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Books you are glad that you persevered with

97 replies

muddleduck · 30/07/2009 11:53

Another thread made me wonder about this.

I very rarely give up on a book that I've started with but it is usually the case that if I hate it at the start I carry on hating it all the way.

The only exception I can think of is Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep" which I was forced to read for a book club. I nearly gave up on it several times but had to concede that it is actually well worth reading.

OP posts:
CybilLiberty · 31/07/2009 09:38

The Time Travelers Wife made my head hurt at first...and I'm still not sure I understand how he can meet himself when he was a boy etc, but I was so pleased I didn't give up.

I'm normally a 'life's too short' reader, and if I don't LOVE it straight away, that's it.

canella · 31/07/2009 10:37

just started reading atonement yesterday - was about to start a thread asking if it gets better cause just bored with it at the mo then saw this one!

will persevere then!

sayanything · 31/07/2009 11:12

I found all of John Irving's book to be slow starters but I ended up loving them. Well, not so much his recent ones, but Owen Meany, The World According to Garp and Hotel New Hampshire I adored and read over.

I mentioned in another thread that I loved A.S.Byatt - I found Possession to be tough going to begin with, but I galloped through it once I got the narrative structure.

I thought Atonement was the complete opposite of Enduring Love, which has a fantastic first chapter and then dragged a bit.

naomi83 · 31/07/2009 11:23

I second the book thief, took me until my third "go" at it until i made it till the end, unlike time traveller's wife which I finished in 2 days!

fridascruffs · 31/07/2009 11:33

Don Quixote de la Mancha. Have tried many times. Also Heart of Drakness, which isn't even long. Still haven't managed to read them though.
Patrick O'brien- Master and Commander- tried a coupl eof times abnd couldn't get past the first 3 pages, but it only took about 10 pages on the 3rd go and I've red almost all his books now.

oneopinionatedmother · 31/07/2009 12:35

we need to talk abouit kevin..fantaastic radio play!!

might be available on UKnova still...

Lord of the rings was a bit of a chore in parts.

flapinko · 31/07/2009 13:10

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Didn't enjoy the book up till its ending, but thought that the ending was so good that I had to re-read the whole book.

Also, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - amazing!!

flapinko · 31/07/2009 13:11

I am currently struggling with White Tiger btw - has anyone else read it? Is it worth carrying on with??

letsaveabrew · 31/07/2009 13:41

flapinko, it's ok worth finishing but not worth the Booker.
I tried Oscar an Lucinda 3 times before finally reading it. Can't remember much but glad I made it

Dophus · 31/07/2009 13:43

Agree on White Tiger. I finished it but wasn't a fan.

Didn't like Time trav wife.

Recently gave up on Moby Dick - made it hald way thorugh and we still hadn't met the bloody whale.

I don't like giving up on books so like to choose carefully.

AstronomyDomine · 31/07/2009 13:50

Definitely agree re A Thousand Splendid Suns. I think I read the first 3 chapters 4 or 5 times before I got "stuck in". Wow - fantastic!
Not really answering OP's question - but I stuck with Atonement, hated it! I then borrowed another McEwan book - On Chesil Beach, should have known better.
Oh. My. God. I wanted to beat myself soundly for wasting time finishing the damm thing!!

nomorecake · 31/07/2009 14:15

Mrsmuddle

i have to admit it has been some time since i read a fine balance. i dont remember it been difficult to read, but the storyline just got more and more depressing.

i think the bits in the government were quite arduous to get through. but i liked the historial and political context.

i'm quite an optimistic person, maybe thats why i didnt like it. also i havent read any reviews so i wasnt really sure what was going to happen.

when i finsihed it i felt miserable. as if i had my own personal rain cloud.

but i suppose some people would argue that if a book can leave you with such emotions after so long, it must be a powerful read.

i like my books to take me on an adventure of ups and downs. whereas this went down down down, i stuck with it, and kept thinking just over the next page maybe things will change for the characters.

It with go down as the most depressing and haunting book i ever read.

i should maybe give it aother chance, because i've matured since i last read it. but i dont want to go through the effort only to be left miserable again.

a suitable boy, was more my cup of tea, read it twice, also set in india, very long though.

i think i'll stop talking now.

janeite · 31/07/2009 15:00

I liked 'A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius' a lot.

EachPeach - you are probably the only person I've met who managed to finish Moby Dick. I gave up on it but did read a brilliant book about the real-life ship that inspired Melville: here

The end of Captain Correlli really annoyed me (oh and I skipped a fair few of the Mussolini bits).

BestLaidPlans · 31/07/2009 15:31

I thought I hated the ending of Captain Correlli, until I saw the film and then decided the book ending was perfect. I am clearly just contrary.

Dophus · 31/07/2009 16:30

Astronome - just finished Chesil Beach - kicked myself for finishing it. Really disappointing.

I'm nto a MacEwan fan bur for some reason seem to have read most of them. All of them unmemorable. It hough Atonement was the best of a bad bunch.

shinyshoes · 31/07/2009 16:32

Donna Tartt - The secret History. 300 pages in before I got into it. I've never stuck at a book like I did with that one.

Bloody good though, I'm glad I did.

AstronomyDomine · 31/07/2009 16:35

Agree Dophus Atonement had less of a self-beating effect but still very tedious

(Shhhh... I quite like the film but probably because James McAvoy's in it )

janeite · 31/07/2009 16:39

Dp now refuses to speak to me about Ian McEwan. I can't stand him and dp thinks the sun shines from every page.

AstronomyDomine · 31/07/2009 16:42

My mum's fella's the owner of Chesil Beach that I borrowed. He'd told me it was fabulous
I'll be returning said load of bollocks book this weekend, along with the unread "Saturday". I'm not even going to bother with it.

Overmydeadbody · 31/07/2009 16:43

The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

I tried reading it on and off for four years before finally persevering and I'm glad I did.

Pruneurs · 31/07/2009 16:48

The Quincunx
Such a good read
A massive mindfuck

Dophus · 31/07/2009 16:59

Astronomy - I know I've read Saturday - couldn't tell you a thing about it though!

I also like the film of Atonement - it's not often that a film is better than a book.

Vow to self - never buy another Ian MacEwan!

Inspire me - in need of a good read...!

Last year presevered with The book of Dave (Will Self) took me a long time to get into but loved it by the end.

Have just read 'How the Dead Live' and ' The Butt' also by Will Wlef - preferred the latter to the former.

Itsjustafleshwound · 31/07/2009 17:03

Sea of Poppies - It was really slow in the beginning and the seafaring language was really hard to follow (with NO translation) - but looking forward to the next installment ...

I have tried reading LOTR so many times, but it remains unread ...

Tinker · 31/07/2009 17:03

Agree about CCM (and that everyone in RL had teh same experience) Loved this book

I did perservere with The Time Traveller's Wife and I don't think that was worth it at all. Tedious book.

beck71 · 31/07/2009 17:41

Why does everyone rave about Captain Corelli? I found the first part so hard going and depressing and the ending was just stupid If you loved someone and came back to find them, you would not ponce about watching without finding out if they were actually married! Surely you would make enquiries even if you didn't want to actually ask them to their face. Sorry but it still makes me mad that I wasted so much time trudging through it and then was faced with a stupid ending!! (I think I need to get over it - I read it when pregnant with ds and he's nearly 8)