stylist but it all feels lacking in heart and like you're being manipulated somehow.

I loved The God Of Small Things

The Divinci code.
Threw it across the room, at the wall three times.
Put it in the bin when I finally finished it.
I never throw books away until that one.
I only persevered because I was madly in love with the man who brought it for me.
He turned out to be a complete wanker.

God I still get the rage thinking about it.

Also everything by Thomas Hardy. Utter tripe!

The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman by louis de bernieres

I read Captain Corellis Mandolin, then got this..... utter boring pile of s*hite

@brieislife, I'm glad you said that. I love Bill Bryson's travel books, but the two you mentioned I found a real slog - I don't think I even managed to finish Mother Tongue. I desperately wanted to like them, but it wasn't to be.

Also everything by Thomas Hardy. Utter tripe!

This is blasphemous!

Oh I love Thomas Hardy (I'm from Dorset and I love reading about Wessex!)

I also hated the Goldfinch - in fact I remember posting on Facebook (something I do very very rarely) asking my friends if it was worth persevering, as I found it so heavy-going. I didn't find it boring, but I found the subject-matter really upsetting. (I don't want to post any spoilers!). I loved the Secret History though.

I love 18th & 19th century literature generally, but some novels I haven't been able to finish are:
Wuthering Heights .... depressing
Middlemarch .... just soooo boooooooring
Crime and Punishment .... omg sooooooooooooo boring
Nicholas Nickleby - just so sad, I love Dickens but Dotheboys Hall is a step too far for me

Moden novels:

The Essex Serpent. I did finish it but that was because I honestly thought that it would turn itself around and redeem itself with an amazing ending. Boy was I disappointed. It was recommended to me by so many people, and it was sooo disappointing.

I can't remember which Philip Roth book I ploughed through almost to the end (something about a bloke with a prostate problem and a US election) but oh my god what a self-important writer he is, and what a misogynist. Urgh.

DH cannot get through Birdsong. He's currently on his fourth attempt. It's one of my favourite books of all time!

I'll probably get lynched for saying this as I've realised that there is a lot of love around for this book,but I found Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen utterly boring. It was one of my set books for O level literature (showing my age here,no such thing as GCSEs when I was at school!) and thought maybe I didn't like it because I HAD to read it. So I tried again about 10 years later. Nope. Still boring.

Brilliant post! So reassuring to see that some of the books I thought were a waste of time reading are on other people's list.

Atonement
The lovely bones
On Chesil beach...the absolute worst

RaspberryRipple you are not the only one!

I have tried several times over the years to read P&P. I just can't do it. I can't even get past the first 3 pages without nodding off. I try, I really do 🤷🏻‍♀️

Martina Cole was good at the beginning but they became so samey.
Her best book is The Ladykiller, not her usual Brit gangster style at all.

oh god, yes the davinci code (and other books by that author.

mansplaining drivel

Time Travellers Wife. I know several people who loved it though.

Thomas Hardy is a complete wanker. How can you like his work? Really how?
I'm sorry to spoil it for you.
But Tommy is an utter cunt.
End of.

I will never change my mind.

Effendi Tbf the ladykiller is fucking Excellent.

I have a signed copy.

@PlinkPlink
I feel the same about Dickens

Tenderness of wolves was also dull. Far too much snow for my liking