what's the worst book you've read for a book group?

[lucydogz]

I love the book groups I've been to - they make me read books that I would usually never have picked up, but sometimes they throw up absolute stinkers. I thought the worst ever was the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but this has been surpassed by A Memmonite in a Little Black Dress. Absolute drivel. I'd love to hear other's bad books

The slap, when god was a rabbit and we need to talk about Kevin.

Ragusa I felt the same about Autumn.

I'm currently trying to get through Little Women but it's soooo syrupy (sp?). Only on chapter 4 as I'm reading other books in between. As pp have said, I feel obliged to get through it before we meet. Does it get better?

I think I remember Little Women being pretty much the same the whole way through. I read it as a child/teenager though so my memory could be incorrect. It would def be too syrupy for me now.

Glad someone else has mentioned When God was a Rabbit. I can’t actually remember much about the book, I think I’ve blocked the memory it was such an awful book.

The Road. Everyone was practically suicidal.

When God was a Rabbit - we all agreed was senseless, self indulgent shite. I don’t remember much about it now though!

I think I was the only one who enjoyed the Slap - but more from a disbelieving, gasping at the awfulness of the people, voyeuristic point of view.

Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel "a drama of science, history and love" the tagline said on the book cover but it certainly wasn't: his daughter barely gets a mention and it was so dry and badly written all bar one person gave up!

I suppose objectively I could see that the Slap was well written. Just I find books hard going when I hate every character!

@toomuchsplother ooh. You are the first person I've met who shares my views on Autumn. My uber-arty friends seem to love it and not loving it makes me feel pedestrian and unadventurous but ... no. I can't!

I absolutely loved the slap, mind. The characters were pretty bad but at least they were well-drawn.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien. It's supposed to be very good, but not one of us managed to finish it, and that was a first.

The Casual Vacancy - dull and depressing
The Teacher - absolute rubbish. Gore for the sake of it, very little plot line, ridiculous characters.

A Hundred Years of Solitude by Paulo Coelho (sp?). Felt like a thousand years of drivel. Really couldn’t stand it but finished it out of obligation. Has won awards I think. Has made me avoid award-winning books

The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
The Children's Book - AS Byatt.
Been in book group for 10+ years and those are the two I just couldn't finish.

Where are you Bernadette? or something like that. It was meant to be funny but was so self indulgent and just crappy. Not a single redeeming feature that I can recall.
However, we have just read Engleby and loved it.
Mini, I'd agree that pretty much anything by Paulo Coelho is rubbish, but 1000 years of Solitude was Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I think he was a master. But I absolutely get that he's not everyone's cup of tea.

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis was utter rubbish. I just managed to read the first chapter and then threw in the towel.

Another terrible one was Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes. Blimey it was boring.

I ADORE The Road - it is brilliant. But I can see why it might lead one to suicide.

The Power. Hated it.

For the group as a whole: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
For me: probably Wild by Cheryl Strayed
For everyone but me: when I made them read Orlando by Virginia Woolf. God, I love that book but it went down like a lead balloon at book group.

Knots and Crosses - it was unanimous that Rebus was a drunken douche

I struggled with Stardust as it felt just wrong for a book club - but aware it was just me, everyone else loved it

Beloved - just confusing and very weird

Not quite a book club but several years ago my SIL asked me to read The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood as she thought it was brilliant and was desperate to talk to someone about it. I agreed, as I'm always pleased when someone recommends a good book to me.

Except this was bloody awful. I plugged away at it as I'd promised to read it. Finally (finally!) finish the bloody thing and tell SIL I'm ready to talk about it now.

Great.

SIL "did you love it?"
Me "no"
SIL "oh well there's no point talking about it then"
Me

I think I will resent her for this until the day I die

I loved Wild, found it really inspiring.

It was a double whammy compare/contrast of 50 shades of Gray and Lolita 😳