The Most Overrated Books Showing 501-550 of 5,680

[Monty J]

Kenneth wrote: "I hated Atlas Shrugged on just about every level."

It is the most toxic book I have ever picked up. Randism is destroying democracy.

http://redroom.com/member/monty-heyin...

[Kallie]

Monty J wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "I hated Atlas Shrugged on just about every level."

It is the most toxic book I have ever picked up. Randism is destroying democracy.

http://redroom.com/member/monty-heyin......"

I'm glad you refer to it as a book rather than as a novel; novels are works of art, not works of propaganda.

[Bill]

Greatest propaganda book? Mein Kampf, Das Kapital or Machiavelli?

[Heather]

I definitely agree with The Great Gatsby and all the Twilight books but I did love The Da Vinci Code.Some of the classics are , in my opinion, highly over-rated but all reading choices is dependent upon mood and preference. What I liked in my teens I sure wouldn't pick up in my 50's. What I really don't like is the premise that one MUST read the classics.pppfffttt....what I MUST read is a book I like.

[Ronjaws]

Philip wrote: "Any Harry Potter dross"

REALLY???? WOW. The Harry Potter books are great for anyone, ages 7-99.

[Petergiaquinta]

Bill wrote: "Greatest propaganda book? Mein Kampf, Das Kapital or Machiavelli?"

How about the Bible? Shortly followed by the Quran...

You did say "greatest," after all.

[Andrew]

Catcher and the Rye and Atlas Shrugged are AMAZING pieces of work. They deserve every bit of credit they get. Not only were they great novels but they challenged the norm. Very important to push society to a different way of thinking.

[Andrew]

Kallie wrote: "But Holden is not just another teen because he expresses what he is feeling, which many teens don't get to do (if through Salinger). Salinger got it exactly right though; he is a worthy conduit fo..."

I am with you! Great comment.

[Andrew]

Nancy wrote: "The Catcher in the Rye is underrated in my opinion!!! It is a masterpiece. I wouldn't consider The Great Gatsby as overrated either. The Da Vinci code was excellently done as a page turner, though ..."

I agree. Great comment.

[Andrew]

Kenneth wrote: "Maria wrote: "Which books do you think are overrated?

Here's a quick sampling from various internet sites that recommend skipping these:
The Catcher in the Rye
Moby Dick
The Great Gatsby
Waitin..."

Seriously? A waste. Man, Atlas Shrugged a waste? Catcher a waste? You'd probably hate my novel, ha! To each is own, I guess.

[Andrew]

Ian wrote: "@ Matt

It is fun to rant and vent about the books you HATED that everyone else seems to love. I find it cathartic personally."

Yeah, everyone likes to go against the grain.
-Andrew
andrewjfrischerz.com

[Ken]

Some people like to go with the grain because it's easier to be accepted. Others choose to go against the grain because they want to stand out.

Still a 3rd group chooses to follow the path of their desires, whether it be against, with, or across the grain. To this group, the grain is irrelevant. Which one do you think I belong to?

And yes, I feel Atlas & Catcher were a pain to read. One was a political platform disguised as a badly-written novel, and the other was teenage angst given an accidental literary pedestal.

[S.W.]

And others like to grind that grain into powder, add some yeast, let it rise then bake up some bread. I long to belong to this latter group.

[Vanessa Eden]

As for the going against the grain thing; I had said I do not like I know why the caged bird sings. I was a lit major and believe me I got flack for it. I am not a non conformist or anything, I just know what I like and that's what I care about. As long as I am entertained I don't really care what anyone else feels. Just call me Andy Kaufman.

[Bill]

Some of these novels may not make the high-brow literary grade, however, they can and do very often capture the imagination of young readers. Readers who have suffered through much of what they are exposed to in school! They discover Catcher and it hopefully sends them on a life long journey of the pleasures of seeking out more and better literature! I'll take Catcher over the some of the crap today which sends young readers to the movies or theme parks!

[Anne Hawn]

Some of these novels may not make the high-brow literary grade

I almost hate to chime in here again but for the sake of literature, I'll try one more time.

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." He meant that life was about self examination and actualization. People often repeat the same unsatisfying behavior again and again and often never find the place where they love their lives and are fulfilled in their work. There is a vague feeling that life should be more than acquiring more and more things that don't make them happy. They go through relationship after relationship which always fail.

Great literature poses situations and examines them through the lives of the characters. These books were often not written for entertainment. The author has the ability to make the reader live through the characters and see the relationships between their own behavior and their desires.

If we follow characters like Holden Caufield or Jay Gatsby, we come to understand our own motivation and goals. The Great Gatsby is about a man who devoted his whole life and energy to please Daisy because he wanted to become worthy of her and her lifestyle. He dedicated his entire life to become what he thought she valued.

By its very nature, it is not a satisfying book, but if you are a student reading it, you should come away with the knowledge that the life Jay Gatsby chose was not worth it. He wasted his life because his goal was not worthy. A seed is planted in the adolescent mind. What are my goals? What do I want to do with my life so I don’t end up like Jay Gatsby.

The required reading for high school and college isn't so a person learns to like boring "high-brow" books. It is to help people learn to examine their lives. During a hurricane, the weather reporters go out in the rain and wind and film the hurricane so that everyone else doesn't have to expose themselves to danger to see what is happening. Literature helps us live through other lives and not have to make the same mistakes they make. It helps us see the end of destructive behavior and learn from the successes of the characters that make it through.

To compare these books with a novel by someone like Dan Brown is absurd. One is entertaining and one is about examining life. There is a place for both in life, but they can't be evaluated in the same way. A professor of mine said that every third book we read should be good for us and not just entertainment. I try to keep to that, so most of what I have learned from books has come after I left school.

http://www.consciousearth.us/socrates...

[Bill]

Anne, I agree with you 100%. The "high-brow" remark was aimed at previous posters who dissed Catcher. The journey "Catcher" will send young readers on will have them return time and time again to it. Catcher in the Rye's poignancy ages like fine wine!

[Anne Hawn]

Bill wrote: "Anne, I agree with you 100%. The "high-brow" remark was aimed at previous posters who dissed Catcher. The journey "Catcher" will send young readers on will have them return time and time again to i..."

Thanks, Bill, for responding. I'm sorry I miss attributed it to you, but the wording did point out what lots of people feel like Literature is. I once tutored a high school student and at the end of our discussions of Gatsby he said, "Wow, I didn't know you could actually like books like this!"

I just wish everyone could have the joy of reading a great writer who put into words exactly what he or she was feeling.

[Cosmic]

Anne Hawn wrote: "Some of these novels may not make the high-brow literary grade

I almost hate to chime in here again but for the sake of literature, I'll try one more time.

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is..."

This was so good!
I bought some prints, from a used book and art sale at the Boston Public Library, and on the bag that they gave me was a quote "Read The Best Books First" by Henry David Thoreau. I haven't finished reading them.

I was an only child. Reading good literature had helped me come in contact with a lot of different people in a safe way. I am in awe of authors that, with words, bring their characters to life.

[Anne Hawn]

Cosmic wrote: "Read The Best Books First" by Henry David Thoreau

Thanks, Cosmic. That is great advice.

[Monty J]

Anne Hawn wrote: "Literature helps us live through other lives and not have to make the same mistakes they make. It helps us see the end of destructive behavior and learn from the successes of the characters make it through."

Bravo!

(It also holds up a mirror so we can have a better look, see our warts.)

[Anne Hawn]

Thanks Monty, It definitely does hold up a mirror!

[6138]

Anne Hawn wrote: "Some of these novels may not make the high-brow literary grade

I almost hate to chime in here again but for the sake of literature, I'll try one more time.

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is..."

Anne, agree 100% with you and I hope more people truly understand what you just wrote.

[Geoffrey]

No, Jay spent his entire life in the pursuit of wealth. Daisy was the icing on the cake. Read back to Gatz`s comments at the funeral. Jay was always overambitious.

[Cosmic]

Geoffrey wrote: "No, Jay spent his entire life in the pursuit of wealth. Daisy was the icing on the cake. Read back to Gatz`s comments at the funeral. Jay was always overambitious."

He was trying to compensate for the lack of a bloodline.
That was the privilege that Daisy enjoyed. Money is not everything...true it isn't the half of it. That is why evolution if believed ultimately leads to eugenics....which Darwin's cousin was the father of.Essays In Eugenics

[Cosmic]

Geoffrey wrote: "No, Jay spent his entire life in the pursuit of wealth. Daisy was the icing on the cake. Read back to Gatz`s comments at the funeral. Jay was always overambitious."

Geoffrey wrote: "No, Jay spent his entire life in the pursuit of wealth. Daisy was the icing on the cake. Read back to Gatz`s comments at the funeral. Jay was always overambitious."

He was trying to compensate for the lack of a bloodline.
That was the privilege that Daisy enjoyed. Money is not everything...true it isn't the half of it. That is why evolution if believed ultimately leads to eugenics....which Darwin's cousin was the father of.Essays In Eugenics

Two people died in that story. Both were trying to pull themselves up. Both were mowed down as inconsequential.

Both were reaching for the GOLD RING.

If you read Fitzgerald first novel This Side Of Paradise you will see the game spelt out.

"No, it isn't silly. It's quite plausible. If you'd gone to college you'd have been struck by the fact that the men there would work twice as hard for any one of a hundred petty honors as those other men did who were earning their way through."

"Kids—child's play!" scoffed his antagonist.
"Not by a darned sight—unless we're all children. Did you ever see a grown man when he's trying for a secret society—or a rising family whose name is up at some club? They'll jump when they hear the sound of the word. The idea that to make a man work you've got to hold gold in front of his eyes is a growth, not an axiom. We've done that for so long that we've forgotten there's any other way. We've made a world where that's necessary. Let me tell you"—Amory became emphatic—"if there were ten men insured against either wealth or starvation, and offered a green ribbon for five hours' work a day and a blue ribbon for ten hours' work a day, nine out of ten of them would be trying for the blue ribbon. That competitive instinct only wants a badge. If the size of their house is the badge they'll sweat their heads off for that. If it's only a blue ribbon, I damn near believe they'll work just as hard. They have in other ages."

[Anne Hawn]

Geoffrey wrote: "No, Jay spent his entire life in the pursuit of wealth. Daisy was the icing on the cake. Read back to Gatz`s comments at the funeral. Jay was always overambitious."

SparkNotes are not my favorite, but here is a quote:

"Gatsby tells Jordan that he knew Daisy in Louisville in 1917 and is deeply in love with her.( (He was an ordinary soldier at the time.) He spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of her dock, across the bay from his mansion. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy. Gatsby now wants Nick to arrange a reunion between himself and Daisy, but he is afraid that Daisy will refuse to see him if she knows that he still loves her. Nick invites Daisy to have tea at his house, without telling her that Gatsby will also be there. After an initially awkward reunion, Gatsby and Daisy reestablish their connection. Their love rekindled, they begin an affair."

[Kallie]

Anne Hawn wrote: "Some of these novels may not make the high-brow literary grade

I almost hate to chime in here again but for the sake of literature, I'll try one more time.

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is..."

Well said. It's not just about entertainment, distraction, etc., though that has it's place for sure.

[Monty J]

Anne Hawn wrote: "Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy."

This is an interpretation of the text, not the text itself. And it is a widely held interpretation. Perhaps there are a lot of readers of SparkNotes.

I find only one place where Nick speculates that Gatsby "hoped" Daisy might show up at one of his parties, but even that is a speculation.

Where is the evidence that Daisy was the main reason he threw the extravagant parties and maintained an extravagant lifestyle?

An alternative reason could have been that the parties were for Wolfsheim to gain access to political power and wealth. Buyers for his counterfeit bonds, etc. There are strong hints that Gatsby was indeed fronting for Wolfsheim.

[Matthew]

Monty J wrote: "An alternative reason could have been that the parties were for Wolfsheim to gain access to political power and weath. There are strong hints that Gatsby was indeed fronting for Wolfsheim.
"

It could have also been both; a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

[Anne Hawn]

Monty J wrote: "Anne Hawn wrote: "Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy."

This is an interpretation of the text, not the text itself. And it is a widely held inter..."

If you have the book, you can look near the beginning for the scenes when Gatsby meets and falls in love with Daisy. He is a soldier and he has to go back to his unit. He knows that Daisy will never be his unless he is wealthy. After the war, he goes back home determined to be the kind of person she would actually love. He's shrewd, single-minded and tireless in his desire for wealth and power. He buys that lavish mansion specifically because it is across the water from Daisy's house.

“And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night."

As for the part of the book where you know that he has done it all for Daisy, you need to look for Nick's comments about Gatsby in the beginning of the book first. Nick, the objective narrator, introduces us to Gatsby. I tried to find the whole quote but I couldn't. I think this is the one:

"If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promise of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the 'creative temperament'--it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No--Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men."
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

THEN, you go to the last couple chapters in the book. It starts with the accident. I can't say much more because discussing it would be a huge spoiler. The most important part concerns the question of who was driving the car and then the scene at the pool.

I don't mean that you have to interpret the book the same way I do, but that is what I based my opinion on. The genius of Fitzgerald is that he could create a person who seems to embody all the glitz and shallowness of the age and then expose his nobility.

[Monty J]

Anne Hawn wrote: "I don't mean that you have to interpret the book the same way I do, but that is what I based my opinion on and it is consistent with opinions held by people much more knowledgeable than I am."

(Daisy wasn't mentioned in the quotation you cited.)

It is indeed a widely held interpretation that Gatsby "did it all for Daisy," but I looked for significant evidence to support this view and came up empty handed.

First-hand evidence, words from Gatsby's mouth reinforced by his deeds.

The entire book is narrated by Nick, but we don't have to take his word as gospel, especially since Nick has shown himself to be somewhat swept away by Gatsby, "there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promise of life... ."

But now that you've piqued my curiosity on the subject again, I'll make another pass through and see what I can find.

[Anne Hawn]

Monty J wrote: "Anne Hawn wrote: "I don't mean that you have to interpret the book the same way I do, but that is what I based my opinion on and it is consistent with opinions held by people much more knowledgeabl..."

You caught me still editing. I found another quote that expressed some of my reasoning. Read it again. I also clarified some other things.

“And as I sat there brooding on the old..."

I am in Virginia and my house is in Florida, so I am at a disadvantage in giving specifics. I'm limited to quotes online.

[Cosmic]

Anne Hawn wrote: "Monty J wrote: "Anne Hawn wrote: "I don't mean that you have to interpret the book the same way I do, but that is what I based my opinion on and it is consistent with opinions held by people much m..."

Hi Anne, have you googled The Great Gatsby Guttenberg?
Should be able to find it on line.

[Anne Hawn]

Very interesting! You can't download The Great Gatsby in the US. No wonder I couldn't find it.

"If you are in the US, then tough luck, the rights belong to the CBS Corporation, and you'll have to pay Amazon $7.80 $4.99 to get it legally on your Kindle."
http://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/201...

However, I could get it from Project Gutenberg Australia. Thanks.

[Don]

Sam wrote: "I'd also add Analects, The Diary of a Young Girl and The Alchemist to that list."

I agree Alchemist - boring - sucked.

[Gene]

Bill wrote: "Greatest propaganda book? Mein Kampf, Das Kapital or Machiavelli?"

As a political scientist, I have to say that the parts of Das Kapital that deal with historical analyisis of the past are actually far ahead of its time. The "dialectic" is what we would call today, a "feedback loop." Before Marx, history was analyzed in a simply linear, A happened which caused B to happen, etc. manner. Marx realized that changes in, say, technology cause changes in economics which then feed back into changes in social norms which feed back into politics which feeds back into economics, etc.

It's only when he started trying to predict future events that he devolved into insane fantasy, pretty much completely ignoring all his own theories of history.

[Gene]

I reserve one book and one book alone for "most overrated novel."

Catch-22.

Soooo longwinded and unforgiveably repetitious that I could not force myself past the first quarter of it.

[Gene]

Anne Hawn wrote: ".... I almost hate to chime in here again but for the sake of literature, I'll try one more time.

Right on, Anne! Score one for education! :-)

[Gene]

Bill wrote: "Greatest propaganda book? Mein Kampf, Das Kapital or Machiavelli?"

Bill: How do you mean "greatest"? Most impact, best written, widest sales...?

[Cosmic]

Monty J wrote: "Anne Hawn wrote: "Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy."

This is an interpretation of the text, not the text itself. And it is a widely held inter..."

The reason that I say that the theme is old money verses everyone else is related in here at the beginning of chapter one:

"I lived at West Egg, the--well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them."

The book is an expression of what lay between them. A gulf, it's constantly hinted at. It is just a much a gulf for Jay Gatsby as it is for Mr.and Mrs George Wilson. Everyone is trying hard to pull themselves up, but Tim and Daisy. They seem to just play at life. It is easy. Wasn't that the song...or was it a dream...the American dream, that Gatsby had his servant play at the piano?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vWFJLUBwpSY

You need to listen to the whole music video. Gatsby and the Wilson's couldn't afford to make a mistake. They didn't have that kind of family they could rely on. They had to make deals and live stressful lives.

Just sayin

[Anne Hawn]

Cosmic wrote: "Everyone is trying hard to pull themselves up, but Tim and Daisy. They seem to just play at life. It is easy."

This is quote from TGG:

“I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

[Geoffrey]

I do believe that Jay was but a fence/front for his criminal network. It would have been convenient for him to have a "mole" in a gilded community who would fence stolen goods, in the novel`s context, the bonds. So Monty and I are in agreement on this. As Daisy lived in such a posh neighborhood, it`s likely in their business conversations, Wolfsheim asked Jay if he would like such an arrangement and Jay responded by suggesting West Egg, where he knew Daisy lived.

Again, this is pure conjecture but a likely possibility.

[Geoffrey]

Let me add a few comments to my message 558. In another post, someone had suggested that Jay sought wealth to win over Daisy, whereas the truth was, Jay had always sought wealth by hobnobbing with the superwealthy. His earlier attempt at befriending the yachtowner had been successful but the inheritance never came through, perhaps because the deceased`s family objected to the "perverted relationship".

[Peter]

I cannot agree re The Catcher being overrated as I liked it a lot. The Da Vinci Code though! What a hyped up overrated read that was. Great premise let down by the dullest writing in dull town.

Thanks for putting an interesting post together.

[CD]

Monty J wrote:

It is indeed a widely held interpretation that Gatsby "did it all for Daisy," but I looked for significant evidence to support this view and came up empty handed.

First-hand evidence, words from Gatsby's mouth reinforced by his deeds.

The entire book is narrated by Nick, but we don't have to take his word as gospel, especially since Nick has shown himself to be somewhat swept away by Gatsby, "there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promise of life... ."

But now that you've piqued my curiosity on the subject again, I'll make another pass through and see what I can find.

It is fairly easy to state the case for Gatsby having done it all for Daisy.

Nick tells the story of Jay Gatsby the tragic hero in the story of Nick Carraway and we have little reason to doubt his honesty reliability as narrator. He, Nick, is open about his motivations and behaviors even if all about him are not. He is not swept away, just not cynical at least at the start. From the title to the deadly denouement Gatsby is created in this story about money and time for few other purposes of his own but one, Daisy.

The other over arching thematic behaviors while not entirely subservient to the unrequited love, (or something similar) of Gatz/Gatsby, are illustrations of one primary observation; Daisy has a price. Gatsby does not know or is mistaken in his understanding of what that price is and it becomes his tragic flaw. An oft forgotten character that is vital to the narrative is openly blunt:

" 'Gatsby bought that house so Daisy would be just across the bay'. " - Jordan Baker to Nick Carraway near the end of Chapter 4.

This is followed immediately by Nick's dawning realization of what makes Gatsby tick:

" Then it had not been merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor ."

Following are additional details provided by Jordan about Gatsby's plan and activities related to Daisy. Jordan has watched the love affair from the beginning as a girl of sixteen. It is her information that Nick relies on to tell this part of the tale and then to act on or in spite of his cousin's interest for the remainder of the story. There are unforeseen twists and turns of course that go beyond the scope of discussing the initial motivation of Gatsbys actions.

Is Carraway taken in by Jordan? Does his, Nick's, reliable narrator status waiver? No. Nick's 'cardinal virtue of truth' stays intact. Structurally Nick even seals the deal with a kiss in his belief in the validity of the truth of the revelation of these elements at the end of Chapter 4.

The reinvented man, Gatsby, needs Daisy to complete his ascension.

[Cosmic]

CD wrote: "Monty J wrote:

It is indeed a widely held interpretation that Gatsby "did it all for Daisy," but I looked for significant evidence to support this view and came up empty handed.

First-hand evide..."

Why Daisy? It wasn't just because she was pretty. He could have the pick of pretty. But I think it was because of clout. On the other hand maybe she couldn't marry just any oh "rich want to be". Tom's family had money as you can see from the gift he gave Daisy on the wedding night. Even Daisy calls her daughter a "little fool". I think in this we see that even Daisy is trying to pull herself up by marrying for money over love. The only one that gets whatever he wants is Tom. He is entitled in every way.

[Geoffrey]

The comments that he did it all for Daisy beg the prehistory to the present story. Even Daddy Gatz explains to Nick at the funeral that his son was amibitious to climb the social ladder. Jay befriends the millionaire on the yacht and becomes his boatboy/(lover?)in his pre-Daisy quest for social mobility and wealth.

So anyone claiming the above is deliberately disregarding the facts of the beginning of Jay´s story.

[Kallie]

All of you discussing Gatsby are encouraging me to read the book again (it's been a while), as does:
"He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor ."
"Overrated"? Ha. What a silly label.

[Anne Hawn]

Kallie, I've been thinking the same thing. It has been about 5 years since I read it. I've been sifting through the quotes to find the passages I've had in mind to substantiate my opinions and reading the quotes has got me interested in reading it again.