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.

Ulysses...

Also, to a lesser extent, Catch 22.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared M. Diamond. What a wordy bore!

Anna Karenina. Had been recommended it... I finished it, and thought about the hours of my life I will never get back.

Guns, Germs and Steel is a cracking read!

Isn't it funny how opinions vary so wildly?

So so glad to see Sophie's world on the list
I think I've tried to read it once a year since it came out, I get about 10 pages from the end and give up
Tomorrow it's going in the recycling

50 Shades
Fell asleep in film version too

Don't like over descriptive books so found LOTR tedious, Dickens painful and Labyrinth dull, dull, dull.

It's like the authors were writing screenplays instead of novels and wanted to leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. I like reading books that spark off my imagination not restrict it.

There must be more but I can't think at the moment.

Heartisaspade, I so agree with you about Rachel Cusk.

Oh yes, can't believe I forgot Sons and Lovers - had to do it for A level. Put me off Lawrence for life.

The ground beneath her feet by Salman Rushdie and Wolf Hall. The only two books ever to beat me!

H is for Hawk. Wanted to like it but so dull........

The 100 year old man
Da vinci code
Room
Lemon cake sadness one
The Bone Clocks
Wolf Hall

I think Wolf Hall must be the most 'marmite' book of all times.

Personally, I loved it.

Also loved H is for Hawk - but I have always had a longing to try falconry.

Agree re Moz's autobiog. I am a huge Smiths fan and still had quite a lot of affection for the man himself until I read that. I thought the first 15 pages or so were brilliant, but then it went on and on and on and got worse and worse and worse and more and more and more self indulgent. An absolute wank-fest.

Our Mutual Friend. Snooze.

Testament of Youth. Snore.

Loved WH, have just re-read it and about to start BUTB. Books are so personal! I love Dune. And Anna Karenina.

I''ve just given up on three tedious books in a row. Therapy by David Lodge (second attempt), and The Mimic Men by V. S. Napaul.

Also The Vermillion Gate, about the rise of the Communist party in China and the true story of a couple of dedicated party members. Brilliant book for those nights where you can't sleep - I never managed more than two pages at a time without nodding off. Dull doesn't even begin to describe it - dozens of names and dates of every political meeting ever held. Including committees and sub-committees. I gave up by page 100, which took me an eternity to reach. This was also a second attempt.

Zadie Smith also bores me to tears, with a special mention for The Autograph Man.

On the other hand, I enjoyed The Hare with Amber Eyes which a pp mentioned upthread .

That reminds me I once read an account of village life in early communist China, written by a compliant Westerner. Probably my dullest book ever.

Thanks to this site I decided against the Morrissey autobiog. I think I got the best bits off a radio review anyway!

Sons and Lovers. God, I hated having to read this a school, what's his face getting all wanky over Clara's shoulders, it bored the arse off me. It was our set book for highers. I gave up and wrote about Graham Greene's the Comedians instead.

Sons and Lovers, is that the one where she has an orgasam breastfeeding her baby?

I remember reading that in my late teens and thinking my word, this is so written by a man. I hadn't had a baby yet so didn't know what it felt like but it was ridiculous.

Thomas Hardy is another one who had strange woman ideas.

Galileos Daughter, finished it but ZZzzz

3 pages in and no mention of Saturday by Ian McEwan? Fucking hell that was pretentious wank and no mistake!

I also LOATHED Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd, even though I loved Any Human Heart and Restless (though the latter is TOO SHORT).

The Slap left me feeling soiled, everyone was utterly hateful. I had it with me on a travelling holiday and had to carry it around as I didn't want to leave it for anyone else to have to read it in the absence of anything else!

When The Dead Cry Out by Hilary Bonner is very very bad - the central character is ridiculous, the dialogue clunky and the crime is solved 2/3 in so the last part is completely redundant. It was unremittingly shit.

The Kite Runner - self obsessed wank. IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU.

And The Bookseller of Kabul - stop taking what little these people have and then droning on about how little they have and how generous they are. Do something for them FFS.

Mind you, I also take against books that I haven't read, and on that list are Birdsong, Life of Pi, Vernon God Little, NW3, Caitlin Moran, The Secret Life of Bees, Eat, Pray, Love, ...loads to avoid.

Tried three times with Captain Corelli's Madolin. Fail.
Gone Girl - tried twice. Fail.
The Slap - tried once. Fail.

And yes! The Book Thief! Finished it, but thought it was shite. I thought I was the only one ...

Oh yes Saturday is utter shite. But I did manage to finish it, whereas Midnight's Children and LOTR... no chance. Actually I hate all magical realism... it's just cheating, innit?

I have failed with NW3 as well. Need to give it another go but somehow I can't bring myself to pick it up.