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Books You DIDN'T Like
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Skip Dark Places Bonnie. It is ickier than Sharp Objects in places. I am a fan of Gone Girl, and I was excited that she had a bit of a back catalog, but the first two don't really make me look forward to Gillian Flynn's next book.
I'm on a one-person road trip so I am armed with audio books, and one of them is The Girl on the Train (the other one is Harry Potter). I kind of went into it cold, I know it's popular on this site but I really didn't know much about it, except that it was a thriller and also that there would be train-riding. It starts out exciting, but after a while it just starts to drag and I feel like I've solved the ending at this point and I just want the rest of the book to catch up but I think I'm only about halfway through, still, which is aggravating. The perspectives switch every so often, and the narrators are all fully conceived and well-written but after a while they start to grate on me (they're not really meant to be the best of people). Also at some point I became very aware that the only people the women in this book seemed to like were men, they hated all the other female characters (or at the most, were lukewarm towards them, I think the only female character our main narrator seems to really like is one she never personally interacts with), and the men never really interacted with anybody except the women they were sleeping with. It's just one of those weirdly frustrating things that, once noticed, makes me irritated.
I'll have to wait to pass full judgement after the third act (which had better be good, goodness knows there's been enough buildup) but I don't think I would have had the patience for this if it weren't an audiobook. (The actresses are all very good, btw.)
I'll have to wait to pass full judgement after the third act (which had better be good, goodness knows there's been enough buildup) but I don't think I would have had the patience for this if it weren't an audiobook. (The actresses are all very good, btw.)
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Thanks so much Annabel! I was close but you tipped the balance for me. There are too many good books to waste time on things that don't give me anything and just leave me feeling bad about humans in general. (As a side note, I really liked Gone Girl the movie. I thought Flynn did a great job on the script, and I thought Affleck in particular was fantastic in the role.)
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Look forward to your review, Hannah. I am on the library waitlist for the Girl on a Train audiobook right now. I initially heard tons of gushing, but have been hearing mixed reviews lately so I am not certain I am going to commit. Also, I am not the Harry Potter fanatic that most GFYers are, but I listened to several of the audiobooks on long car rides when my son was younger and they are FANTASTIC. Jim Dale is a treasure!
There's only one book (so far) I've disliked so much that I wish I could somehow get that time back. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I no longer am even interested in anything else he writes.
Bonnie wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I'm on a one-person road trip so I am armed with audio books, and one of them is The Girl on the Train (the other one is Harry Potter). I kind of went into it cold, I..."
I finished it, and by finished it, I mean I got so frustrated that I started skipping through tracks just to get to the end. I feel what it needed most was a no-nonsense editor who would cut out a good chunk of material. It has moments where it gets really intense and creepy and then it just keeps hammering at it and the intensity loses its edge (if that makes sense). I'm curious to know what other people thought of it (and what you'll think of it!), but for me its faults outweighed its strengths.
I finished it, and by finished it, I mean I got so frustrated that I started skipping through tracks just to get to the end. I feel what it needed most was a no-nonsense editor who would cut out a good chunk of material. It has moments where it gets really intense and creepy and then it just keeps hammering at it and the intensity loses its edge (if that makes sense). I'm curious to know what other people thought of it (and what you'll think of it!), but for me its faults outweighed its strengths.
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Hannah, I think I am likely to be on the same side as you with this. Won't take it off the list, but will move it far down. Funny how different people can be with books. Jennifer mentioned The Corrections above as her hated book and its one of my top 25 modern books for sure. I have read it 3 times, and I almost never reread. Different strokes...
Hannah wrote: "I'm on a one-person road trip so I am armed with audio books, and one of them is The Girl on the Train (the other one is Harry Potter). I kind of went into it cold, I know it's popu..."You're not alone! I made it about halfway through and gave up about a month ago. I want to see how things work out, but it's weird for me to have such a disconnect with a popular book.
Jennifer wrote: "There's only one book (so far) I've disliked so much that I wish I could somehow get that time back. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I no longer am even interested in anything else he writes." YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES to this. I HATED The Corrections so much. People whose opinions I respect have all raved about it, but I don't know why. UGH.
Bonnie wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I'm on a one-person road trip so I am armed with audio books, and one of them is The Girl on the Train (the other one is Harry Potter). ..."I was not a fan of the The Girl on the Train either. Not one redeemable character! It reminded me a lot of Nicci French's books but even the most sordid characters in those tales have a spark of something I'm compelled by. I was eager to dive into this book but I was disappointed. I listened to the audio book and I kept with it because the narrators were amazing.
I am on a roller coaster with The Paying Guests. At first I didn't like it. Then I got really into the story. Then the author started annoying me, and now I'm like 385 pages invested (with 200!!! more!!! to go!!!) and I just can't with this author, these characters. It's worse than a soap opera, because even though it has all the plot points of one, it is so not entertaining.
Margaret wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "There's only one book (so far) I've disliked so much that I wish I could somehow get that time back. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I no longer am even interested in anything..."I'm with you 100%. This book actually made me angry; I felt tricked in some way because of all the accolades.
Once when I was raging on about it a friend explained why he loved it. He said that I couldn't possibly relate to the novel because I had a normal family. While his was fraught with dysfunction and alcoholism. He totally identified with it. I'm not suggesting this applies to everyone who appreciates it but when framed this way I understood his perspective.
Claire-Dee wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "There's only one book (so far) I've disliked so much that I wish I could somehow get that time back. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I no longer am even inter..."Huh, I hear what you're saying, but we have plenty of alcoholism/homelessness/addiction/dysfunction in our family and I still hated that book. OTOH, our family is still pretty close-knit and loving despite the issues, so maybe that IS the reason. It seems like your friend is basically saying we're not messed up enough to enjoy this book? So, yay us I guess.
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I loved it, and I definitely had a dysfunctional family. As the old borscht belt joke goes, "I resemble that remark!"
Bonnie wrote: "As the old borscht belt joke goes, "I resemble that remark!"That's a great joke! I'm going to use it.
The book that p***ed me off thoroughly was Big Brother by Lionel Shriver. I rant about it to everyone but no one else has read it so I get no sympathy! I actually enjoyed reading it but the twist at the end made me feel like I'd been manipulated (which I had!!)
Julia wrote: "The 2nd Outlander book infuriated me! The first one drew me in but the violent, bloody S and M was a huge turn off. I still wanted to know what would happen so I began the 2nd. The stabby feelings..."I'll add the really unpopular opinion gang: I threw the first Outlander book into the trash after he beat her and she was like "I deserved it." I know people adore those books. And I adore most things Scottish...but that sort of "he beat/raped me and now I love him" thing I won't go for. Great romances based in such things are just wrong, with my great regret to Rhett and Scarlet.
The best part of throwing the book away is I had to grab something in the little shop in the tiny Scottish village we were in and I ended up with Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum and it's one of my favorite books ever!
Allie wrote: "I am on a roller coaster with The Paying Guests. At first I didn't like it. Then I got really into the story. "I liked it, it was quite a creative plotline, but oh boy, it could have so much shorter!! When you're reading and going "yeah, that chapter could have been cut" not a good sign.
Bonnie wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I'm on a one-person road trip so I am armed with audio books, and one of them is The Girl on the Train (
I just got off the library hold list for the physical copy and was so excited when I put it on hold in February, but now that I have it, I feel like all I've heard recently are "how disappointing" reviews. I also picked up All the Light We Cannot See which seems to be wracking up the disappointing reviews lately!
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I liked it, it was quite a creative plotline, but oh boy, it could hav..."
I had mixed feelings about All the Light, but it was undeniably a beautifully written book, and I am confident you won't hate it at the very least. I basically liked it, but felt it was way too long and went on too many tangents...sort of how you felt about the Paying Guests :)
Bonnie wrote: I liked it, it was quite a creative plotline, but oh bo..."That describes the majority of new books these days!
Jody wrote: "The book that p***ed me off thoroughly was Big Brother by Lionel Shriver. I rant about it to everyone but no one else has read it so I get no sympathy! I actually enjoyed reading it but the twist ..."I read an interview with her when it came out which put me off her as a person to the point that I refuse to read her books. So I am not entirely surprised by anyone hating it.
Allie wrote: "I am on a roller coaster with The Paying Guests. At first I didn't like it. Then I got really into the story. Then the author started annoying me, and now I'm like 385 pages invested (with 200!!! m..."Totally agree. It was a slow start for me, picked up, then I couldn't wait for it to end because it slogged, and then when it did, it just felt flat. I almost felt like she'd written herself into a corner. It was particularly disappointing because I really enjoyed her Night Watch.
This is a great discussion. Glad to find I'm in company with hating Fault in Our Stars. I work with cancer patients, and it just felt schlocky to me. I hated Divergent, also, although I loved The Hunger Games. It was the basic premise that seemed off - and with a dystopian novel, that's the foundation. I'm currently reading The American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. This is the second one I've read by her (I listed to the audio book of Sisterland) and I clearly should never read her stuff. I prefer a truly unsympathetic protaganist like Amy in Gone Girl to one for whom I'm supposed to feel sympathy but instead want to smack and tell her to lighten up, already.
Ha, it seems like both Girl on the Train and All the Light are hitting the point in the bestseller cycle where the hype has peaked and now people reading them are like "I don't see what all the fuss is about."I hated Gone Girl. I hated Nick and I hated Amy, and just because Amy was worse doesn't mean I liked Nick. I couldn't believe the ending, it was like the ending to a Law & Order: SVU episode.
I feel like this is the ultimate unpopular opinion, but I hate, hate, hate "Jane Eyre." Like actually, I would rather go crazy and be locked in my husband's attic for the rest of my life than read that book again. I do not understand all the love for Mr. Rochester--he's so creepy and predatory to me, and the relationship seemed so toxic to me, and I never understood Jane going back. Yeah, it's sad he lost his eyesight but maybe don't keep your crazy wife locked in the attic? He just completely ruins the book for me--I've read it three times (twice for high school/college, once just to see if I could force myself to like it), and I have always failed to see the magic. I disliked "Wuthering Heights" as well, so I think it's just the Bronte strain I can't handle (although I do think Catherine and Heathcliffe, as awful as they are, are far more compelling than Rochester and Jane).
April wrote: "I feel like this is the ultimate unpopular opinion, but I hate, hate, hate "Jane Eyre." Like actually, I would rather go crazy and be locked in my husband's attic for the rest of my life than read ..."I love Jane Eyre, but yes, if you think about it with a brain, it's a messed up story! This much older man who is very secretive and has a horrid temper. Oh, and locks up his wife in the attic. And pretends she never existed. Not the man anyone wants to marry! Same thing with Pride & Prejudice- Darcy is really a snobbish prick. There's some other popular classic we were talking about recently but can't remember what it was!
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Sophie wrote: "Ha, it seems like both Girl on the Train and All the Light are hitting the point in the bestseller cycle where the hype has peaked and now people reading them are like "I don't see what all the fus..."I didn't hate Gone Girl because it was so cleverly written. A new way to write a suspense story, at least to me. However, I did hate the characters.
I really enjoyed Girl on the Train. I read it prior to the media hype and have recommended it to many of my girlfriends, who have all enjoyed it as well.
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I just read Girl on a the Train, and I really did not like it at all (a 2 star read for me). I was mixed on All the Light, but I read it pre-hype, so that was not the issue. The book was far too diffuse for my liking. Digression can really mess with flow.
My least favorite book recently was Consequences. That book was horrid. I couldn't tell if it was Young Adult (please say no) but the story and the main character and her thought process were all really Not Cool from a real-life/role-model/anything way. Even the twist at the end couldn't redeem it. I've read Girl on the Train, and thought it was ok, but not all that great.
The only book i've never finished is Catch-22. I keep wondering whether i should try it again?
Pamela wrote: "April wrote: "I feel like this is the ultimate unpopular opinion, but I hate, hate, hate "Jane Eyre." Like actually, I would rather go crazy and be locked in my husband's attic for the rest of my l..."Oh, I absolutely agree about P&P, even though I love it dearly (that's probably due to nostalgia and watching Colin Firth in a wet, white shirt at the tender age of 14), but yes, Mr. Darcy is horribly snobbish. It's kind of sad when you reread a favorite and realize your beloved favorites are actually huge pricks. I felt the same way during my last Harry Potter re-read--love, love, love Sirius Black, but he was a bit of a nasty piece of work in his school days.
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Go Fug Yourself Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
It Was Me All Along (other topics)Consequences (other topics)
The Girl on the Train (other topics)
The Girl on the Train (other topics)
The Girl on the Train (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ian McEwan (other topics)Fyodor Dostoevsky (other topics)
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