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?

Haven’t read the whole thread but there are so many I agree with

Elena Ferrante - I tried so hard with My Beautiful Friend, I was really looking forward to reading the whole trilogy but I had to give up. I just couldn’t stand her writing style.

Me Before You

Sally Rooney ‘Conversations with friends’. Such utterly unlikeable characters.

The book I still loathe more than any other though is ‘Labyrinth’ by Kate Mosse. I must have read it 20 years ago yet I still feel rage when I think about it. IT MADE NO SENSE AT ALL. My lip curls involuntarily whenever I see her name anywhere.

I LOVE David Mitchell’s books however and think he is an actual literary genius 😁

Oh god yes, The Essex Serpent - That gets my vote too.

Oh no! Some of my favourite books are on here! Love David Mitchell, Wuthering Heights, Time Traveller's Wife...

And Dickens has his moments, great with words, some hilarious characters, but yes the series of coincidences and some idiotic decisions by characters does get my goat.

Now Lord of the Rings... that is definitely overrated. Though I liked the films.

Tess was a great book but I didn't enjoy reading it. Jude the Obscure OTOH is a fantastic book although very dark and upsetting. The film adaptation with Kate Winslet was excellent.

XX I love I Capture the Castle - I also read it as an adult but I still love it.

Never got past page 17 of Captain Corelli's Mandolin - maybe I should have persevered.

A little life - listened to it on Audible, my god after about 20 hrs I was so bored of Judes whiny voice, even though it was well written I wished it had focused a little more on the other characters.

Girl on a Train - all of the women are written identically so it's practically impossible to keep track on who is being talked about- made a great play though.

Most books these days - but special mention to Daughter- where apparently nobody wants a linear progressive plot any more so lots of jerky time switching which makes it hard to keep the thread of whats going on and for me spoils the story.

Good point about classic literature. I had to read the Mayor of Casterbridge and the Grapes of Wrath at school and the dissection and discussion of every tiny point drove me mad and I hated them.

Roll on ten years and I read them again and loved them. Depends on the book, of course, but there's something in that.

@JuneFromBethesda Glad you feel like that about Labyrinth. Reading it was like eating sand.

EightAce I think that might be why I found Great Expectations so boring at school; I had to dissect every nuance etc. I've always liked the films and the TV series that was on when I was growing up.

I felt the same about Shakespeare when I was at school, but I like them now. Of course, they're so much better when you see them on stage.

I have been trying to read more of the classics recently.

Some of them I have absolutely loved (Wuthering Heights, Germinal, Great Expectations).

However I have just trogged through DH fucking Lawrence's The Rainbow. I have never been so glad to finish at book. What tiresome drivel! I really liked Lady Chatterley's Lover but I guess that was much more racy

Quite a few recently

Eleanor oliphant felt lazy
Dolly alderton everything I know about love
Hard pushed (this is just out and I didn't think it was finished properly)
Ask me his name/ feathering the empty nest? couldn't be arsed to finish it it was so tedious)

Boy in the striped pyjamas

Omg kite runner was shit and the rest of them too were just beyond

Matt Haig How to Stop Time..all the hype...was a let down.
The Woman In the Window- dire

Most "classic" books to be honest.
and anything Shakespeare.

Remains of the Day. Dullsville. Nothing happens!

Most "classic" literature is turgid dross, and only became classic because there were so few people actually writing in those days - only rich white people.

That said, most "hyped" debuts these days are pure shite too.

A Discovery of Witches - started well but then seemed to forget what it was about half way through before descending into complete rubbish. Never bothered with the other two, but I've heard they're even worse.

Atonement is absolutely the worst book I've ever had the misfortune to read.

Never been able to get beyond the first chapter of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.

Perfume by Patrick Suskind - don’t understand the rave reviews, it’s like they read a totally different book! I found it both repugnant and also quite boring to read.

Tolkein's Hobbit and Ring books. OH introduced me to the Hobbit 50 years ago, before it became trendy, bt I couldn't get into it, ditto the Ring books. I can't even watch the films, 15 minutes is my current record!

Ok, now I'm shocked for realies!

Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day is one of the most perfect books imaginable. Not a syllable is out of place. His Never Let Me Go is completely different but equally perfect. Beautifully written, deeply moving...

Seth's A Suitable Boy is WONDERFUL and FASCINATING. As are all his books... again, wildly different from one another.

And the oeuvre of Thomas Hardy is something I couldn't live without.

As for Shakespeare...

I am going to go and cuddle my bookshelves and scowl over my shoulder at you vipers.

Because I love Tudor history and find the characters and politics of that era fascinating I persisted with and struggled through Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. I find Hilary Mantel's writing style irritating, tedious and her teenage style crush on Thomas Cromwell makes me cringe. I will not be reading any more of her books, there is no reward for the effort.

Da Vinci Code-felt embarrassed to have read such utter drivel.
Captain Corelli
The Miniaturist
Never understand the hype around Potter either. I tried to read one of them expecting great writing. It's really not

oTOH love all of Austen Bronte etc. And Kate Atkinson. Think she's a wonderful writer.

Never understand the hype around Potter either. I tried to read one of them expecting great writing.

JK Rowling has surely never been known as a great writer, though! I mean, I love HP and I love her Robert Galbraith books but they're not great writing.