Has anyone started to read a book and realised that they HATE it with a vengeance before the even finish the first sentence??

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Out of curiosity picked up The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory in Tesco yesterday and started the read the first page. First sentence goes on about weather, lacing up corsets and scaffolds. It was then I thought this book is going to be a pile of shit and will not waste my time.

Have I missed a good book or was my initial impression correct. I usually read a page before I pass judgement (memories of plouging through first page of The English Patient before flinging it to the floor)

oh no. not the english patient. that's one of my favourites. def worth plowing on!

as for the other boleyn girl - that's a case of judging a book by it's cover surely? looks shit. probably is shit.

Definitely is not shit (Other Boleyn girl). I am reading it and am hooked.

Agree re English Patient (yawn). Also Midnight's Children.

Catch 22. Not instant, the dislike grew on me over the first few chapters and I had to stop. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't. A bit too pleased with itself, IMO.

Double Fault by Lionel Shriver. I persevered for a while because I loved We need to talk about Kevin but I wish I hadn't.

My mum (bless her) bought me one of those Shopahholic books by Sophie Kinsella for my bday a couple of years ago. I tried to read it, I tried, but simply couldn't do it to myself

The English Patient is still on a shelf. Hmm, should I try it again?

i am half way thoough it

for my book group

I would never have read it otherwise i must admit

tbh it IS shit but quite gripping (a bit yucky though after all she is aonly 14 when she starst shagging the king)

The Other Boleyn Girl is good! Read it years ago and it really stayed with me...try again!

Hmm, mixed reactions. But IMO a book about Anne Boleyn which starts it's opening page with cliched references to scaffolds, corset lacings and gloomy weather deserves to not be read!

I totally expected the Da Vinci code to be crap, but the first paragraph was so incredibly and stunningly badly written that I couldn't believe it wasn't a bad joke.

well i guess scaffolsd were pretty high on the agenda

ITS not it's (ashamed emoticon)

Yes, Da Vinci code!! So bloody badly written, with particular emphasis on italics every bloody where. Mind you I was drawn in and read it in sone sitting (another ashamed emoticon). It was the equivalent of stuffing my face with 4 bags of haribos: seemed a good idea at the time but when finished felt unfulfilled and embarassed

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle!!

It is THE most overated pile of dross ever to have crawled out of a publishing house. Thank God DS feels the same.

It stays with me,..but for all the wrong reasons!

Iris Murdoch.

Every 5 years or so I think she must be worth another try, and I always give up after a couple of chapters.

I always try until at least the third chapter, but then give up. I have so little time for reading and so many books to read I'd rather not waste my time.

The most recent dissapointment for me was a book on Romany Gypsy music. It looked amazing from the blurb but after a couple of sentences I knew I wouldn't like it. It was fantastic subject matter, but written by an American as an almost travelogue with lots of reference to him getting drunk and no insight whatsoever.

The magic bus by rory maclean

didtn get on wtih it aT ALL

LOL agree about Da vinci code. I'm of DH because he's never read it.

That Labyrynth book by Kate Mosse.
The Traveller's wife
And yes yes to Da Vinci code. I didn't want to read it anyway but book group decided ..3 paras was enough to convince me to Put It Down. For ever.

I once read The Little House by Phillippa Gregory, it was so stupendously awful I could never bring myself to read anything else of hers.

May watch the movie though.

dd loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar..

Wuthering frigging Heights

Couldn't get passed one page of 'Like Water for Chocolate'. Forget now what it was that turned me of, but tried reading it several times.

I can't remember, War and Peace or something, trying to jam some culture in. Just though "oh, bugger it" in the end! Jilly Cooper is about my level

sorry, off not of!

yup, a book by John Connolley I read books by Michael Connolley and picked it up by accident. The first paragraph was so horrific it turned my stomach and I literally felt sick.. have not picked it up since - Keep meaning to give it to the charity shop but don't really want to inflict it on some poor old biddy with a weak heart!