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Most overrated book

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  • Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭Whestsidestory


    The Lovely Bones..read it when I was travelling around Australia and the amount of random people who raved about it when they saw me reading it made me think this must be some book. I thought the ending was farcical


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,231 ✭✭✭Hercule Poirot


    CrankyHaus wrote: »
    I was surprised to see The Damned United in there. Apparently it had to be published here with a non-factual disclaimer because of it's portrayal of Johnny Giles.

    It had to be published everywhere with that disclaimer - Clough's family sued and I think Giles reached a settlement of some sort, amongst others - still a great read though, a fictionalised version of true events is the tag it uses now I think


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,281 ✭✭✭CrankyHaus


    It had to be published everywhere with that disclaimer - Clough's family sued and I think Giles reached a settlement of some sort, amongst others - still a great read though, a fictionalised version of true events is the tag it uses now I think

    I only watched the film, great performances. Similarly I thought the Red Riding TV adaptation was solid but didn't read the books.
    The only book by Peace that I read was Tokyo Year Zero. I couldn't get into it, the writing style put me off.
    Are his other books the same?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,994 ✭✭✭Shapey Fiend


    Out of the current Leaving Cert books I've read The Spinning Heart and I thought that was awful personally. The culchie-fied dialogue sounded very inauthentic and grated on my nerves.


  • Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭robinbird


    Out of the current Leaving Cert books I've read The Spinning Heart and I thought that was awful personally. The culchie-fied dialogue sounded very inauthentic and grated on my nerves.

    If we restricted this thread to non LC books it wouldn't be much of a thread as books that people had to read for the LC are most of those being mentioned.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 73 ✭✭Mick McGraw


    I read 1974 by David Peace and thought it was awful, really boring and difficult enough to follow. He seemed to be writing in a style where he deliberately wanted to make things confusing for the sake of it and I felt their was just no enjoyment to be got from the book.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,995 ✭✭✭Ipso


    I read 1974 by David Peace and thought it was awful, really boring and difficult enough to follow. He seemed to be writing in a style where he deliberately wanted to make things confusing for the sake of it and I felt their was just no enjoyment to be got from the book.

    The story is quite confusing, the next book intertwines the Yorkshire Ripper. I didn’t like it as much as the first but the third and fourth are better. Very grim story.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,745 ✭✭✭Swiper the fox


    A visit from the Goon squad couldn’t end quick enough for me


  • Subscribers Posts: 40,722 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    Tried to read gormengast years ago after rave recommendations from friends only to be very bored with its dense language and depressing narrative.

    I'm going to give it another go this summer to see if it has gotten more relatable as I've got older


  • Registered Users Posts: 229 ✭✭bocaman


    I couldn't stand The Catcher in the Rye. Absolute drivel about an entitled teenager.

    Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. A book I really looked forward, but which I found flat and one dimensional.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 229 ✭✭bocaman


    CrankyHaus wrote: »
    I only watched the film, great performances. Similarly I thought the Red Riding TV adaptation was solid but didn't read the books.
    The only book by Peace that I read was Tokyo Year Zero. I couldn't get into it, the writing style put me off.
    Are his other books the same?

    Read or Dead is change in style, slightly. Have to say I liked Tokyo Year Zero. To each their own.


  • Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭NedLowry


    NedLowry wrote: »
    The Great Gatsby.
    Not terrible by any means, just... average, really.

    Having given this another go recently, I would like to retract my original statement.:o


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Your Face


    Catch 22.
    He really took the title and ran with it.
    I should have read it as a teenager, it probably would have impressed me at that age.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,990 ✭✭✭Be right back


    Normal people.

    Where the crawdads sing.


  • Posts: 3,801 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I was really not a fan of Hilary Mantel's book on Thomas Cromwell. It was over written and totally confusing confusing on its pronouns.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,731 ✭✭✭accensi0n


    The old man and the sea.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,646 ✭✭✭growleaves


    Out of the current Leaving Cert books I've read The Spinning Heart and I thought that was awful personally. The culchie-fied dialogue sounded very inauthentic and grated on my nerves.

    I liked it but the spiteful dad struck me as implausible in his motivations. I'd call it a decent book but only a slight achievement.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,646 ✭✭✭growleaves


    Catch 22 is partly a rip-off of a much better book, Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 4,006 ✭✭✭donfers


    I lot of my classmates thought dunmharú ar an dart was excellent. I found it generic and unevenly paced however


  • Subscribers Posts: 40,722 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    Been mentioned loads of times already but "old man and the sea" is such an overrated bore fest.

    Recently though I read "cipher" by kathe koja.
    Won numerous awards for horror, nominated for many others including the Philip k Dick award

    Absolutely terrible book. Characters with no redeeming attributes. No 'hero' to be on the side of. Essentially a story of wasters.

    The writing style of 'thought-flow text' is about the only interesting feature of the book, but the storyline is no where near good enough to sustain it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 371 ✭✭pajosjunkbox


    A man called Ove.......predictable and stereotyped characters. Don't get the praise for the book at all !


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,745 ✭✭✭Swiper the fox


    I’m listening to Papillon at the moment and to be honest I just want it to be finished.


  • Registered Users, Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 2,158 Mod ✭✭✭✭Nigel Fairservice


    donfers wrote: »
    I lot of my classmates thought dunmharú ar an dart was excellent. I found it generic and unevenly paced however

    I haven't heard or thought of that book in years.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Going to reiterate my annoyance at reading Pillars of the Earth.

    Cool idea of the story taking place over generations and the setting of the 12th century anarchy is relatively original.

    But that’s it.

    It’s actually terribly written - good character does good things because he is good, bad character does bad things because he is bad.

    Many of the major plot points are ridiculously contrived coincidences. There are a few random neologisms like “mumbo jumbo” scattered throughout the text that just take you out of it.

    Oh and the rape, the gratuitous and regular descriptions of rape and its use as a plot device. It became trying by the end.

    Every time I see that 1100+ page tome sitting there on my shelf I’m annoyed thinking of the 4 or so great books I could’ve read instead.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    padohaodha wrote: »
    Ulysses...pack of shoite
    Read it aloud!


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    I was really not a fan of Hilary Mantel's book on Thomas Cromwell. It was over written and totally confusing confusing on its pronouns.
    Loved them all. Hard work for sure but I think it was worth it. A very deliberate style!

    The Alchemist is on my list of forgettable books. Finnegan's Wake is another one , as it's impossible to get anything out of it. Finally I'd add Persuasion, just all walks.




  • A man called Ove.......predictable and stereotyped characters. Don't get the praise for the book at all !

    I got maybe thirty pages into this..

    I thought maybe it was the translation, but it was not good..


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,206 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    I loved Ove.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,084 ✭✭✭Kalimah


    Going to reiterate my annoyance at reading Pillars of the Earth.

    Cool idea of the story taking place over generations and the setting of the 12th century anarchy is relatively original.

    But that’s it.

    It’s actually terribly written - good character does good things because he is good, bad character does bad things because he is bad.

    Many of the major plot points are ridiculously contrived coincidences. There are a few random neologisms like “mumbo jumbo” scattered throughout the text that just take you out of it.

    Oh and the rape, the gratuitous and regular descriptions of rape and its use as a plot device. It became trying by the end.

    Every time I see that 1100+ page tome sitting there on my shelf I’m annoyed thinking of the 4 or so great books I could’ve read instead.

    I have to agree wholeheartedly with this. I thought the premise was good but oh God was it so badly written. Thirteenth century characters who thought and spoke like 20th century people. Not to mention the 20th century attitudes. There was one scene where a guy was flayed alive (yuck) but I just didn’t care at all.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 563 ✭✭✭adrian92


    Ulyeses. But I am not erudite enouph to spell in a right method or way


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