Disappointing or overhyped books

[YaMuvva]

I have just finished reading I Who Have Never Known Men after 2 friends have harangued me into reading it for a while now.

What a total let down. I hate it when books build up a mystery with loads of clues as if you’re gonna have answers at the end, then…nothing! So frustrating. I’m so cross I wasted my energy and time on it.

I also hated Elenor Oliphant and kept wondering when the good part was gonna start. Nothing happened except that she got a makeover.

Thursday murder club
Midnight library.

Over hyped.

I think she’s an essayist, rather than a novelist, really.

Agree on Eleanor Oliphant, Lesson in Chemistry, but loved A Little Life. I Who Have Never Known Men I read earlier this year and was profoundly moved by. Sorry OP if it was me who recommended it - just shows how different our individual tastes are

The Housemaid. Got a few chapters in and gave up, it was so bad. Just shows you how everyone see's things differently I suppose as it has good reviews online

All The Light We Cannot See. I loathed this book so much. I know I'm in a minority (of one, possibly) but imho there were so many things that jarred, that seemed wrong as I was reading it with increased irritation. It's extremely rare that a book annoys me, but this one did, although I did still finish it, unlike that ridiculous Dan Brown tripe which went in the bin.

I hated this book.

Athena's death was ridiculous, as was the idea that a tedious-sounding book about Chinese labourers would be such a runaway bestseller.

Same here. Ridiculous plot and dreadful "poetry." 🙄

Really like Lionel shriver but prefer her earlier work.

Agree also about midnight library being over hyped and annoying but I really liked how to stop time by same author. Blew my mind.

This was DREADFUL!

Can you elaborate? I found it a bit hard going , neither love nor hate. But then history isn't my strong point so I wouldn't have known if things were wrong...

Loved 'cloud atlas'😊

Ive just finished this and I know what you mean about it being miserable but I was really drawn to it for some reason. It was a lot faster paced than some of the stuff I've read recently.

Yellowface. I gave up.

I didn’t love (or even like) My Brilliant Friend. Maybe it’s better in the original Italian but I don’t speak Italian so...

Oh god this book was so dull. And so many people raved about it!!!

Yeah. It was boring.

Just finished Everyone in my family has killed someone. Overrated, tries to be too clever, tonally all over the place, no likeable characters.

I gave up on My Brilliant Friend. Don't understand the hype.

I am about to give up on Butter. The new cult novel (apparently) by a Japanese writer.

There is something in the plot and premise that is interesting.

But the translation and lack of good editing makes it unreadably bad, IMO. Makes it sound as if it has been written by ChatGPT.

Am I wrong? Shall I persist? I have just read this sentence (about eating some sort of moshed up rice cake) “by the time she had finished chewing the roots of her teeth were trembling pleasurably “

I like a bit of complexity in my books. I can understand why people who don't read that much might enjoy them..but they weren't for me..

Midnight Library
Thursday Murder Club
Yellowface
I Know Where the Crawdads Sing
Shrines of the Gaiety (although I do love some of Kate Atkinson's work. Just not that one)

Gone Girl
Wuthering Heights
The Life of Pi

This is interesting.

I liked the midnight library, haven't read any of his others.

I could not battle through demon copperhead. It was so dull and one of the very few books I dnf.

I enjoyed everyone in my family. And his follow up. I thought it was funny, well paced and interesting.