Benjamin Myers

[clotheslinefiasco]

Anyone else unable to get into his books? Two different friends have said oh you must read...

I have tried ( and just not engaged with ) a couple of different titles.

Hoping it's not just me 😄.

The first one I tried was The Gallows Pole and I hated it. Have never finished it, in fact, but I love most of his other books. Cuddy is one of my all time favourite novels. Was underwhelmed by Rare Singles. A Perfect Golden Circle is gentle and sweet, Pig Iron and Beastings absolutely grim. The Offing is quite lovely too.
Which ones have you tried?

I really didn’t enjoy Cuddy so it’s not just you!

@MaterMoribund Cuddy and The Offing!

Maybe it's just one of those things. I read a lot and have enjoyed some weird/ different type books. In a book club I was in; it was typical if I loved or enjoyed a book that everyone else hated.

It could be I'm just plain fickle.🙃

I listened to Cuddy on audio and I was completely blown away by it. I only wished I'd the time to follow up on some of the early history, because it sounded absolutely fascinating.

Oh well then, if it’s those two then there’s no hope for you!
I can sort of see why someone wouldn’t be able to get into Cuddy, despite it being the finest fiction book of the last 10 years ! but The Offing is a little ray of sunshine compared to Beastings.

May I recommend Ironopolis by Glenn James Brown? It ploughs similar furrows of North East grit and folklore, but it possibly won’t have the Myers Effect for you.

I very much liked The Offing and enjoyed Rare Singles. But aren't some of his other books rather dark and violent? I'm too scared to try them.

I LOVED Gallows Pole and enjoyed Perfect Golden Circle. Wanted to love Cuddy but wasn't blown away.

@champignonhill I hated The Gallows Pole! But loved The Perfect Golden Circle. Put off by reading any more by him since, too great a risk I won’t get on with it.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of them -mainly the non fiction ones but I agree, he does have something of an over-egged style that reminds me of a sixth former in a creative writing class.