Popular book that you didn’t enjoy

[Wanttocry]

Not really a TAAT but inspired by the Crawdads thread.

What’s a book that has been raved about, but that you didn’t really enjoy? For me it would have to be The Goldfinch, I just didn’t really get it.

I cannot begin to describe how much I hated A Little Life. It makes me cross to think about the time I spent reading the damn thing.

The Alchemist 😣

Harry Potter. I have tried and tried to read them but I can't

A Little Life- the worst misery porn ever

I loved Wolf Hall and Captain Corelli.
I hated My Brilliant Friend with a passion. Gone Girl was shit, I guessed really early on what was going on.

When I was about 4. The Noddy books. Lord, how I despised that entitled bell-hatted gnome botherer.

@TinaYouFatLard

I cannot begin to describe how much I hated A Little Life. It makes me cross to think about the time I spent reading the damn thing.

Yes!! I gave up after 300 pages wallowing in misery, I hated all the characters, I just decided I didn’t care & couldn’t even work out why they were friends, god it was awful

Eat pray love.

@SydneyCarton

Agree about Normal People; I was on a waiting list for it for ages at the library and thought it was going to be great. Huh. Also Wolf Hall; I have read loads of fiction and non-fiction around that period, know the principle characters, thought focusing on Cromwell was such a good idea rather than making him the peripheral villain, and I just couldn’t get into it at all

Yes Wolf Hall too, I honestly couldn’t follow who was doing what I couldn’t get into it at all, I just kept rereading chunks over and over and couldn’t make any sense of it.

I have a degree in English Lit, it was beyond me

@TinaYouFatLard

I cannot begin to describe how much I hated A Little Life. It makes me cross to think about the time I spent reading the damn thing.

Same here we read it for book club and it is now our standard of awfulness with which to compare other books. Misery upon misery upon misery.

On the other hand, I liked the Wolf Hall books, the first two anyway.

I haven't liked any thing by Jesse Burton and I've read the Miniaturist, the Muse and the Confession.

Apple Tree Yard. I didn't hate it but I expected more. It was rather boring and I didn't get the fuss.

Jane Eyre. I've heard that you're either a fan of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. I'm definitely a Wuthering Heights person. It was ok, just but it really dragged for me and it took me about 3 or 4 attempts to get through it.

The Tattooist of Auscwitz

@Standrewsschool

The Tattooist of Auscwitz

Agreed, the writing was so bland and lifeless, considering the topic it was utterly soulless

The Woman in the White Kimono
The Keeper of Lost Things
Eleanor Oliphant
The Family Upstairs

Fifty shades- dross and gave up quickly

Gone girl- characters so irritating I didn't actually care who killed who so didn't bother finishing it

The Midnight Library- i just don't understand what is so great about it!

I tried Susan Hill’s Simon Serallier books, read the first in the series but gave up because the characters were so smug and unpleasant.

I forgot Never Let Me Go and The Remans of The Day.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.
Thursday Murder Club.

Catcher in the rye. Just set my teeth on edge within 2 pages.
Fifty shades of grey. It was astonishingly overhyped.

Shantaram - the first half is alright but he then gets carried away with exaggerating and boasting the most disjointed events. Once you realise it's only based on a true story and that nobody can possibly verify the so-called facts, everything becomes a lot less believable

The Midnight Library. I hadn't read anything by MH previously and was hoping for good things. So disappointed.

The Midnight Library , I can’t wait to finish it . Been waiting to ‘get’ what’s so good about it ….
The Thursday Murder Club , dull dull dull and gave up after 4 chapters and returned it .

Harry Potter. It was so boring I couldn't even get past the first chapter. I didn't think it was particularly well written either.

Catcher in the Rye. Had to read it for O Level English. Self-absorbed drivel.
Didn't like Secret History much but managed to finish it.
Liked Wolf Hall but had to give it a couple of tries and I watched the dramatisation which helped.
Glad someone mentioned Remains of the Day. Loved the film and bought the book on the back of it. Book was dull as ditch water.
Had to read The Alchemist for a book club. No idea what it was about and don't care.

Totally agree on The Goldfinch, Life of Pi and the Time Travellers Wife. Hated each one.

Also hated My Brilliant Friend.