Most overrated books

[Snowfalling]

I'll probably get flamed for some of these choices but here's my list:

1. Brick lane by Monica Ali. So badly written and researched, i was embarrassed for the author, as I'm from a similar background to her.

1. The God of small things. There was one sentence that was repeated over and over again to the point of toe curling cringe. Something about the twin's hair bobbing. Also generally didn't enjoy the writing or plot. Just absolute crap. I don't get the adulation for this at all.

1. Anything by Maggie o'Farrell or Kate Atkinson. I know people love them both, i just don't get it.

1. Sophie Hannah's more recent books are just dire. The earlier ones were great.

1. Catch 22. Just gibberish. You probably have to be drugged up to enjoy it.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

So which books do you think are overrated?

The alchemist - what a load of pretentious twaddle

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the other books - waffled on and on and on tedious

Eat Pray Love - oh god could she be any further up here own arse never read such pretentious self indulgent rubbish not sure how I finish it

Lovely Bones.

Midnight’s Child by Salman Rushdie - pretentious writing style.

Anything by Joanna Trollope - awful English.

I thought me before you was very mediocre but really liked the sequel.

The girl on the train

Just crap.

Also Ian McEwan. All of it.

I gave up on My Beautiful Friend by Elena Ferranti.

I couldn’t get into Fatty by Dawn French but her live show was brilliant.

I enjoyed Catcher in the Rye!
I really enjoyed Austen and most of the Bronte novels (except tenant of wildfell hall and wuthering heights)
Ashamed to say I've not read most of the rest, but wasn't excited about Captain Corelli's Mandolin

I knew The Secret History would come up, but I loved it.

I loved the Secret History but gave up on the Goldfinch after about 60 pages.

Read the Essex Serpent all the way to the end, no idea why. So overrated and phenomenally dull. The beginning was great and obviously it got loads of praise/awards, but can't see why.

I have never got further than a few chapters into Wuthering Heights.

with you on Ian McEwan PaperFlower - tried to scrub him out of my memory
I have the Essex Serpent on my 'to read' list - may go to the bottom of the pile now Rosa :)

The god of small things is one of my favourite books ever!

But I also thought Elinor Oliphant was codswallop. And agree about anything from Kate Atkinson. Also thought the Miniturist and Essex Serpent were massively overrated. Nothing happens in either! (And the writing isn't good enough to be an enjoyable read without a plot)

My sisters keeper and pretty much every other Jodie Picault book I’ve ever read.

Girl on a train was crap. Writing equivalent of paint by numbers.

I could not understand the fuss over Captain Corelli.

I remember being bored to tears by Northhanger (?) Abbey at school.

Love love love David Mitchell’s storytelling.

@booksandcaffeine It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it as such, when it ended I was a bit "is that it", it just missed something I thought.

Pride and Prejudice. Dear God, they were some boring fuckers.

Little fires everywhere- did not get hype ,forced myself to read to end

HollowTalk I didn't either. I've tried to read Wuthering Heights twice because I thought there must be something wrong with me!
I couldn't get past a couple of chapters.

Also Captain Corelli. My dm loves it and has talked about it a few times but I just couldn't get into it.

Girl on a train. I really don’t mind trashy crime thrillers but it was so badly written and predictable (I never usually guess the killer)

Pride and Prejudice.

The Birdbox, and Before I go to sleep. I really didn’t get on with either of them. And, When God was a rabbit, if I remember rightly my old book group all found that flawed.

Liked Secret History, Goldfinch was a drag.
Mockingbird and Watchman ditto.
The Hobbit - everyone goes on a long walk and then there are eagles.
Lord of the Rings - everyone goes on a really fucking long walk and then there are eagles.
Any Salman Rushdie.
Catch 22 is one of my favourite books though, exceptional satire.
Anything by Zadie Smith.

Catcher in the Rye and the Goldfinch are my favourite books.

Jane Austen who I managed to avoid then had to teach. Boring writing ( no techniques just plodding narrative, tedious plots, deadly pedantic soulless prose), hated it .

Salman Rusdie, despite the fatwa, attention etc have never met anyone who read the actual book.

The world according to Garp