Books you want to throw across the room

[tobee]

Over 20 years ago, on holiday I took The Chamber by John Grisham. I'd heard it had (at the time) the biggest amount for film rights ever paid. When I finished I literally threw it across the room in disgust. (Actually poolside area). It was such a load of hogwash! Now I look back and wonder I bothered to get that far.

Any books that have provoked a similar reaction in you?

Isn't she a youtube celeb Purple, married to a former popstar? That's how those books get published! They have a ready made audience, no matter how crap they are!

Another person here who hated atonement. It didn't help that every character was utterly loathsome.

Also didn't like the woman in white, with its "pretty, fair but useless" or "spirited, clever but ugly as sin" sisters. Wuthering heights seemed so refreshing in comparison, I loved that Cathy was the opposite of traditional Victorian stereotypes of women.

AM Homes "what was lost" was navel gazing wank.

American psycho, I was so appalled I threw it straight in the bin then couldn't sleep for weeks. How can anyone even dream up that horrible stuff.

Backingvocals, thanks! Being a glutton for punishment, I actually read 'Committed' just to check I wasn't over-reacting. (That was shit too) so I probably need to read something she has written and enjoy it to make my recovery complete

I love Les Mis! It's one of my all-time favourite books! Admittedly, it's not exactly action packed and moves quite slowly, but the writing is lovely and the atmospher and pcictures of Paris are so real you could be there. There are nt so many books like that around these days.

I'd love to know of a modern author who writes like that.

I thought The Slap was a well written and interesting book. Enjoyed reading it.

On the other hand, I loathed a book I read by Paulina Simmons, I didn't read more than the first few pages of GoT even though I enjoyed the series, and Eat Pray Love made me feel stabby.

More controversially, am I the only person in the world who doesn't enjoy Tim Winton novels?

The Slap. Hated every character, every page.

And magic realism. And historical fiction in which no attention has been paid to writing quality.

Everything Lionel Shriver has written other than We Need To Talk About Kevin. It's my fault, I keep buying them because that one was so good, I know she can write well. And yet... the others are all truly terrible. The Post-Birthday World was abysmal, and So Much For That was so, so bad that it really made me angry, as a doctor (her writing about health issues is wildly off) and as a human being (the characters are unremittingly awful and unpleasant). Ugh, I'm getting annoyed again just thinking about it.

Oh Cel I forgot So much for that. It annoyed me greatly too!

I think my criteria for chucking books at walls is different to some of yours.

Only two books I can think of have actually hit the wall and generated angry sobbing.

They were Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Wives and Daughters. In both cases it was out of fury that the ending wasn't right, although Gaskell had a better excuse!

Ulysses by James Joyce, I think I only got to the second page before I put it down, it was such hard work to read.

Girl on the train was despite all the hype really disappointing, I didn't care about any of the characters and just didn't think it was interesting or clever at all.

Oh I'd forgotten Ulysses. I was immensely proud that I got to page 370 before I gave up.

bikerlou If you think "American Psycho" was horrific, try "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (Hubert Selby Jr). Brutal!

hey, did he write requiem for a dream? I enjoyed that.

Day 7 of Les Mis. Fuck me, we have a new charactar! Hello Fontane, I'm very pleased to see you! It is very well written, and I'm actually quite enjoying it. It's not so much the actual location descriptions, but the in depth back story of each character...47 pages explaining what an all around nice guy Monseigneur Beinevue is! He better have a bloody big part later in the book, that's all I can say.

I like Lionel Shriver, however her books only work if you don't think about them too much.

(I love American Psycho. And Lionel Shriver.)

Last Exit to Brooklyn is the darkest book I've ever read.

Clashcityrocker He did!

Powerful stuff, both of the books, but very, very dark, as squoosh has said. I got a third book of his - "The Room" It was so awful Couldn't get past the first chapter.

I don't think anyone could make up that kind of stuff if they haven't lived/experienced it. It's very frightening.

I loathed Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwing. I loathed it so much I wrote a blog post on it, unrequested, for my sister's blog, in which I ranted about what a vapid bitch the main character was.

But the worst book I have read recently was Portnoy's Complaint. His complaint is being an utter and total wanker (literally and figuratively). I read it for book club and it was truly dire. How do these things get lauded as classics?

But my experience of book club was that if I liked a book, 70% of the club hated it with a passion. On the other hand, I felt that most of them couldn't distinguish between a book written about Important Issues and actual good writing - take Me Before You - they all agreed it was really good and very thought-provoking. I agreed with it being thought-provoking, but not that it was really good, because it was just basic chick lit but with euthanasia thrown in.

Inspired by this thread I finally did throw A Little Life across my room last night, I gave up on page 400 so that was a pretty decent attempt I do believe.

The Inheritors by William Golding. Nothing happens, I read it to the end waiting for the story. Still waiting .

Fifty Shades, tried to read a sample on my kindle. Lost the will to live after first chapter, never even got as far as the juicy bits. Bloody dire.

The Pram, bigged up on Amazon Kindle with loads of five stars, but actually written by a child, I think. dreadful one dimensional characters. A shame, as the story had potential.

Miniaturist, I too read it and was sorely disappointed with the end.

James Herbert's last book, Ash, was a bitter disappointment. I didn't even finish it. I can't believe he wrote it , maybe a ghostwriter did, possibly because of James's health issues. I cannot believe the guy who wrote The Fog could write such drivel, again appallingly written, one dimensional characters and ridiculous storyline.

Love the GoT books though, and Girl with Dragon Tattoo books, and the Stand.

Bought 'Wreckage' by Emily Bleeker on recommendation - it was bloody awful.

Adele Parks' 'the state we're in' was rubbish and made worse by the bit at the end that asks you to keep the secret (surprise ending) - you mean the secret of how shit it is, Adele???

Loved 'we are all completely beside ourselves' though and thought 'the miniaturist' was ok.

Sounds like this thread might save me from bothering with 'a little life'.

Really hated Sarah Waters' 'the paying guests' - loathed every character and had no interest in the outcome...would have abandoned it if not for book club.

I also hated Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. Written by someone who had blatantly never been to Wales! Also, complete drivel.

Y to hating Miss Peregrine.
The plot was just silly.

Looking at my shelf, the one that jumps out as deserving of being thrown down a well is Thirteen Reasons Why. It's a book about suicide by someone who never bothered to learn about suicide and depression. Irresponsible.