Critically acclaimed books you hate?

Lone

fasterkitten wrote: »

The Gathering infuriated me.

Me too, there were some lovely passages but the overwhelming tone of self pity killed it for me.

Reganio 2

Lord of the rings. Just couldn't get through it no matter how hard I tried. Must have tried about 3 times and just can't get past like the 50th page.

Ed D.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The story behind its publication is pretty amazing and I wanted to like it for that alone. Instead I thought it was heavy-handed and self-satisfied, a broad lampoon with nothing beneath its cartoonish plot and characters. People I respect raved about this book, but I just didn't get it.

silvine

Lots of Catcher in the Rye haters here! I haven't read it yet. I loved the Road, thought it was very well written.

Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre - Tries too hard, not that funny and not that clever.

The Historian - boring indulgent slow moving tripe.

The Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole - The only good one was the first one.

kincsem

I would have preferred Hitchikers Guide To The Ford Galaxy. :pac:

oponodon

I found Farenheit 451 extremely dull. I cant believe people talk about it the same way as classics like 1984 or Brave new world....

Permabear

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superconor

Harry Potter.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Psychedelic

Herman Hesse - The Glass Bead Game
Homer - The Odyssey
Umberto Eco - The Name of the Rose
Thomas Pynchon - Gravity's Rainbow
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Incredibly boring the lot of them.

Re: Catcher in the Rye, i first read it as a teenager and have read it several times since and still love it.

Stevieo

Sandor wrote: »

Oh ya, Jane Austin. Though I don't know if that's just because I'm a man. Probably not worth mentioning.

Incredibly unfair comment methinks. I thought Pride and Prejudice was outstanding, and I'm a guy. Just because your genitals aren't the same as the protagonist's or the author's, doesn't make a book of lesser quality as a piece of literature!

That said, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is BALLS...

Crash

I remember when I first tried to read it, Saturday by Ewan McEwan was being lauded as a wonderful piece of literature. I've wiped my ass with better written novels, have tried FIVE times to read it so far, and never gotten past about 50 pages.

bobbygirl

Also agree about Jane Austen and The Gathering!!

On Chesil Beach also did nothing for me !!

p to the e

ncmc wrote: »

anything by Irving Walsh

guessing you mean Irvine Welsh which i loved train spotting and the sequel Porno.

Anything by James Joyce bores me to tears and Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. Oh hurry up and kill yourself!

I actually enjoyed reading Wuthering Heights and James Fennimore Coopers "The last of the Mohicans"

EmoMatt15

I read the Grapes of Wrath when I was meant to be studying for the junior...

I liked it at the time and I'd read it again but I dont know why I like it..

I like other Steinbeck books like Of Mice and Men, a classic.

turgon

Never really appreciated the Great Gatsby. I think ill read it again, cause I hear everyone saying its like one of the greatest books ever written but I just dont see it.

sitout

turgon wrote: »

Never really appreciated the Great Gatsby.

What's so Great about this Gatsby guy anyway?

Piste

Lizzykins wrote: »

My Name is Red is one of the few books I couldn't finish. Hated it intensely. Likewise Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell was completely incomprehensible to me too. The reviewers raved about it. My name is Red won the Impac prize. Don't see how.

Yeah I couldn't finish My Name Is Red, found it so boring! I kept putting off reading it and finally it was overdue to the library so I just gave it back.

Phototoxin wrote: »

Terry Pratchett.. can see the attempts to be funny and it spoils it. Also not interesting.

I don't get the way some people tend to be total Pratchett fanatics, a few of his books are a bit of a laugh, but so many are just pointless drivel. He's one of the most overrated authors I think.

manicmonoliths

turgon wrote: »

Never really appreciated the Great Gatsby. I think ill read it again, cause I hear everyone saying its like one of the greatest books ever written but I just dont see it.

Yeah I'd agree, I just finished it there and I couldn't really see what all the fuss was about. Gatsby was a pretty likeable character I suppose but overall I thought the novel was pretty poor.

'Hate' is a strong word, I don't think I've ever actually hated a book, but I don't really enjoy reading Stephen King's work, I've only finished 3 of his books (The Stand, Carrie and Insomnia), I find he tends to start off well with a good idea but by the end I've lost interest. A friend of mine once said you can never appreciate King unless you're from the American North-West, a bit odd considering his worldwide success

Also thought the Alchemist was awful, couldn't engage with it at all.

EmoMatt15

Piste wrote: »

I don't get the way some people tend to be total Pratchett fanatics, a few of his books are a bit of a laugh, but so many are just pointless drivel. He's one of the most overrated authors I think.

Yeh I dont get most of his books in the funny way either...

But apparently the Queen does!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/4030663/New-Year-Honours-Knighthood-for-Terry-Pratchett.html

Ca-raz-eeeey

kmick

Kafka's The Trial
Catch 22

I hated them both like nothing ever before. I found out later that Catch 22 is a rip off of The Trial.

I liked Catcher.

Also I hate anything by Bill Bryson - everyone seems to think he is a prophet of our times. I cant understand it.

turgon

manicmonoliths wrote: »

Gatsby was a pretty likeable character I suppose but overall I thought the novel was pretty poor.

And when I hear of things like 10 best books, I always think of 1984 because I adore that book. And then when I see the Great Gatsby there and 1984 not, im like, what the fùck?

Thomas_S_Hunterson

I don't know how anyone could not like Catch-22

seanybiker

The bible

cousin_borat

That prize goes to A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

johnnyskeleton

Anything other than this wrote: »

I remember when I first tried to read it, Saturday by Ewan McEwan was being lauded as a wonderful piece of literature. I've wiped my ass with better written novels, have tried FIVE times to read it so far, and never gotten past about 50 pages.

Anything by Ian McEwan has to be a contender. My least favourite was Amsterdam, which wom the Booker prize. All his books are drivel, it's as if he does a lot of research on a topic (e.g. music, medicine, politics) then creates a load of dull characters who act in an unreal manner so that he can talk about what he has researched.

kmick wrote: »

Kafka's The Trial
Catch 22

I hated them both like nothing ever before. I found out later that Catch 22 is a rip off of The Trial.

Interesting that you say that, as I wouldn't associate the two at all.

Dr. Baltar

shockwave wrote: »

Catch 22....Load of tripe!

What a terrible, terrible book!

Abraham

Rudi Giuliani's biog "Leadership"......what a load of tripe.

smegmar

any of the Dan Brown books. Esp DaVinci code. I read it and was amazed at how much hype complete sh*t had received. the only good thing in there was the underlying story (which apparently Dan Brown stole from another book http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Blood,_Holy_Grail ). The movie was even worse.

cautioner

smegmar wrote: »

any of the Dan Brown books. Esp DaVinci code. I read it and was amazed at how much hype complete sh*t had received. the only good thing in there was the underlying story (which apparently Dan Brown stole from another book http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Blood,_Holy_Grail ). The movie was even worse.

Agree almost completely. I rather enjoyed Angels & Demons. Da Vinci Code was utter tripe- trashy thriller designed to make people feel smart?

Hermy

Sir Baralot wrote: »

What a terrible, terrible book!

cautioner wrote: »

Agree almost completely. I rather enjoyed Angels & Demons. Da Vinci Code was utter tripe- trashy thriller designed to make people feel smart?

Interesting comments.
I thought the Da Vinci Code was both great and terrible.
A great page turner and hard to put down but the plot was so full of holes and it wasn't very well written but the short chapters kept me going.

Catch 22 is a brilliant book in my opinion - so very, very funny but it really highlighted the futility of war.

Some books are crap despite the hype but they still entertain.
Other books are considered classics and yet people hate them.

metrovelvet

Finnegan's Wake is awful!

Moby Dick

Anything by Hemingway except his short story Hills Like White Elephants

The Corrections

Harry Potter - sorry I just dont get the hype. Much prefer Pullman.

Atonement [But I loved On Chesil Beach]

BopNiblets

Is Dan Brown critically acclaimed?
If he is, I read Digital Fortress when I was studiing Cryptography in college (and was crap at it), I still hated that book.

And the Da Vinvi code.

Permabear

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orangecake

metrovelvet wrote: »

Atonement [But I loved On Chesil Beach]

I completely agree. I read Atonement first and thought Ian McEwan must be utterly incapable of writing anything half decent. Then I read On Chesil Beach which I think is one of the most brilliantly written books of the last few years. Its hard to believe they are by the same person.

CDfm

ncmc wrote: »

I totally agree with both of those and would also add: anything by Irving Walsh and Ulyssis (couldn't get past page 10 after three attempts!)

I read Ulysses - over hyped twaddle up there with a Brief history of Time by Stephen Hawking.

banshee_bones

catch 22

any of that jane austen esque type stuff

catcher in the rye aswell!

CDfm

metrovelvet wrote: »

Finnegan's Wake is awful!


Anything by Hemingway except his short story Hills Like White Elephants

I had forgotten Hemingway pedantic and pretentious.

Your attitude on Finnegans Wake is well Catholic and I had forgotten how truly awful and boring it is:D

metrovelvet

CDfm wrote: »

I had forgotten Hemingway pedantic and pretentious.

Your attitude on Finnegans Wake is well Catholic and I had forgotten how truly awful and boring it is:D

My attitude is well catholic? How? I am pretty catholic [well feel more protestant really] but I dont know how this shows in my attitude.

I forgot to add Thomas Pynchon to my list.

orangecake- Chesil Beach is breathtaking. I was haunted by it for weeks. Incredible book.

boidey

I want to throw the entire works of thomas hardy, george eliot and jane austen into to the pot.
While I am it I may as well put the boot into milan kundera. the unbearable lightness of being went right over my head, as did laughter and the art of forgetting

/shudders

CDfm

metrovelvet wrote: »

My attitude is well catholic? How? I am pretty catholic [well feel more protestant really] but I dont know how this shows in my attitude.

I forgot to add Thomas Pynchon to my list.

orangecake- Chesil Beach is breathtaking. I was haunted by it for weeks. Incredible book.

The Catholic Church was always blamed for his books being banned - but my view has always been that it was good taste as no-one needed to read about him shagging his missus. If he was alive today he would host a "Members Wives" Porno site on the internet.:D:D:D

Mr Benevolent

Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood. Very derivative and extremely disturbing... not violent, but the content is nasty. I stopped halfway through and tore it up. Sickening stuff.

On a lighter note, Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. Very boring, probably plotted in a couple of minutes. Suprised no-one has mentioned the Da Vinci Code yet.

theCzar

smegmar wrote: »

any of the Dan Brown books. Esp DaVinci code. I read it and was amazed at how much hype complete sh*t had received. the only good thing in there was the underlying story (which apparently Dan Brown stole from another book http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Blood,_Holy_Grail ). The movie was even worse.

Confab wrote:

Suprised no-one has mentioned the Da Vinci Code yet.

what about 13 posts behind yours?

I'll add my name to the millions who get annoyed when "good" and "da vinci code" feature too closely in any sentence.

I love catch 22, but I understand how you could be put off it, I personally hate all of Heller's other work.

Fletch123

Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Didn't like it, thought it was quite boring and I was not intrigued to keep on turning the pages as I usually would with a good book (although I did finish it).

Confab- Dan Brown books are popular rather than critically acclaimed

CDfm

The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer - overrated -the Cecilia Aherne of her day.

carlrac

Sean_K wrote: »

I don't know how anyone could not like Catch-22

+1

Also, I'd have to say Milan Kundera is one of my favourite authors, but i suppose he wouldn't be the most accessible...

Anyway i read a few books by Joyce and like many people here, i didn't really 'get' them. I don't consider them to be bad books or anything - just not for me. A lot of the books mentioned (particularly Catcher in the Rye are much better appreciated at a certain age - i was 14 and thoroughly enjoyed it)
...as for Dan Brown, nobody can argue in his favour!

Permabear

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megadodge

CDfm wrote: »

The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer - overrated -the Cecilia Aherne of her day.

I thought the Female Eunuch was excellent but have no problem with you not liking it - personal taste, etc.

However, I'm truly puzzled by the comparison of a very serious, highly intelligent, deeply thought out polemic being compared to chick-lit fluff.

CDfm

megadodge wrote: »

I thought the Female Eunuch was excellent but have no problem with you not liking it - personal taste, etc.

However, I'm truly puzzled by the comparison of a very serious, highly intelligent, deeply thought out polemic being compared to chick-lit fluff.

Thats a bit unfair on Cecilia Aherne:rolleyes:

carlrac

donegalfella wrote: »

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Ye thanks for the advice, i'll check it out! Spot on diagnosis of my reading progression there also! I read all of the stories in Dubliners but didn't finish Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man because i got the impression that Joyce was writing for the sake of it, while marveling at his own ability to create a unique style :rolleyes: bit harsh maybe, but i'm sure anyone familiar with these works would get the gist of what i'm saying!
Anyhoo, i suppose he's worth another shot

Oh and to add to the list: Great Expectations
Just to qualify though, i really enjoyed the characters in this book (Jaggers is a character who has had a lasting impression on me) but i began reading this with said 'great expectations' and felt i had to endure far too many dull moments to get to know the intriguing characters Dickens created...

humbert

CDfm wrote: »

Thats a bit unfair on Cecilia Aherne:rolleyes:

IMO it really really isn't, but I've only encountered excerpts and inane babble from the author.

I offer Joseph Conrad's "Nostromo". Didn't mind the writing style but just found the whole thing terribly boring.