Critically acclaimed books you hate?

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.

zesman

BLITZ_Molloy wrote: »

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.

Likewise I really didn't understand Catcher In The Rye. A spoiled little rich kid. Whats all the fuss about?

taibhse

A Passage to India by E.M Forster, how he made such an interesting and colourful country into something dull, grey and repetitive is almost remarkable in itself. I had to force myself to finish it and the slog certainly wasn't worth it.

On the Road, could have been written in about 20 pages rather than being dragged out, it's like the same episodes over and over again, kind of highlights the pointlessness of the narrative.

Anything by Jane Austen, she was the fluffy chick lit author of her time.

CDfm

donegalfella wrote: »

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I read the stuff and while Joyce was gifted -it really was not to my taste. I have always felt that " Mein Kamph" owes a lot to Joyce - not least because IMO its drivel but its a struggle to read. That said - my Dad who reads little loves Joyces works and finds it very humourous and has even a sneaking admiration for Beckett.

af_thefragile

Can you mention Harry Potter??

Eoin

Hermy wrote: »

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.

Yep, it was a strange one for me. I hated the writing and the plot holes, but was compelled to finish it. It genuinely was hard to put down. But I re-read books a lot, and couldn't stand it the second time around. I only got a few chapters in before I had to give up on it.

I don't think it would be considered "critically acclaimed" though. Best seller, undoubtedly - but I don't think they are necessarily the same thing.

af_thefragile

eoin wrote: »

Yep, it was a strange one for me. I hated the writing and the plot holes, but was compelled to finish it. It genuinely was hard to put down. But I re-read books a lot, and couldn't stand it the second time around. I only got a few chapters in before I had to give up on it.

I don't think it would be considered "critically acclaimed" though. Best seller, undoubtedly - but I don't think they are necessarily the same thing.

It was quite the same story for me to.
Actually quite similar with almost all of Dan Brown's books. They seem to lack much depth but still manage to get you hooked. Once you start, you've gotta finish it just to find out what happens next. But once you've finished it you can't be bothered to read it again. Also the whole Da Vinci code conspiracy hype after the book got popular put me off it more...

994

boidey wrote: »

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

Hardy! Honestly? Have you read "Tess" and "Jude"? I absolutely loved them. But agree about G. Eliot, "Silas Marner" was awful, especially the female characters, which is odd in a woman writer.

:|

af_thefragile wrote: »

It was quite the same story for me to.
Actually quite similar with almost all of Dan Brown's books. They seem to lack much depth but still manage to get you hooked. Once you start, you've gotta finish it just to find out what happens next. But once you've finished it you can't be bothered to read it again. Also the whole Da Vinci code conspiracy hype after the book got popular put me off it more...

Same here. i think it's the short chapters. When i write my best seller I'll make sure to have short chapters:pac:

taibhse

994 wrote: »

"Silas Marner" was awful, especially the female characters, which is odd in a woman writer.

Brought Middlemarch away backpacking with me and I had to leave it behind, couldn't finish it, was awful.

Anything by Joyce!

smegmar

And before I forget the big one, critically acclaimed book that I thought was shi*e: THE BIBLE

Seriously, so many plot holes, and suddenly vengful god becomes forgiving god half way through, for no reason. what tripe

ArmCandyBaby

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

It started out well enough but then slowly he strangles you with his self-satisfaction and finishes you off with his theory on Quality - utter nonsense!

Hyndsy85

Catch 22 by Joesph Heller. My god did i hate that book. It almost put me off reading any critically acclaimed books because it was the first one i read. About to start Moby Dick, i hope its better

questioner

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Curious Incident of the Dog.

It wrecked my head. I didn't like the way it was written and I hated the protagonist.

I second that, one of the most over-rated novels I've read in years. Autistic child takes the world literally, makes lists. The End. I could conceivably see a short story in that, but a full length novel? please.

Mario007

Bel Canto, that book has no viewpoint and is totally awful. I mean you know the ending at the start of book and the rest of the book is simply describing the shoes and the grass

deadhead13

Really liked joseph O'Conner's "Star of the sea". Really struggled with the follow up "Redemption falls"

showry

Hyndsy85 wrote: »

Catch 22 by Joesph Heller. My god did i hate that book. It almost put me off reading any critically acclaimed books because it was the first one i read. About to start Moby Dick, i hope its better

I thought Moby Dick was dreadful. All you wanted to know (and a hell of a lot more) about 19th century whaling.

More recently, I thought Then we came to the end by Joshua Ferris possibly the dullest book I've ever read.

CDfm

showry wrote: »

I thought Moby Dick was dreadful. All you wanted to know (and a hell of a lot more) about 19th century whaling.

More recently, I thought Then we came to the end by Joshua Ferris possibly the dullest book I've ever read.

LOL

EmoMatt15

Strange enough as it sounds, I couldnt get my head into the His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman!

Seres

ya really didnt get the gathering , although i felt compelled to keep reading it , in the end i was like , what , is that it , ant this got a booker prize , what did ye all think of the gathering ?

i thought catcher in the rye was hilarious , i think i might read it again