Shall I preserve with this hugely annoying book?

[SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter]

To be fair I've only read one chapter, but even from the first couple of sentences it's getting on my nerves.

The chapter is entitled 'Conception' and it begins by saying that they (the main character) was conceived on the first stroke as the clock struck midnight, with dad rolling off mum and going to sleep at the last stroke. That's some super-speed sperm he must have there!!! That was annoying, but the book goes on to describe mum's nausea when she wakes up and through the day (it explicitly says that's due to the 'pregnancy', and even culminates in her vomitting with 'morning sickness'!) This chapter refers to mum's heartbeat sounding loudly in their (main character's) ear, and referred to their 'tiny heels kicking'. This is a fertilized egg that won't even implant for like, a week?!! I think the book is trying to be deep and meaningful or something but my eyes are rolling so hard they're in danger if falling out! It has got accolades all over the front though, so maybe I need to give it a fair shot? What do you think?

I feel irritated just reading that in your post! I am very much of the opinion that life is too short to persevere with books you’re not enjoying, it’s no different to turning off a bad film. There are millions of books out there, why waste your time.

I give any book 100 pages to develop, otherwise I move on. There are too many books in the world that I will never get a chance to read, so I don't waste time on the ones I am not enjoying.

Is this written by a man?
(I certainly hope so, the ignorance is staggering.)

Is this Midnight's Children? If so, I would (and did) stick with it. If it's not, I'd stop.

Is it Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson?

I loved that book. Admittedly, read it repeatedly as a teenager and long before understanding much about conception!

PS if I'm right, I would stick with it 😊

It’s Behind the Scenes at the Museum which is an excellent book.
We all have things that annoy us though, what you’ve described didn’t bother me at all, but repeatedly call Cambridge a campus or have a modern day character throwing pound notes in the air, and I will write terse notes in the margins.

I thought it might be this one, too. One of my favourites

Is there a reason you're not identifying the novel in question?

Oh i voted to forget it but if it's behind the scenes at the museum then stick with it

It is Behind the Scenes at the Museum! It sounds like I should keep ploughing onwards then. I know Kate Atkinson is a big name but I've never read any of hers before. It just seems so batty!!

I'm sure she wasn't trying to be scientifically accurate (her copy editors and publishers would have picked up on it. Anyway, nobody could be that misinformed!) It must be meant to be abstract. It's just so irritating to read though! But I have decided to crack on! I'll let you know how it goes!!

I’m autistic and one of my things is books. So, if I read a book that I love, I will immediately go onto Amazon and buy every single book that the author has written (kindle obviously because I don’t have room in my house for the 1300 books I have on my kindle).

I have all of hers.

Persevere!

There was a three-part adaptation of it on radio 4 last year that was excellent, too

Yes! It's a good book. Give it longer and see if you like her writing style.

I would say that if you cannot spell persevere then probably not.

It’s obviously a typo and why should anyone’s spelling prevent them from reading a book?!

Abstract or not, that would have irritated the crap out of me so much I'd have already chucked the book in the bin - sorry!

I think that book is Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson and it's one of my favourite books. So I of course would say continue!! If you really dislike it then there are loads of other books to read 😊

This kind of thing is very typical in magic realism. It's not meant to be taken literally. Open your mind a little. Kate Atkinson is a brilliant writer.

In my top five.

It's a fabulous book. Do take notes, though, as there is a lot of family tree!

and the award for most unnecessarily cunty comment of the day goes to....

Not saying that OP is any of these, but following your "logic" anyone for whom English isn't their first language, or is dyslexic, or whom, god forbid, uses autocorrect, just...shouldn't read books, at all, then?

I agree. What is the book called? I need to know to avoid it.

Edit: I've just seen what it is and I loved that book! I've read it twice and that part didn't really enter my consciousness. Interesting.

I agree. I'm a pedant but that was clearly an autocorrect thing.

That's it, I can't go on! But not for the original reason. I got to page 98 and now I have images of WW1 trench dogs in my head that I'll never be rid of!! You people who love this book must be proper sadists!! It's heading to the charity shop, so it can traumatize someone else.

I agree she's a good writer, (I don't read much at all these days and she kept me turning pages.) You just have to not focus too much on the odd first chapter. And just avoid altogether if you're a sensitive dog-lover!!