Books you expected to be terrible or had no feeling about...

[NotYoMomma]

that grabbed you and made you love them?

has a book ever taken you by surprise?

what was it and why?

Roots by Alex Haley. I read it very young and it altered my view if world history forever. Have read it numerous times since.

A Clockwork Orange - for ages I thought it was so hideous that I would never be able to finish it, and couldn't get past about page six. Then it suddenly 'clicked' and I devoured it in one sitting. I'd now out it into one of my top five books of all time, I think.

DH read The Wasp Factory about 20 years ago and warned me not to go near it as it was so horrific.

I'm a real Iain Banks fan and when he made the sad announcement about his illness I resolved to read all his books chronologically, starting with TWF. I loved it. Very original and dark. Funny in places too, in a twisted way. Not what I expected at all.

I'm obviously less sensitive than DH thought

Oh I wrote my a level essay on the wasp factory. Really great book and a fantastic read as a teenager.

I was surprised to find I really liked Wolf Hall. I was expecting to find it a difficult read, but it wasn't and I loved it.

Also, Lady Chatterley's Lover - I read it recently simply because I hadn't read it. I wasn't expecting to like it. I had imagined it would be quite an unpleasant novel, but again was pleasantly surprised and really liked it.

Tyme's End by B.R.Collins.
I was in the mood for a trashy YA ghost story. Turned out to be amazingly dark, subtle and profound, and really, really haunting.
She's an incredible writer. I haven't quite figured out why she isn't better known and appreciated. She's never really had a YA hit let alone a crossover one.