,

REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT BOOKS

List here those books that you found difficult even to apprehend, let alone comprehend.
1

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3.68 avg rating — 12,552 ratings
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2

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3.75 avg rating — 123,266 ratings
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3

by
3.96 avg rating — 17,691 ratings
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4

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 42,093 ratings
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5

by
3.96 avg rating — 34,197 ratings
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6

by
4.04 avg rating — 23,652 ratings
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7

by
4.26 avg rating — 87,425 ratings
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8

by
3.91 avg rating — 5,218 ratings
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9

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3.98 avg rating — 42,975 ratings
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10

by
3.86 avg rating — 175,654 ratings
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11

by
3.46 avg rating — 87,855 ratings
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12

by
4.09 avg rating — 19,001 ratings
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13

by
3.96 avg rating — 4,997 ratings
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14

by
3.63 avg rating — 145,689 ratings
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15

by
4.15 avg rating — 7,040 ratings
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16

by
3.98 avg rating — 30,197 ratings
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17

by
3.91 avg rating — 44,137 ratings
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18

by
4.21 avg rating — 9,886 ratings
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19

by
4.07 avg rating — 143,640 ratings
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20

by
4.07 avg rating — 140,095 ratings
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21

by
3.53 avg rating — 536,974 ratings
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22

by
4.02 avg rating — 3,199 ratings
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23

by
4.29 avg rating — 47,915 ratings
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24

by
3.69 avg rating — 82,626 ratings
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25

by
4.36 avg rating — 307,045 ratings
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26

by
3.80 avg rating — 169,235 ratings
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27

by
4.35 avg rating — 11,863 ratings
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28

by
4.19 avg rating — 6,488 ratings
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29

by
3.80 avg rating — 1,022,171 ratings
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30

by
3.43 avg rating — 488,422 ratings
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31

by
3.84 avg rating — 70,818 ratings
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32

by
3.91 avg rating — 209,349 ratings
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33

by
3.89 avg rating — 255,666 ratings
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34

by
4.15 avg rating — 312,389 ratings
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35

by
3.96 avg rating — 22,664 ratings
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36

by
3.85 avg rating — 1,479,759 ratings
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37

by
3.90 avg rating — 426,830 ratings
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38

by
4.20 avg rating — 771,978 ratings
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39

by
4.10 avg rating — 10,767 ratings
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40

by
4.02 avg rating — 87,599 ratings
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41

by
3.77 avg rating — 24,120 ratings
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42

by
4.31 avg rating — 6,157 ratings
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43

by
4.25 avg rating — 3,453 ratings
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44

by
4.27 avg rating — 437 ratings
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45

by
3.62 avg rating — 394,164 ratings
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46

by
4.01 avg rating — 93,478 ratings
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47

by
4.05 avg rating — 89,819 ratings
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48

by
4.01 avg rating — 14,238 ratings
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49

by
3.83 avg rating — 158,474 ratings
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50

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7,722 ratings
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51

by
4.12 avg rating — 6,907 ratings
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52

by
4.42 avg rating — 62,619 ratings
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53

by
4.03 avg rating — 19,287 ratings
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54

by
4.09 avg rating — 16,648 ratings
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55

by
3.25 avg rating — 8 ratings
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56

by
3.69 avg rating — 381,278 ratings
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57

by
4.17 avg rating — 200 ratings
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58

by
4.29 avg rating — 321,984 ratings
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59

by
3.92 avg rating — 36,759 ratings
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60

by
3.76 avg rating — 31,849 ratings
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61

by
4.20 avg rating — 5,403 ratings
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62

by
3.58 avg rating — 16,394 ratings
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63

by
4.08 avg rating — 803,648 ratings
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64

by
3.52 avg rating — 214,217 ratings
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65

by
3.84 avg rating — 191,553 ratings
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66

by
3.66 avg rating — 2,446,370 ratings
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67

by
4.17 avg rating — 508,235 ratings
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68

by
3.82 avg rating — 3,448 ratings
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69

by
4.09 avg rating — 156,529 ratings
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70

by
3.95 avg rating — 12,926 ratings
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71

by
3.67 avg rating — 14,849 ratings
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72

by
4.13 avg rating — 1,602 ratings
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73

by
3.81 avg rating — 193 ratings
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74

by
4.19 avg rating — 39,349 ratings
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75

by
4.12 avg rating — 1,383,412 ratings
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76

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7,086 ratings
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77

by
3.83 avg rating — 412 ratings
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78

by
3.79 avg rating — 282,755 ratings
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79

by
4.05 avg rating — 2,921 ratings
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80

by
4.20 avg rating — 39,308 ratings
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81

by
3.86 avg rating — 123,913 ratings
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82

by
4.30 avg rating — 3,225 ratings
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83

by
2.90 avg rating — 52 ratings
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84

by
4.07 avg rating — 1,175 ratings
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85

by
3.60 avg rating — 201,772 ratings
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86

by
4.09 avg rating — 9,996 ratings
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87

by
4.24 avg rating — 21 ratings
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88

by
4.09 avg rating — 1,299 ratings
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89

by
4.19 avg rating — 8,516 ratings
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90

by
4.08 avg rating — 1,238 ratings
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90

by
4.01 avg rating — 241,269 ratings
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92

by
3.93 avg rating — 24,671 ratings
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93

by
3.91 avg rating — 410 ratings
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94

by
3.85 avg rating — 104,945 ratings
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95

by
3.72 avg rating — 21,032 ratings
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96

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 205 ratings
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96

by
3.47 avg rating — 290,216 ratings
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98

by
4.14 avg rating — 1,985,421 ratings
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99

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 24,350 ratings
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100

by
4.25 avg rating — 16 ratings
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258 books · 339 voters · list created November 3rd, 2009 by Thom Dunn (votes) .
279 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Thom 6022 books
298 friends
Reese 1116 books
32 friends
Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
369 friends
Caitlin 962 books
45 friends
Antoine 949 books
178 friends
Richard 1591 books
286 friends
Mary M 69 books
17 friends
Tara 2334 books
184 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-24 of 24 (24 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

message 1: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl Should we also include books that we could not discern, capiche, appreciate, absorb, assimilate, catch, fathom, get, make out, perceive, take in, or cognize?


message 2: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn Lobstergirl wrote: "Should we also include books that we could not discern, capiche, appreciate, absorb, assimilate, catch, fathom, get, make out, perceive, take in, or cognize?"

All of the above.


message 3: by [deleted user] (new)

What about remember? ;-)

teasing, Alice


message 4: by Lachlan (new)

Lachlan Lot 49 is Small-Time


message 5: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn Lachlan wrote: "Lot 49 is Small-Time"

Lot 49 is the Word of God !! .... gods ?


message 6: by Lachlan (new)

Lachlan many god


message 7: by Nic (new)

Nic S only read 4 of the 84 books :(


message 8: by Tom (new)

Tom THE CRYING OF LOT 49 is difficult?


message 9: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn Tom wrote: "THE CRYING OF LOT 49 is difficult?"

I don't think so. A bit bizarre, but quite clearly stated.


message 10: by Marianinna (new)

Marianinna twilight is not difficult, is stupid


message 11: by David (new)

David HEART OF DARKNESS?! It's like 60 pages of plain English! Perhaps a bit symbolic, but very easy to read!


message 12: by Ivan (new)

Ivan Difficult?! Are you joking me.
Some of this books we had to read in secondary school.


message 13: by Donna (new)

Donna Davis So to be clear, we are voting on books according to their difficulty level, regardless of whether or not we liked them? Because I got pissed at Joyce during my reading of Ulysses, but would gladly vote that it was a hard read.


message 14: by [deleted user] (new)

not to be a dismissive, condescending prick, but is gilead really 'really, really difficult'?


message 15: by Thom (new)

Thom Dunn Donna wrote: "So to be clear, we are voting on books according to their difficulty level, regardless of whether or not we liked them? Because I got pissed at Joyce during my reading of Ulysses, but would gladly ..."

Yes, any book you personally found difficult to plow your way through.


message 16: by Riku (new)

Riku Sayuj Twilight is the MOST difficult book to read, for this particular audience. Should be promoted right to the top.


message 17: by cabmok (new)

cabmok Lobstergirl wrote: "Should we also include books that we could not discern, capiche, appreciate, absorb, assimilate, catch, fathom, get, make out, perceive, take in, or cognize?"

Isn't a question of being ready, rather ?


message 18: by Jacob (new)

Jacob Fight Club is harder than William T. Vollmann or David Foster Wallace? Give me a break.


message 19: by Siisso (new)

Siisso Frankenstein? Huh!?


message 20: by Farhad (new)

Farhad Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey, so goodreads community is actually 4chan, 9gag community in hiding?


message 21: by Daniel (new)

Daniel Wieser Why is 50 Shades of Grey in this list, before Spinoza and Badiou? Am I missing something?


message 22: by Halvor (Raknes) (new)

Halvor (Raknes) Daniel wrote: "Why is 50 Shades of Grey in this list, before Spinoza and Badiou? Am I missing something?"

Daniel, people will vote for books that they have read, so if someone adds an inapplicable book people who have read it will vote for it. At least I suppose that is the reason why.


message 23: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Oct 11, 2020 02:58PM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Daniel wrote: "Why is 50 Shades of Grey in this list, ...? Am I missing something?"

I personally don't think 50 Shades belongs on this "REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT BOOKS" list either. It badly written, but difficult? Nah... But that's personal :-)


message 24: by Liam (last edited Oct 11, 2020 02:42PM) (new)

Liam Who the hell voted for Atlas Shrugged on here? It's not a hard read if you just turn off your brain like Rand did when she wrote it.


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