What book have you tried to read but just didn't get it?

[Sara]

While commenting on the What Book Are You Reading topic, I got to thinking - what books out there have people tried to read only to find they just couldn't do it? I'm thinking that book that everyone just loves and you are left thinking there must be something wrong with you. I have two that always come to mind when I think about mainstream books and just not getting it - Beloved by Toni Morrison and Book of Pi. I couldn't read either one of those even though I tried.

[Rachel Annie]

As far as mainstream romance every other fan of the genre loves: .

I paid for the darn thing so I did finish it, but it wasn't for me. It's supposed to be humorous and lighthearted... I guess I'm broken because I certainly didn't lol like everyone else.

[Virginia]

I gave up reading Cloud Atlas three times and the third one stuck. It was an interesting concept but so hard to read. :-(

[Patrick]

I'm going to be the unpopular one and cite some classical examples (though many of these were during my teenage years and may be worth another shot). Wuthering Heights. Also, The Sound and the Fury (I hated the narrative structure) and virtually anything by Hemingway (I despise all his characters to the point where I have no interest in staying with them and I find his prose style dull as dirt). I also really, really didn't like Exterminator! by William S. Burroughs.

[Virginia]

Patrick wrote: "I'm going to be the unpopular one and cite some classical examples (though many of these were during my teenage years and may be worth another shot). Wuthering Heights. Also, The Sound and the Fury..."

Hey, at least you tried! I think fashions in fiction and writing, and the general zeitgeist outside the book, change so much over time it's really not surprising some of them are hard to read.

[Mark]

Wow Patrick, you just named some of my favorite books. The Sound and the Fury and I love Hemingway.
I can see your points though. Faulkner's style is not an easy read, nor will it be popular for everyone. Hemingway is very bare bones and I actually kind of agree with you about the characters. I don't hate them, but a lot of them are vanilla. I respect your opinions

[Mark]

I couldn't finish Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. I didn't like The Corrections and Freedom made that book look like a masterpiece. One that I read all the way through but hated was The Catcher in the Rye. Hate Holden Caulfield and hate the whole book. Salinger was a good writer but the story is what I didn't like.

[Rachel Annie]

Mark wrote: "One that I read all the way through but hated was The Catcher in the Rye. Hate Holden Caulfield and hate the whole book..."

I was just about to post something in the same vein. Ugh, he was such a jerk. But I suppose it wouldn't have worked if he was just a nice kid.

[Mark]

Agreed Rachel, but there is just something about him and everything he does that I hate. I wonder if Salinger planned it that way or if it's a failure on his part or if it's a generational thing.

One book with a similar "anti-hero" plot line that I loved was Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. That book was great and didn't come across as so spoiled and whiny.

[Wren]

Patrick wrote: "I'm going to be the unpopular one and cite some classical examples (though many of these were during my teenage years and may be worth another shot). Wuthering Heights. Also, The Sound and the Fury..."

Ugh, Wuthering Heights really pissed me off. The characters were just so crazy. I can't accurately judge Hemingway though, cause the only thing I read by him was The Old Man and the Sea, and it was definitely not entertaining at the time for 15-year-old me.

[Wren]

Sarah wrote: "I couldn't finish the Beautiful Creatures series. Read book one and started two, but that is where I drifted."

I didn't get past the first book either. For some reason I had a really hard time picturing what was being described. The descriptions seemed to go on forever and I just couldn't see clearly. It didn't inspire me to keep going.

[Sara]

I was going to say I didn't get Hemingway either when I realized I was thinking Hawthorne. I couldn't get through his books. In high school, we had to read a lot of classics and the only one I actually finished was Jane Eyre. I liked it enough to read it again in my adult years.
I tried Jane Austen. I like the movies based on her books but I couldn't get through the books.

[M.D.]

Virginia wrote: "I gave up reading Cloud Atlas three times and the third one stuck. It was an interesting concept but so hard to read. :-("

I loved the movie. How closely did it follow the book?

[Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews]

The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I couldn't get past the moo cow.

[G.G.]

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams.
I've restarted that book half a dozen time but never could finish it. It's not a bad book, but I guess I was not up for 'epic' quests. I got tired of the 'go somewhere, fight. Move somewhere else, fight. Move again, fight. It's like it was the only story.
Maybe I was just not in the mood for that kind of book. I know many people loved that series.

[Lexi]

Long term: Dynanetics. Have tried that book multiple times and not able to wrap my head around it.

Lately: Fifty Shades of Grey. Got about 20 pages in, the female lead does a face plant and I was out. Slap stick comedy is not my idea of erotica.

[C.G.]

M.D. wrote: "Virginia wrote: "I gave up reading Cloud Atlas three times and the third one stuck. It was an interesting concept but so hard to read. :-("

I loved the movie. How closely did it follow..."

Some of the individual stories followed the book fairly closely and others like the Korean future segment and the Tom Hanks/Halle Berry Post Apocalyptic future segment were very different story wise but the underlining theme was the same. I loved both versions.

[Lily]

Anything by Jane Austen. (waits for people to throw tomatoes at me). Well, it's true. I've tried many times, and I've never been able to finish a Jane Austen book.

[Lily]

Richard wrote: "Lexi wrote: "Long term: Dynanetics."

You're probably not missing anything crucial with that one... :-)

But Lily and her Jane Austen aversion, tsk tsk... Maybe you'd have better luck with [book:Pr..."

Hah, I own that one ;)

[Yzabel]

I guess I don't 'get' most of the romance/NA/sort of-erotica hyped books. Like 50SoG, The Edge of Never... Well, basically everything that combines 'slut shaming', 'making the female MC look good/pure by demeaning all the other female characters', and 'jerks are The Hawt'.

[Eazra]

I read the Bastard Hand by Heath Lawrance, and it was the first book that I skimmed through in about 5 years. There were times that it had me and times that it didn't. The book would have been a strong short story, I feel. There was just way too much that took away from the story and seemed scatter shot. The title is what caught my attention, but I just didn't get the story. It was almost like he was going for word count. Too much unnecessary commentary about walking down the street and tying shoes.

[M.D.]

I gave up on The Amber Room by Steve Berry about 20% into it. All the characters were bad guys/gals I had no interest in. I was originally captivated by the premise since I've read about the real amber room but other than very brief scenes that pointed in that direction, it was just too slow getting to the amber room mystery.

[Shari]

Virginia wrote: "I gave up reading Cloud Atlas three times and the third one stuck. It was an interesting concept but so hard to read. :-("

Yeah it was a tough read. I did finish it and overall I enjoyed it but it took me quite a while!

[Tiger]

Oh, I love Beloved! Ha. Well, I think I don't get most popular books. I'm not trying to sound too cool for school or anything, it's just that I don't find those formulas particularly gripping. I suppose the last one I tried was The Hunger Games. It had its brilliant points but I thought it was just overwrought.

[Library Lady 📚]

Yzabel wrote: "I guess I don't 'get' most of the romance/NA/sort of-erotica hyped books. Like 50SoG, The Edge of Never... Well, basically everything that combines 'slut shaming', 'making the female MC look good/p..."

Haha, speaking of...Easy was one that everyone loved and I couldn't finish. The girl narrowly escapes a rape, and literally 20 pages later is whining about not getting laid. Um, I'm sorry, but talk about trivializing an assault! Sensitive topic for me, but, geez.

I also don't really 'get' most of the older romance novels where the women are helpless and the guys are jerks. The genre got a lot better for a while, but I think it's swinging back the other way again.

[Justin]

I'm a bit of a bad guy here(please don't judge!), I once agreed to read this womens's self published book on Shakespeare in another group. Started it but could not get into it and never finished. Never told the woman either :/ I'm sure she forgot all about me reading it as she has plenty of reviews already.

Also did it with a steampunk book about Gods and an Irish demon like book. After those incidents I told myself I will never not finish a book to that degree and will make sure it's something I know I'll enjoy.

[Tiger]

Lauren (the Pink Avenger) wrote: "Island of the Blue Dolphins

I read this book and another by Scott O Dell. I just. don't. like."

Oh wow, I remember that book! Taking me back to my childhood there :)

[G.G.]

@Justin Bad? Not really. That would make a lot of us bad then. A year ago, an author sent me an email asking me if I would read and review his book. I accepted, but I did not receive one book, I received four and there was a condition attached. I was supposed to post a review ONLY if I would rate them 4 or 5 stars.

Heck, all the stories seemed to be the same thing. Always a woman forcing a man (slave) to make love to her. Even the words used were practically the same, only the name, places, and status changed. I confess; I didn't read far into the books. I knew they would not be 4-5 stars. The stories were all 'tell' and no 'show'. I couldn't force myself to read them.

There are so many SP authors that are worthy of my time. Why waste it on something I already knew I wouldn't like?

[Yzabel]

Lena wrote: "Haha, speaking of...Easy was one that everyone loved and I couldn't finish. The girl narrowly escapes a rape, and literally 20 pages later is whining about not getting laid. Um, I'm sorry, but talk about trivializing an assault! Sensitive topic for me, but, geez."

And then, we wonder why rape victims are so often told "oh come on, admit it: you wanted it and you liked it" (or varying versions of the same crap). -_-

[[deleted user]]

Almost any "classic," with the exception of Poe, Kipling, Doyle... You know, all the ones the literary snobs don't consider part of the club. Can't get to sleep? Reading three pages of Dickens ought to take care of that. And reading three pages of any of the Bronte sisters makes suicide look attractive. I have the reading tastes of a ten-year old boy, and refuse to apologize for it; if it doesn't put some excitement in my life that I can't get by walking out the door, it's a waste of ink and paper.

[C.G.]

Tiger wrote: "Lauren (the Pink Avenger) wrote: "Island of the Blue Dolphins

I read this book and another by Scott O Dell. I just. don't. like."

Oh wow, I remember that book! Taking me back to my ..."

Me too! I remember loving it way back when. Maybe I should read it again to see if it still holds up.

[Lily]

I think half the problem is, define classic. It's the 21st century and people are still defining classic as being published 2 - 3 hundred years ago or 19th century authors only. At some point, the human race is going to have to redefine classic.

To me, Patricia Highsmith is clasic. Austen is a cure for insomnia by not finishing the books.

[Library Lady 📚]

There are modern classics, too, though...Kite Runner, Snow Falling on Cedars, Cold Mountain, etc. We just use 'modern classic' to define them instead of classic.

I think the definition does change...The Road, Catcher in the Rye, Salinger, Orwell, and some others written in the mid 1990s are now classics. Anything that has stood the test of time for over 50 years or so seems to go in the canon as a classic.

[Lily]

In literature studies, classic is defined as over a hundred years. Contemporary is defined as within the past hundred years. Modern is within the past 50 years. I completely agree definitions need to change for certain books, just because the math doesn't add up anymore. I guess no one thought of that when the novel was invented.

So... yay for the survival of the novel!

[Library Lady 📚]

Lauren (the Pink Avenger) wrote: "Island of the Blue Dolphins

I read this book and another by Scott O Dell. I just. don't. like."

Awww....I loved that when I was a kid.

Some that people will probably throw garbage at me for saying I just didn't get the hype...



*covers head and ducks*

[Virginia]

It's a lucky thing there are so many books in the world.

On the topic of reading someone elses manuscript and finding it lacking, I once offered to read one because both myself and the character where high functioning autistic. I almost cried. :-(

[Justin]

I'd never attempt to read the Lord of the Rings books. You'd have to pay me and even then I cannot guarantee I wouldn't throw them at you.

[Brittney]

I had to read the Lord of the Rings for school and it was tough to get through. I will never read the other two books. I loved the movies and the world the author created is simply beautiful, but the writing isn't for me.

[Brittney]

@Jack I'm right there with you.

[Laura]

For me, I just couldn't get past the first third of Gone Girl. And I know I'm gonna be unpopular here, but The Marriage Plot :(

[Jojobean]

Lily wrote: "Anything by Jane Austen. (waits for people to throw tomatoes at me). Well, it's true. I've tried many times, and I've never been able to finish a Jane Austen book."

Totally agree. I found them to be the most boring books that I had to read in high school. I cliffnoted those books.

[Jojobean]

also tried 50 shades of gray and stopped in the middle. Is it just me or were the sex scene the same thing over and over again? I was just so bored.

I also quit the series: . God this book was soooo boring!

[Lily]

Yay! Someone else besides me lol

I couldn't get past the first chapter of 50 Shades. It just didn't make sense. Okay, wait, he has grey eyes (grey written in UK English when it's supposed to be an American setting), WITH copper coloured hair (UK spelling again) actually ON his grey tie? What, glued on...?

And since this thread is being renewed, I'll add Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. Worse book I tried to read since 50 Shades. Hmm, probably not a coincidence. I couldn't make it past 10 pages.

[Sara]

I thought about reading 50 shades but heard it was really bad. No longer tempted and it makes me weep. I've read parts out of the story in articles that made fun of the book and it makes me so grateful I didn't waste my time on it. However, the fact that it sold so well and is being made into a movie makes me so sad for the publishing world.

[Tabitha]

Sara wrote: "I thought about reading 50 shades but heard it was really bad. No longer tempted and it makes me weep. I've read parts out of the story in articles that made fun of the book and it makes me so gr..."

I flipped through it in a Walmart when it first hit the mass market shelves. James lost me at "butt plugs". (Says is bimbo voice: "Oooooo, what's that?" Answers in Johnny Bravo voice: "Those, my dear, are butt plugs.")

[K.P.]

Patrick wrote: "I'm going to be the unpopular one and cite some classical examples (though many of these were during my teenage years and may be worth another shot). Wuthering Heights. Also, The Sound and the Fury..."

I read all that stuff as a teen (i was so gothe) and actually liked falkner and hemingway. O_O but would i praise them now? uh, no. I found my battered old copy of 'as i lay dying' and tried to go through the first chapter. i thought WTF WAS I ON AS A TEEN?

[Lily]

Hormones?

[Jennifer]

Mine was Lord of the Flies.
My husband said it was his favorite as a boy. I hadn't read it so I gave it a try. I love classics like Catcher in the Rye, Gatsby, Mockingbird. But I just couldn't get into Flies. No idea why. I kept sitting there, chapter after chapter wondering why I still reading it.

[Sara]

Have you seen the Wayans movie (one of the scary movies, I think) where they spoof that book (50 shades - the conversation moved on while I was typing)? That was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I even loved the deleted excerpts from that scene. It just demonstrated how ridiculous that book was.

[Sara]

I made it halfway through Lord of the Flies and didn't get it. I even saw the movie when it came out thinking maybe I'd get it - nope still didn't. Found it was just not a book for me.