Authors who are very popular but you just don't get....

[Corneliawildthing]

I read the first Harry Potter book when my kids were little and was rather underwhelmed by it (maybe I wasn't the target audience). I started The Cuckoo's Calling and seemed to have been reading for about 2 hours and had only reached page 25.

My in-laws raved about the Stieg Larsson books but I think I lasted about 20 pages.

Donna Tartt is indeed pretentious drivel

I agree about Ian McEwan and Atonement is probably the only case in history where the film is better than the book, I LOVE the film!

Another for Dickens. I've read some, hated it but love a good TV adaptation! I also didn't really get on with Elena Ferrante, I read all the My Brilliant Friend books but sort of wished I hadn't bothered.

An author who gets a lot of recommendations on the fantasy threads is Jodi Taylor - the first couple were ok but then I just got bored and they weren't well-written enough to keep me going back. I don't get the love for her!

Yes

@highlandcoo

Don't like Jodie Picout

Or Celia Aherne

Elena Ferrante. I know it’s practically illegal not to like her, but there it is.

Well I've just read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I have to say I won't be reading any of his again! I cannot understand why it's a classic!

I first tried to read 100 years of solitude when I was 20, I didn't understand it at all. I then read when I was 30 and married to a south american. It made complete sense. Read it again at 40 and still loved it. 50 next year, will read it again.

Harlan Coben. His books are generally well reviewed and the blurbs always sound thrilling. But the books always end up being being in the 2.5-3.5 range. Passable to quite good. Stupidly, I must have read half a dozen of them. It’s those blurbs!

@Matt Haig I really liked the one called “Humans” or whatever. Haven’t read any others, I maybe I did but forgot.

@CountFosco i read 100 Years of Solitude when I was 20 and loved it. I raved about it to loads of people who tried it and couldn't stand it. Maybe I was ahead of my time!

Louis Dr Bernieres - awful. Used 100 flowery words when one would do in Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez as well (and South American lit in general) and Louis Dr Bernieres cod south American books were a travesty.

Salman Rushdie - again with the too many words.
I have up when he spent two pages describing someone's nose.

Have come to this thread just as somebody is slating my favourite ever living author Louis de Bernieres I am a fan of the hundred words for 2 though.

I was coming on to say Ferrante as well. It’s not even not caring about the characters. I don’t need to care about the characters and sometimes enjoy that I don’t but I’m just not sure what the point is.

Ishiguro. I mean, he’s WELL lauded so it must be me. I just haven’t got what it takes to see his quality.

I read one Ali Smith (How to be Both) and it turned me off her other books.
Read Normal People by Sally Rooney and thought it was a ridiculous, pretentious piece of work and I certainly didn’t want to read her previous one.

Kate Atkinson is bloody brilliant but I wouldn't start with Behind the Scenes. Case histories is my favourite, and When Will there be Good News.
I could never get on with Tolkien. Or Ernest Hemingway!
And I am also disappointed with Quentin Blake for illustrating Williams books (to pp who said that)
Jk R is an absolutely amazing children's book writer though..Her books are not meant for adults! Writing for children is a completely different skill.

Kate Atkinson is bloody brilliant but I wouldn't start with Behind the Scenes

I liked Behind the Scenes but none of her others! I’ve tried to read ‘Life after Life’ about 8 times and never got past the first few chapters, which is extremely unusual for me.

Marian Keyes - I bought a few of her books in a charity shop but haven’t been able to get past the first chapter of any of them.

Agree with Jojo moyes

Also Joanna Trollope books are very hit and miss - I find her earlier ones much better.

Also has anyone tried to read the Agatha raisin books? What utter tripe! Can’t for the life of me understand why they are so popular - they seem almost written by a child!

Can’t agree at all with Kazuo Ishiguro - his books are so moving.

Jane Eyre is my favourite book ever and I’m about halfway through Wuthering Heights and loving it. There is so much humour in it I think, it’s not all bleak.

Agree with David Walliams - my ds said at Christmas “please will you buy me some books mum - but not David walliams books, ok?”

I’m so glad to see Thomas Hardy on so many people’s lists. A couple of years ago I created a shelf of books to get through in a year. I wanted to get back into reading. There were 3 or 4 Hardys there. I tried one and tried again, gave up on it, forgot about the pile and haven’t read much since.
I’m going to ditch the Hardys, pick something else from the pile and hopefully my progress will be better!

I quite like this thread for making me feel slightly better about giving up on some authors very very quickly.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin LdB
The Accidental by Ali Smith
Garcia Marquez a couple of them
McEwan ditto

Sometimes I feel it's age, I tried them in my 20s and have been meaning to go back to them but really, life is full of books that I love so maybe I can give myself a pass.

Fun thread! Interesting to see the same names coming up time and time again.

I have a few. I don't get on with Tolkien, but then I just don't get on with fantasy at all. I have nothing against the books, I'm sure they're brilliant if you like that sort of thing, they're just not for me.

I don't like Terry Pratchett either. I can see why people like them, but the joke always seems laboured to me. Sorry, Pratchett fans.

Have never been able to get past the first couple of pages of Ali Smith. Maybe if I persevere, I'll find I really like her.

I do slightly disapprove of people who don't like Jane Austen, though. I can't help it.

I agree about Agatha Raisin . Utter shite to read and I watched one of the TV adaptations, which was more than enough.

I'd forgotten Captain Corelli and his awful Mandolin . Tried twice and gave up after around 85 pages. Boring and no idea what it was meant to be about. Yet at the time everybody was raving about it.

I had a short conversation with Louis de Bernieres at Edinburgh book festival after his author event. He was pretty rude and arrogant, had nothing good to say about his fellow authors but was extremely pleased with himself.

I wasn't a huge fan before and will definitely not buy any of his books in future.

Blakes77 I've just read When Will There Be Good News and although maybe not the most believable plot I've ever come across I really enjoyed it.

Michael Morpurgo. What the hell is that shit? We have tried so many and none of them are interesting. Audio adaptations are even worse.

I’m about halfway through Wuthering Heights and loving it. There is so much humour in it I think, it’s not all bleak.
I agree. I love it.

I read Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret or something everyone was raving about. It was crap.

Tolkien, definitely. And Haruki Murakami.