Any popular books you found disappointing?

[jæd]

Any Terry Pratchett book in the last three years. How many times can he recycle the same premise...?

Any book advertised on the Tube is usually shite, though "Kafka on the Shore" is promising.

 

[marshall]

I really didn’t like White Teeth. I stuck with it, but thought it was just…nothing really. Didn’t engage, no mystery, very ‘showy’ book.

Vernon God Little was over-rated too. The new Catcher in the Rye? No. Wanted to like it, but…big letdown.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Vernon God Little was over-rated too. The new Catcher in the Rye? No. Wanted to like it, but…big letdown.

That's the funny thing about it....I really liked Vernon God Little

 

[rubbershoes]

Any book advertised on the Tube is usually shite, though "Kafka on the Shore" is promising.

more bleedin' magical realism

what's the point of it, that's what i want to know



All the Harry Potter books. I struggled throught he first and gave up weith the second.

 

[neilh]

catch 22 as well.

 

[strung out]

atonement.

Blaspheme!

 

[onemonkey]

i thought a brief history of time was a little too simplistic

 

[IntoStella]

Any Terry Pratchett book in the last three years. How many times can he recycle the same premise...?

Any book advertised on the Tube is usually shite, though "Kafka on the Shore" is promising.

Kafka on the Shore is brilliant. As are all Murakami's books.

I got through the first 500 or so pages of Jonathan Strange and then realised that I was bored out of my mind. That book could have done with losing, oooh, 700 pages?

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Vernon God Little was over-rated too. The new Catcher in the Rye? No. Wanted to like it, but…big letdown.

See, I like Vernon God Little, but I think Catcher in the Rye is really poor. I think the basic writing style in VGL is much better, and I think the supporting characters are much, much stronger. The main character in Catcher is, I suppose, supposed to be all enigmatic and removed from society, archetypal misunderstood youth and all that, but just comes across to me as someone with no insight into others at all.

Basically, to use serious literary terms, I don't like Catcher in the Rye because I think Holden Caulfield comes across as a self-absorbed knobhead.

 

[tastebud]

'generation x' - douglas coupland. i love douglas coupland and a few of my friends really loved 'generation x'. i really don't *get* why. i do appreciate that it might be me rather than them / the masses though. i'm good like that and might try reading it again at some point.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Kafka on the Shore is brilliant. As are all Murakami's books.

I'm reading that at the moment. Excellent so far.

 

[Biddlybee]

Everyone raved about The God Of Small Things, I thought it was terrible.

Me too.. couldn't get past the first chapter.

Also, everyone raves about The Corrections - but I'm halfway through and getting bored - does it get better?

 

[chooch]

Vernon God Little was over-rated too.

Thought it was okish, but not much more. So not quite the new Catcher in the Rye.
Not shit enough.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Thought it was okish, but not much more. So not quite the new Catcher in the Rye.
Not shit enough.

 

[elevendayempire]

Lord of the Rings drags on a bit:

"I am Norman, known to many as Norm, from the Northlands, which some call York-Shire, or the Shire of York, journeying south whence I slayed the Great Beast Urmskaladrak, known to some as Bob, with my blade of mithril..."

Oh, shut up, do.

Also, Jane Eyre. I find it strange that, upon discovering the existence of the mad woman in the attic, her main objection to marrying Rochester is that, "It'd be bigamy!" Rather than considering, for instance, the fact that he keeps women locked up in his attic.

Lest you all think I'm a complete philistine, I'm reading Oliver Twist at the moment. It's very good.

SG

 

[marshall]

Thought it was okish, but not much more. So not quite the new Catcher in the Rye.
Not shit enough.

Not read it then?

 

[arattebury]

Northern Lights.

 

[arattebury]

Northern Lights.

 

[Looby]

Also, everyone raves about The Corrections - but I'm halfway through and getting bored - does it get better?

I couldn't get past the first chapter of this but I am told it's worth it.

Catch 22 and Catcher In The Rye I really like tho and I'm probably very much in the minority but I quite enjoyed The Beach too.

Ooh and someone said they didn't enjoy Secret History. I loved it and have re-read it recently. Fab book.

Sorry, I'm meant to be thinking of books I don't like aren't I?

 

[Dubversion]

The Corrections is genius. persevere

 

[onemonkey]

i used to find jane austen unreadable

 

[kazza23]

The Corrections does get better about half way through, and how can you slate "a secret history"? The Little friend even better.

 

[Idris2002]

The Beach was a lot better than I expected.

I recently read the worst book ever published, a spy novel called the Company.

Avoid this book, shun it like you would an unclean thing. . .

 

[STFC]

Another vote here for Catch 22. I persevered with it, thinking it might get better but it didn't.

Didn't like Catcher in the Rye either. I thought Holden Caulfield was a twat. Got about 3/4 of the way through then couldn't even be arsed to finish it.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Five people you meet in heaven.


WTF? so what? you would think the last one was really important or a twist or something.

Grrrrr

 

[chooch]

Not read it then?

Read it. Read all of Salinger's bollocks, as it happens, in my youth.