Books you’ve tried to read but just can’t get on with them

[GonnaGetGoingReturns]

I know this is subjective but what books have you read or tried to read but just can’t stomach them?

My recent ones are:-

Brother of the More Famous Jack - what a load of pompous affected twaddle! Can’t seem to see how it’s so lauded, got to page 17 and gave up.

Cold Comfort Farm - managed a bit better with this, about 4 chapters in, but still, affected pompous twaddle. Was told it was similar to the adorable I Capture The Castle but it’s not, at all! Gave it to SIL to read as she got I Cspture The Castle for me and she didn’t like it and when I asked DM if she’d read it when she was younger she said exactly the same about it as me.

Oh and if anyone sees K-Ming Chang’s Bestiary and thinks it looks interesting, it isn’t, it’s just weird!

Loads, but I think social media has ruined my concentration and my weird need to 'connect' makes going offline to read quite stressful.
I'm trying to find epistolary novels - reading Dear Committee Members but it's meh. Tbh I just chuck books I can't get into at the shared library.

My next door neighbour is an author. I read one of her novels and didn't get past page 30, and I was being charitable.

Agree on Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit. With both, got so far, then lost patience.

Same, and I love the Olivier/Oberon movie so much!

Wolf Hall

I’m so relieved I’m not the only one. It’s relentless misery.

I did finish Daniel Deronda but never touched it again. Read a great bit of Anthony Trollope where he reviewed all the novelists of his day and said that after Middlemarch she started trying too hard, and he couldn't imagine Daniel Deronda or Felix Holt being read much in the future!

In my younger days I got stung by over hyped novels a few too many times and more or less gave up on modern fiction after that. God of Small Things, Kate Atkinson, Sebastian Faulks etc. All reviewed as if they were the next Tolstoy.

@Nightynightnight try The Corrections. I hope it will change your mind 😀

And there's also a similar category of 'paper thin story as an excuse to show off my historical research', see Orhan Pamuk's My Name Is Red, Glass Palace (I did learn a lot about mahogany, so it wasn't all loss...)

For me: The time travellers wife, captain correlli’s mandolin, The Alchemist, cloud Atlas, Harry Potter and most recently Girl, woman, other- just really couldn’t get into it. I also thought one day and the midnight library didn’t live up to the hype although I finished them.

I absolutely loved where the crawdads sing and Eleanor oliphant!! Both are in my top 10 books ever!

The Hare With Amber Eyes comes to mind too @rhubarb84 .

Also completely didn’t get the hype around shuggie Bain although I did manage to finish it. It was miserable and a slog!!

I’m so glad you said this. I caused much hilarity once trying to explain to friends why I was struggling with it - all I could come up with is ‘there are just so many words!’

Despite being a life member of the Thomas Hardy Society and a huge fan, couldn't stand The Well Beloved.

The Thursday murder club too. I so wanted to enjoy it, but oh my days, just not my cup of tea. The style of writing just wasn't engaging at all. But I do like Richard Osman on TV.

Any of the classics-Jane Austen. Brick lane

Same with A suitable boy. It has been on countless holidays, still unread. I have the original version and the version where ut is split in to a few books. I have it on kindle and on audible. I really want to love it. But I don't - yet!

Agreed

I'm currently on my third attempt at Anna Karenina. I've been trying for 25 years but keep getting distracted, giving up for years, then having to restart.
Took me three goes at Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker but I'm so glad I persevered as it became one of my favourite books.
I've given up completely with Ulysses.

Thursday Murder Club, I've been reading it for about 18 months, 2 or 3 pages every few weeks! It's just so boring!

Anything by Jane Austen. I've tried, but they were all so tedious I decided I'd not waste my time any more!

Riddley Walker is marvellous. It does take commitment but it is worth it. It’s haunting.

@JaneJeffer , Mary Webb's Precious Bane , in particular. Also I think The Constant Nymph.

I threw Eleanor bloody Oliphant in the bin. What a pile of nonsense

My brilliant friend and the follow ups. Too much description. Really wanted to like them but they just didn't suit my tempo or something.

A Little Life. Just didn't engage me at all, gave up after the first few pages.