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message 51:
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Maina
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Aug 19, 2014 01:37PM
Catch 22...it's a classic and I've heard so many great things about it. I had a hard time keeping track of where they were in time and I didn't understand the humor at all. I got maybe halfway through and had to put it down.
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I think the most challenging book for me was a french book, called Les Enfants D'ailleurs, (These Children from afar). It was 700 pages and took me forever to read. It wasn't difficult because of the style or anything along those ligns (I go to french school, so I read,write and speak it fluently), it was difficult because it was slow moving and sometimes i'd put down the book, because of something disturbing in that chapter. (it was set in world war two, in Poland and a baby was killed because his father was teaching the original history of Poland illegally), though I enjoyed the book, for the most part.
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. I was required to read it for school AND university, and neither time did I enjoy it. I found the writing style abrupt, and could not get a smooth flow of words in my head, making it difficult to get through.
Midnight's Children ..tried thrice in last 3 months and failed to read beyond the first part :/ :\
Frankentein. I had to read it for sixthform and hated it! I had to force myself to finish it. THEN I had to sit an exam on it and now I loathe the book haha!
Probably Little Women Little WomenWhen I was in elementary school, this book was in the library and it was the biggest hardback on the shelves and was starting to fall apart. After looking at it for so many years I never read it. I was intimidated by it's size and I guess because it was falling apart. To this day I have never read it and probably never will.
'The Satanic Verses'! Just could not proceed beyond 7 pages! I have read some boring, senseless, useless books in my time. But, this one took the cake! Then, I decided, I don't have to read the book. No one I know, has read the book. Its as if Salman Rushdie is thumbing his nose at the critics (who panned it or praised it to the skies-there was no middle ground) and the reader who paid the top dollar to buy the book. 'War and Peace' started slow, but then once I got the hang of Nicholais' in the book, I found it to be one of the most beautiful books I have read. Tolstoy isn't up there w/o reason!
Likewise, 'The Inheritance of Loss' is one of the most poignant books I have read-from over to cover-unputdownable. Mentioned, as above some have not liked it.
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Wonder what the whole book means. Firstly, Coelho's language is too complicated. Secondly, the ending was supposed to be something great (that's what people who have loved it said) but I didn't understand what he(Coelho) wanted to signify.
Bad!
The Fountainhead - I never have stopped reading a book mid-way and I didn't want to break that.This book made me debate this priciple a lot!
I had a hard time after 200 pages and had to read another 1000+ pages. Crazy!
Canterbury Tales. I'd pretty much rather set my head on fire than ever have to read it again.
Middlemarch. I tried it a number of times over the years but never got past page 57. After retirement, I forced myself to read it at the rate of ten pages a day. You can imagine that process took a spell. What's the book about?? Can't remember. But, hey, I read the bugger.
I generally have a hard time with the majority of books they assign me in school. I absolutely love to spend my time reading, but I've always preferred to choose my own books. I had an especially hard time with "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen. The style was really hard to comprehend, and I could tell it was a beautiful book with regards to the rich Gothic setting and undertones, but it was assigned as a summer read, and it took me over two months to finish it. I very rarely take two months to finish a 'pleasure' book, so it was a major contrast.
I also didn't care for "the Pearl", by John Steinbeck. I know it has its fans, but it just moved way too slow for me.
"My Antonia", by Willa Cather. Again, I know people love this book, but we did not click; this book, and I.
After I read it, I read that Ms. Cather did not like her work to be studied in academic environments because she thought to do so would be to suck the life out of it, essentially, and I did connect with that quote.
So often I feel like literature students are made to analyze, and analyze some more - analyze to the smallest, most microscopic detail, and then interpret. And it's not that the system doesn't work...I love to analyze and interpret literature, and symbolism. But I think that schools and universities tend to go overboard, and then it's not the actual book that the students dislike, it's the digestion of the "Analyze, Interpret, Explain" system.
One of them is totally Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I could never get into it like I have with other great classics.
Missing perons was really challenging i gave up after 150 pages i couldnt do it!!
Also, "The Hobbit", by JRR Tolkien. I wanted to like it, but it was just so hard to get through! The language was the toughest part for me...I just found it confusing and dry - I don't even think I made it past the first ten pages. I would like to try and read it again in the future, but for now I'll just stick the LOTR movies...they are so good! :)
Im not sure...i think most books i have read havent been all that challenging...and believe me i do challenge myself...
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I had to read it for book group and the first 3/4 of the book I had to force myself to read. So boring!
Mine is definitely War and Peace. I had to read it for a uni assignment
No one book really stands out for me as being a challenge. Even though I love to read, for me personally it is a challenge because of some learning difficulties I have, but a challenge I have learned to embrace.
Apartment 16. I just hated the book but I was determined I was going to finish it- must have taken me about 4 months!
Apartment 16. I just hated the book but I was determined I was going to finish it- must have taken me about 4 months!
That Harry potter books I'm still trying to
The Hobbit! It's a great book, but I made the mistake of watching the first and second movies and THEN reading the book :/ it made the book seem less interesting in comparison, whereas if I read a book and then watch the movie of it, it usually makes me appreciate the book more.
The toughest I can remember is reading "The Book of Lost Things". The writing is okay, but the idea of the story is crazy and mind-boggling. It was a struggle to finish it, only because I wanna know if the protagonist gets a happy ending. Good thing he did... or everything will be for naught!!!
Hmmm....if we are talking about 'good' challenging, I would say that EM Forster's Howards End and A Passage to India were hard for me to grasp conceptually, but when I did, they were magical.
My focus/specialty for my English BA was Faulkner, so I have a special place in my heart for him.
As for the only book I ever stopped reading because it was too challenging for me: The Savage Detectives. Such a well-written and great book, but I had to stop because I didn't know enough about Mexican literary history for me to grasp the importance of the book. I would like to go back one day and sort of learn-as-I-go.
My focus/specialty for my English BA was Faulkner, so I have a special place in my heart for him.
As for the only book I ever stopped reading because it was too challenging for me: The Savage Detectives. Such a well-written and great book, but I had to stop because I didn't know enough about Mexican literary history for me to grasp the importance of the book. I would like to go back one day and sort of learn-as-I-go.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I just could not follow (or finish) this book.
Pride and Prejudice. I think I'm an abnormality that dislikes Jane Austen's writing.
Erin (Series Addict) wrote: "Pride and Prejudice. I think I'm an abnormality that dislikes Jane Austen's writing."
Not at all! I am not into Jane Austen at all. I think she is highly overrated, especially when there are so many other good, overlooked female writers from her time. (Not saying that there is a 'quota' or a 'maximum' of female writers...I just think she is completely overrated.)
Not at all! I am not into Jane Austen at all. I think she is highly overrated, especially when there are so many other good, overlooked female writers from her time. (Not saying that there is a 'quota' or a 'maximum' of female writers...I just think she is completely overrated.)
Pride and prejudice. I had to read it in high school and while I liked the characters I hated the writing. My English teacher thought it was hilarious that I read all these books constantly but this one was hard for me to read. Still finished it though and to this day I still don't like it.
Game of Thrones. I tried once and I couldn't do it. I ended up just reading the Daenerys chapters because I loved them
I read the book Roots by Alex Haley. I read it when I was thirteen because my dad told me too. It was an amazing book but, it took me more than a month to read cause it was pretty challenging
Joanne♥~Bookworm Extraordinaire wrote: "Game of Thrones. I tried once and I couldn't do it. I ended up just reading the Daenerys chapters because I loved them"I'm reading Game of Thrones now. Liking it much more than I thought I would. Agree Daenerys is a favorite so far.
Taryn wrote: "Erin (Series Addict) wrote: "Pride and Prejudice. I think I'm an abnormality that dislikes Jane Austen's writing."Not at all! I am not into Jane Austen at all. I think she is highly overrated, es..."
Good to know some agree with me :D
It probably was Infinite Jest, which I couldn't finish reading. Around page 400 I decided it was too much for me.Also A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (which I finished reading instead) was really tough. I guess I'm not a Joyce fan at all.
GOT: A Song of Ice and Fire. Seriously has taken me 3 years to start and restart this book. I finally gave in to watching the tv series because my husband has been wanting to watch it since we met! I have only a small desire to finish the book because "it takes him 45 pages to describe a tree" quoting my grandma there. I love long books, they have to be fast pace for me to keep going. Although I made it through the LOTR:Fellowship of the Ring in a few days.
The Message to the Planet by Dame Iris Murdock, This is the first of Iris's books I bought to read after watching the movie of her struggles with Alzheimer's. I was attending an Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group and was given the film to watch at home. Iris intrigued me so I wanted to read some of her work. Unfortunately I couldn't get interested in the many characters she introduced rapidly at the beginning of the book. I decided to take notes to help keep the characters separate in my mind, but I decided to lay the book aside and try reading later. That was about 5-6 years ago and must admit I've never picked it up again.
Jyotsana wrote: "the devil wears prada.....i had to start reading it from the beginning for like five times because i couldn't muster the courage to go past the sixth chapter. it definitely is the most challenging ..."glad I'm not the only one. I had a heck of a time with that..
The Lives of the Monster Dogs. had to read it for a class in college and was repulsed by it. I had to fudge my way through it. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Again for college. actually the same class. one of the few English classes I got a C in. foound it hard to get into and therefore hard to finish
anything by Chaqucer. just can't go the man..
Marina wrote: "I can think of 3 different "challenging" books and all of them I have yet to finish and barely even started: The Bible, The Iliad, and Wuthering Heights. I find them challenging for different reaso..."can't say much about the others but for the Bible get some expositor's notes to help you. I recommend the Expositor's Study bible.(you can get it on Amazon) bible commentaries always help too esp with the old testement
I know people may hate me for saying this, but definitely Pride and Prejudice. .. I could not stay focused, the language was tough, and it was so dry. don't get me wrong Jane Austen is a beautiful writer, but that book was so tough for me to read and finish
I cannot read Moby Dick!! The run on sentences and lack of punctuation just kill me. So I have given it up on general principle.I am currently struggling with Emma. I've been trying for years and, to date, have been unsuccessful. I'm about 150 pages in. I'm sure the dialogue was sparkling and the repartee was quite witty when it was first written, but it's killing me right now!
AfterworldsI think mine was Afterworlds. It was really long and complicated and kept switching not only from character to character but from story line to story line.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Afterworlds (other topics)Moby Dick (other topics)
Emma (other topics)
Infinite Jest (other topics)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (other topics)
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