Disappointment with long-anticipated read...

[Lilmzsnowflake]

I tend to stalk the 99p kindle daily deals for popular reads, and keep lists based on posts and reviews etc, making ticks next to those I see recommended again and again.

I was so excited to get A Little Life a few weeks back on offer. So many good reviews, life affirming, blah de blah.

I’m about a third of the way through, and it’s awful, I’m so disappointed. I thought it would be interesting, lively, following these very different friends through their lives. As it is, I can hardly bear to pick it up. I’ve been reading it now for 3 weeks. I normally would read a book a week.
I keep losing track of who all the characters are and the jumping first person narrative is driving me insane. Who are you? Are you ever not miserable?

Already I can see what the ending will be, and I don’t care. I hate that this is the case. But I don’t think I can be bothered to carry on with it now, over 700 pages of misery is more than I can stomach this year.

What books have been a massive disappointment for you?
Anyone else feel the same way about A Little Life?

If I don’t like a book I get rid.

I didn't think "A Little Life" was a bad book, it was beautifully written.
The frustration for me is that it started off with four well written fairly interesting characters and then narrowed down in great and repetitive detail on one only. I don't know if I'm the only one who would have liked the others stories explored a little further, for some light relief.

I really enjoyed The Goldfinch but have several failed attempts at finishing The Secret History. I really want to like it but I just find it such a slog.

I LOVED A Little Life. I read it about a year ago and it's still with me.

I read an interview with the author and she said she'd wanted to write a novel about someone whose life never got better. She certainly achieved that aim and, in that sense, the book is extremely different to most novels where there is often a happy ending.
I thought the characterisation was excellent.

The only thing that didn't ring true for me was how extremely successful the four friends were in their fields.

I also loved the Goldfinch......the film is another story 😂

You are my people - totally hated A Little Life as well, had the bones of a good story but the misery porn was unbearable.rookiemere so right, I too would have pushed Jude down the stairs by the end! Need toknow you are so right it was seedy, I felt voyeuristic reading it but I had persevered so far felt I should "see it out". I read it on Kindle and can never really estimate how much more is left by percentages stated at the foot of the page rather than being able to see the depth of the pages remaining on a RL book.

Lalatte you are the first person I've seen say they disliked Secret History. I just couldn't understand what all the hype was about, I found it dull. There were parts of the Goldfinch I liked but it seemed to all just fall apart and get ever more unbelievable.

I agree Bobbin the Evening and the Morning by Follett was a Kingsbridge novel by numbers - badly written sex scenes, tick, rape, tick, beautiful rich girl finds hardworking, noble, working class guy attractive, tick, evil Bishop, tick etc.. However, I've read so many stinkers and had a high rate of DNF this year that it felt like light relief and strangely cosy to read.

A book called The Truants, described as a cross between The Secret History and Agatha Christie - I love both and thought it would be made for me. It wasn't awful but was nowhere near as good as I expected and I felt so flat having really looked forward to it.

I really liked A Little Life, it did take some getting into and some of the characterisation is a little implausible (Jude!), but in the end I found it very engaging.

I also liked the Goldfinch, though did have higher hopes after The Secret History.

It's probably an unpopular opinion but I hated My Brilliant Friend. I just can't see what all the fuss was about.
Loved the Mirror and the Light though, heartbreaking.

I hadn't heard of A Little Life before this thread and definitely won't be wasting my time reading it.

I loved both The Testaments and The Mirror and the Light.

My disappointment was The Secret Commonwealth (Philip Pullman). I love the Dark Materials trilogy and enjoyed La Belle Sauvage but was distinctly underwhelmed by The Secret Commonwealth.

I hated My Brilliant Friend too. I just couldn't care about any of the characters.

@Aahotep

It's probably an unpopular opinion but I hated My Brilliant Friend. I just can't see what all the fuss was about. Loved the Mirror and the Light though, heartbreaking.

I didn't like it either. It was just too long and I couldn't really give a shit about the characters.

I didn't like The Secret History either. Boring and I didn't like any of the characters.
There's been some right pretentious waffle out on the last few years; if it's got a Booker sticker on the cover I admit I'll tend to avoid it!