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.

dementedma I found my Vanessa deeply disturbing and very sad, but definitely gripping. Bit like My Absolute Darling. Although I found that hard to read and the ending went a bit Hollywood. Elmet was another gripping but dark one. Wasn't sure about Girl A, tbh.

I don't just read dark stuff BTW, but one book has just reminded me of another!

I think I'm also more forgiving of books I get from the library or for a quid on kindle. Parting with proper money, I expect more

@ithoughtisawapuddycat

Agree about Normal People. Hated it, felt like there was no point at all.

Completely agree

I liked Normal People, but wondered if I was a bit too old for it. It felt like watching an alien world from the comfort of my been- there- done- that life.

His Dark Vanessa is sort of what The Secret History promises.

An outsider within an insular, privileged community. A terrible secret. Extraordinary writing.

Stylistically, The Secret History is better at the level of writing. Donna Tartt has controlled intensity in her style. But weirdly, that's part of what was such a let-down for me. The 'secret' at the heart of the story, the psychological depth of characters and subsequent unravelling, never seemed to match the intensity, connection and pull promised by the writing itself.

My Dark Vanessa has come back to me again and again, months after reading it. It's quite intense as a reading experience. And very much of our cultural moment.

@PandemicPalava

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

I feel like if I read them now I'd think they're total codswallop but because I read them as a child I enjoyed them at that age and the memories of that enjoyment allow me to be able to reread it. I cannot imagine connecting to the characters and plot at this time in life. Tolkien however I read as an adult and he is a master.

Back to the thread:
Fifty Shades.. totally could not get into it. Read the first couple chapters and got creeped out.
Twilight.. read this as a teen and even then couldn't get it. First book that I never finished. Soon followed by fifty shades.
Jane Eyre..I tried and tried. So many times I've picked it up and never seem to get past the same chapter. I find it so dull and droll. Could never read Wuthering Heights either
And any of Dickens novels. I don't know why, he's a brilliant writer, I always like the first few chapters but then the darkness begins to suffocate me and I can't continue. I managed Oliver Twist but I was a child when I read it and more tolerant.

@AuntMasha

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

This made me smile. Memories

For those who loved the Louis de Bernieres Latin American trilogy, I’d massively recommend This One Sky Day by Leona Ross. I’ve just finished it and loved it, it goes big on magical realism!

'My Dark Vanessa', is just creepy, I read to the end but didn't enjoy it at all.
Yes, it was eurrgh, but it was also a shit book.
'The Slapton
Hateful characters, and not in a good, or interesting way.
For some idiotic reason I then read another of his books, 'Barracuda'
Lots of it me no sense, and the Author is clearly obsessed with shit.
Weird.

The Slap.
Stupid typos.

Me too @IHaveBrilloHair. Everyone in the slap is just such a complete dick. Maybe that’s supposed to be the point, but I deal with dicks all day long, why would I want to read about them too?

Agree also hated The Slap and We need to talk about Kevin

Thursday Book Club tripe. I can’t believe anyone enjoyed it.

I loved the TV adaptation of Normal People but when I read the book after I was so disappointed.

Even worse is Conversations with Friends by the same author. The characters are all horrible people and very little actually happens. I kept reading waiting for a plot to develop and it never did. One of the worst books I've ever read.

I've not read normal people but enjoyed the tv show, but read Conversations with Friends and thought everyone in it was either boring, unkind, annoying or pretentious or a mixture of all 4.

So glad you mentioned Donna Tartt, I've tried to read The Secret History and The Goldfinch and have found both soooo hard to get into, I just want to scream "get on with it!".

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime

Twaddle.

@IHaveBrilloHair

We are all completely beside ourselves

Total shit.

How can you say that? One of the best books ever!

I also love The Kite Runner and The Goldfinch.

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

I feel like if I read them now I'd think they're total codswallop but because I read them as a child I enjoyed them at that age and the memories of that enjoyment allow me to be able to reread it. I cannot imagine connecting to the characters and plot at this time in life. Tolkien however I read as an adult and he is a master.

I read HP as an adult when they first came out, have read them umpteen times and still love them just as much. Tolkein is a master... of some things. I love LotR and used to read it every year or two. But reading other (good) fantasy does make one notice some major flaws in Tolkein imo. Particularly his tendency to 'information dump'.

@TheMoth

I liked Normal People, but wondered if I was a bit too old for it. It felt like watching an alien world from the comfort of my been- there- done- that life.

I think that’s why Iiked it. It took me back to my long ago Uni days when other people’s opinions of you seemed so important, and you felt that you had to appear so much more eccentric and/or cool than you actually were. I liked seeing into that world again (without wishing to relive it). Also in my circle I’m known for liking books (and films) where nothing much happens!

I don’t know that anyone could say they “liked” We Need to Talk About Kevin as it was such an uncomfortable read, but to me it was fascinating.

Aware that the point of this thread isn’t to try to change people’s minds about books they hate!

I love Jojo Moyes normally but her much hyped newest book The Giver Of Stars is just painfully slow. I've got about a quarter way in and given up.

Agree that Lovely Bones was rubbish.

Gone Girl I enjoyed but the ending was infuriating.

Not a fiction story but having seen Matt Haig mentioned a few times; Reasons to Stay Alive I'd heard was amazing for depression sufferers. I didn't get it at all, definitely hasn't helped my mental health. I also lost interest in How To Stop Time.

Cowbells
It was like a boring animal rights lecture where nothing actually happened.

@lazylinguist I have to be honest and say I only read LOTR and The Hobbit. I loved both. Especially The Hobbit. I have his other works but can't make myself start them. Not sure if some of the reviews I read regarding them just put me off.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin
One Day

@AuntMasha

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

Me too. I hated Noddy. And Rupert the Bear.

mrsfezziwig I'm partial to bit of Modernism. Books where nothing happens are just like real life as far as I'm concerned. But then, I also like spaceships and lazer gun battles.