What is the most tedious book you have ever read?

[Figmentofmyimagination]

I am going out on a limb here for my first thread - I am struggling through The Well of Loneliness by Radcliffe hall. Aargh. I read it out of "historical interest" because I was interested by her boldness and by the obscenity trial etc but bloody hell she should have got herself an editor. The writing is truly dire. I am not sure I am actually going to make it to the end.

Middlemarch. It was awful. And yet some say it's the best novel ever written. I only read possibly around 50 pages. Totally dire.

Can't believe poisonwood bible! I love that book. It's one of my desert island all time favourites.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton, and 50 shades. Admittedly I only read the rudey bits of 50 shades but they were both unbearable tripe!

Cold Comfort Farm.

I'd heard it was hilarious!

'Portrait of a Lady'- I had to read it at university. Even one of the lecturers said it takes 125 pages to get going. It made me cry.

The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriever.I will never ever read one of her books again.

Ghost of the Mary Celeste.

Can't even remember who wrote it and I've just finished it. It was soooooo slow and disjointed and it just ended....no closure, pissed me off.

I agree with The Goldfinch. And I'm currently 2/3 through The Mountains Echoed and not loving it so yes yes to that too.

I never managed to get through The Life of Pi.
And most chick lit these days - I don't know how I used to devour it, my bullshit radar has obviously refined itself.

Wolf hall. Fuck me. It was worse than homework! Couldn't do the hundred year old man but am
Now listening to the audiobook which I am enjoying a lot.

I loved Room!! And I am pilgrim!!

Yes to The Hundred Year Old Man. And Heart of Darkness.
And my new nomination is Peter Scott's The Eye of the Wind.
I love wildlife so an autobiography of someone so influential should have been brilliant. And it kind of was when we finally got to the wildlife and conservation stuff. But he was a keen sailor, and before I got to the wildlife I had to read detailed descriptions of every race he'd ever sailed in, the boat he raced, the ropes he pulled in order to carry out which manoeuvre. Death by boat race.

But I loved The Time Travellers Wife!

Oh yes Never Let Me Go. A whole load of nothingness!!

Also A Girl is a Half Fomed Thing, I managed about two pages before it went into the recycling

And yes to the Hundred Yr Old.
The next one is even worse.

Three of my favourite ever books are on here!! I must have terrible taste :(

The only book that's ever made me furious at myself for persevering with it was Shantaram by Gregory someone. DREADFUL.

The Davinci Code. Although that probably doesn't count as adult fiction.

I can't much beyond the Introduction to Don Quixote but when I finally make it (although life will probably prove too short) I'm sure I'll appreciate it.

There are several books mentioned that I've enjoyed. I'd love to understand how this different occurs and how other find something great in a book I've found awful.

Generally if I find a book tedious (such as Wolf Hall and The Historian) I know if I hand it over to my mum she'll enjoy it.

The life of pi-total drivel
Anything by ben orki-never got more than 30 pages in.
Agree with middlemarch
One day is utter rubbish

Zusuki Tristram Shandy is one of the best novels ever ( once you get into it).

Meanwhile I tried so much to love LOTR and I just can't bear it. Never managed more than 80 pages. Dull and wtf is the poetry for?

Also, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Bland "hero", gratuitous violence, dull contrived plot. Why on earth was it so successful? And no, she isn't a feminist icon, just a very vulnerable person perpetuating the violence she encountered. Understandable but really not cool.

Agree with Goldfinch. I couldn't have cared less by the end.

Love and summer by William Trevor was dreadful

But but far the worst was The land of green plums

I've also seen a few mentioned on here that I really enjoyed, although nothing that falls into the love category yet. Apart from Portrait of a lady which I did love!

One thing that can affect my opinion of a book though is how much time I get to read it. If I'm busy so don't have much time to read, and am too tired to read much by the time I get to bed, then a book can take ages and feel like it's dragging on forever. And then the same book in a quieter period of time can flash past and become absorbing. For that reason I carefully time when I start epics like Wolf Hall as I don't want to hate it purely because I'm too busy to concentrate.

Withering heights

(I'm sorry)

Those Bronte girls are a miserable bunch if you ask me.

I also read Jane Eyre. I can't, for the life of me, figure why she fell in love with Mr Rochester. He was a twunt!!

After reading those two I never read anything my mother told me to read again.

*Wuthering

(Autocorrect)

Totally agree with that Glorious!

Trouble with the tedious ones is that they're so tedious I can't remember them now!