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Critically acclaimed books you hate?

BLITZ_Molloy

Everybody likes different things so it's only natural that some people hate what are generally regarded as classic pieces of literature. I'm probably going to be a bit vague cos I haven't read these books in ages.

Catcher In The Rye
The protagonist is boring, pretentious and just drifts about in a morose angsty teenage fashion. He's a mopey, self pitying little tosser and I'd rather not listen to his moaning. The 1950's dialogue is horribly dated. It feels 10 times longer than the 250 or so pages.

Lord of the Rings
Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of fantasy novels in general, but the ones that I do enjoy like Wizard of Earthsea ramble less and make a hell of alot more sense. Gandalf is the only good guy who's able to take care of himself, yet he tends to feck off at various points for no reason, despite the ring being the most important thing to him. So you've got the Hobbits left to save the world by themselves, which they do through pure luck because they're utterly powerless, or because Gandalf decides to magically reappear and save the day.

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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

This post has been deleted.

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