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Books you struggle/just can't make it through
I read Wuthering Heights after seeing the ABC mini series and surprisingly enjoyed it. The narrator's voice is the reason I got all the way through. She was a likeable character.
Was the narrator female? I always thought it was a he. I must have had it fixed in my mind that is was male and note picked up on the clues that it was female. :/
Mandy wrote: "I've just remembered a book I found it impossible to get through. The infamous and extremely over-rated The Satanic Verses. I have no idea how people could find it offensive because it..."I feel you! I struggled with that book BIG TIME. Tried reading it 3 times, I just wanted to know what the fuss it was all about. But eventually gave up. In three times I have barely gone through the first 3 chapters of the book... it was just too incomprehensible and, hence, tiring!
A few years ago, I bought Martin Amis' novel "MONEY", which depicted a slice of New York life for a grossly obese Englishman in the early 1980s. This novel proved hard-going. I really wanted to like it, for Martin Amis is widely regarded as one of the finest writers in the English language language today. BUT after 60 pages, I could endure it no longer. I returned "MONEY" to the bookstore for a refund.
Welcome to the group Komet. Wow, I would never have the courage to return a book, way to go.
Mandy wrote: "Ashleigh wrote: "Wuthering Heights.Again, another classic and I am trying..."
I know it's very naughty but I preferred the song!:DD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3gKK..."
Kate Bush is my hero!!! It's such an awesome song hey!!! <3
Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Was the narrator female? I always thought it was a he. I must have had it fixed in my mind that is was male and note picked up on the clues that it was female. :/"I think the narrator is the maid.. but there is also a male narrator... that's what I've picked up from the tiny amount I've read :P
The narration starts with a tennant. Who then gets the story from the maid, maybe thats where I was confused.
Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Was the narrator female? I always thought it was a he. I must have had it fixed in my mind that is was male and note picked up on the clues that it was female. :/"No you're correct. Most of the story is narrated by a man, the tenant of the other house (not Wuthering Heights - my mind has jumped on the name and I can't remember) except for part of the middle where it's narrated by Nelly, who is a female.
I has been quite a while since I last read it. :)
I read it just a couple of months ago. Broadly speaking I'm not a fan of any of the Bronte works, or Austen like I said earlier (and a few others like them, like Dickens or Hardy) but I visited the house of the Bronte sisters, and the house of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy's rock, on a trip to the UK, so I feel like I should try and get through them, haha.
When I was in high school, I had to endure reading "Wuthering Heights" TWICE. UGH! Both times I found it utterly depressing to read. There was one character in particular --- a servant named Joseph --- whose dialect was so thick that I could hardly make sense of what he was saying!!!NEVER AGAIN WILL I READ "Wuthering Heights"!
Wuthering Heights' narrator was the maid, forget her name.
I hated almost every book I had to read for school (exceptions were Huck Finn and The Crucible). One time the whole class protested and managed to get the teacher to assign a different book. I think we were protesting Wuthering Heights.
I loved most of the books I had to read at school. I was just hopeless at writing responses to any questions that were asked. Some of my favourites were, in no particular order.
The Importance of Being Earnest,The Day of the Triffids,The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again,Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Pride and Prejudice
The Importance of Being Earnest,The Day of the Triffids,The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again,Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Pride and Prejudice
Ashleigh wrote: "Jane Eyre.I'm trying my hardest to get through it, but it's just getting the better of me.
also:
Wuthering Heights.
Again, another classic and I am trying..."
I *hate* JANE EYRE. I recognise that 'hate' is such a strong word, but I really do despise the book. It's plot is completely illogical, it's poorly written, and none of the characters are particularly likeable. It makes me want to pull my hair out! Grrg...
WUTHERING HEIGHTS, on the other hand, is very well-written and a completely enticing story, in true gothic fashion. Stick with it! I did and I loved it in the end! :)
I rarely start reading a book and then not bother to finish it, but earlier this year I started MR DARCY TAKES A WIFE by Linda Berdoll and gave up after 50 pages or so (it was a 400+ page book). It was shockingly bad: An insult to Jane Austen!
~S.
Sarah wrote: "Ashleigh wrote: "Jane Eyre.I'm trying my hardest to get through it, but it's just getting the better of me.
also:
Wuthering Heights.
Again, another classic and I am trying..."
I *hate* JA..."
Hi Sarah, I didn't like Jane Eyre either, but I love Wuthering Heights. I keep picking up different editions just for the covers, and think I have seen every film and tv version that has been made.
haha i feel like I am the only one that DID like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights! hahaha... oh well each to their own :)
Sophie wrote: "haha i feel like I am the only one that DID like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights! hahaha... oh well each to their own :)"
Not you aren't alone Sophie I loved both of them too. Jane Eyre is my number one favourite book. I was just keeping my head down incase I got in the line of fire. :D
Not you aren't alone Sophie I loved both of them too. Jane Eyre is my number one favourite book. I was just keeping my head down incase I got in the line of fire. :D
Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Sophie wrote: "haha i feel like I am the only one that DID like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights! hahaha... oh well each to their own :)"Not you aren't alone Sophie I loved both of them too. Jan..."
Oh good to know! :D tried to keep my head down also, but eventually had to say something... hehe
It's good to have a bit of diversity of thought. It would make pretty dull conversation if we all love the same books. :D
Me too. Amis can be love-or-hate but this was just crap. Almost anything self-consciously labelled "postmodern" is going to be pretentious and/or rubbish. The po-mo label enables the writer (or film maker, or musician, whatever) to put on a superior smirk and say "You don't get it." Of course, a lot of the Great Classics turn out to be Great Bores.
At Home With the Templetons - struggle with a capital S. This is a perfect example of a book that should have half its word count cut.
I was unable to finish Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. Even though the average star rating on goodreads is four and a half! I gave it one, after I stopped reading it approximately 100 pages from the end. :(~S.
Practically sacrilege to say as a fantasy writer but I could never finish Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit, or the Chronicles of Narnia. The books I forced myself to finish were Dan Brown's novels. I had to see what all the hype was about but I just didn't get it, not in a single one of them. Angels and Demons was ok but I just felt like his research in general is pretty sloppy and he makes claims of faction that simply aren't justified.
Tracey wrote: "Practically sacrilege to say as a fantasy writer but I could never finish Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit, or the Chronicles of Narnia. The books I forced myself to finish were Dan Brown's novels..."I admire you, Tracey. I couldn't get past the first few pages of any of Dan Brown's books. They just did not draw me in...nor could I get into Harry Potter.
Another I really couldn't stomach is: A Confederacy of Dunces. Bought it after seeing it reviewed on First Tues Book Club: hated the main character with a passion i>Personally I really liked A Confederacy. I think the reason I read it was because the main character was so unpleasant. He represents a completely unique literary character. You couldn't hate anybody more than Mr. Ignatius J Reilly :D I enjoyed hating him. The book I struggled most with was The Brothers Karamazov. Couldn't get past the first part even if I was forcing myself
Tracey wrote: "Practically sacrilege to say as a fantasy writer but I could never finish Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit, or the Chronicles of Narnia. The books I forced myself to finish were Dan Brown's novels..."Hi Tracey
I loved the LoR series. As for Master Dan Brown, however. Humph! In the first half of Da Vinci he paints a friend as a saint. In the stroke of a pen the saint becomes a demon. Disgusting writing to trick his readers like that. Then he did the same in A&D with the priest. This ploy is not a story style - purely a writer's scam to suck readers in. And as for the protagonist parachuting from 'on high' hanging on to two corners of a plastic sheet! What rot. Wish Master Brown would try it himself so we don't have to put up with his crap any more.
I am with you Justin. My copy of the LOTR is falling apart it has been read so many times, by every member of the family. :)
Dan Brown ::yawn::, I didn't bother with A&D, the Da Vinci Code was too predictable.
Dan Brown ::yawn::, I didn't bother with A&D, the Da Vinci Code was too predictable.
Hi GailGlad to know another reader agrees.
I wonder how many out there feel cheated by his cheap writing tricks - and from a supposed academic, I think?
Amber wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Practically sacrilege to say as a fantasy writer but I could never finish Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit, or the Chronicles of Narnia. The books I forced myself to finish were Dan..."I wonder who buys them. I tried one and couldn't finish it. Laurel
I assume you are refering to Dan Brown Laurel? It's almost the Mills & Boon for blokes. (though I know a lot of women reading them as well)
Amber, plenty of people do - he makes tens of millions each year from words and film.
Laurel wrote: "I wonder who buys them. I tried one and couldn't finish it. Laurel..."I wonder if it has something to do with when you're introduced to LOTR? I started reading it very young. The first chapter of The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again was in a childrens anthology I read and to me it was like magic. LOTR is my favourite story of all time and always will be. It has, I think, really influenced my love of all things Scifi, fantasy, paranormal ever since.
P.S. Peter Jackson rules!!
I wasn't introduced to 'The Hobbit' until I was 15, I had to read it for school. It was love at first sight. I assumed Laurel was refering to Dan Brown not LOTR's.
I first read The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again as a school read (1st Form, now Year 7) and loved it.
i found that the first half of the Hobbit was a bit hard to get through, but once you did the end half totally made up for it!Lord of the Rings was even better in my mind... have re-read them mulitple times... but can understand how it might not be for everyone...
My husband says that LOTR would be a fantastic book if you could just got rid of the Hobbits. I personally love the Hobbits, and the Ents, and the Elves, and the...
Gail "cyborg" wrote: "My husband says that LOTR would be a fantastic book if you could just got rid of the Hobbits. I personally love the Hobbits, and the Ents, and the Elves, and the..."Your husband is a real laugh Gail!:)
Tracey wrote: "Practically sacrilege to say as a fantasy writer but I could never finish Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit, or the Chronicles of Narnia. The books I forced myself to finish were Dan Brown's novels..."I'm not much of a fan of Dan Brown, either. I've read The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, but after that decided I have far better things to read with my time. :)
I love JRR Tolkien, though! LoTR I devoured in under a week, but my favourite is The Silmarillion. Such an imaginative man!
~S.
Mandy wrote: "Laurel wrote: "I wonder who buys them. I tried one and couldn't finish it. Laurel..."I wonder if it has something to do with when you're introduced to LOTR? I started reading it very young. The..."
I didn't make myself plain enough, Mandy. I couldn't finish the Da Vinci Code of Dan Brown's and love Lord of the Rings. I have read the books several times and will read them again. I don't even have to read the whole books but will read several chapters when I want a rest. Such imagination. I like the movies too. Laurel
My daughter has The Hobbit, Harry Potter and LOTR's here don't want to read them. No inclination either. Sat through Harry Potter and LOTR movies but that's enough for me.
Carmel wrote: "Laurel, I've watched all of the LoTR's movies and thought they were amazing pieces of cinema, but I have yet to read the books. I own a copy of The Hobbit which my daughter attempted to read a few ..."I read the first two Harry Potter books and I'm sure I can see something of the LOTR in them. Tolkien even invented an elvish language for the 'rings'. He was a professor of philosophy at Oxford and a student of the old Norse languages - I think I have that right. Someone might correct me if I haven't. He wrote a lot of the 'rings' during the WW2 and to me it has connotations of that war though Tolkien always denied it. Another book you would find helpful is David Days's a A Guide to Tolkien. The book is an encyclopedia about the places, creatures, people etc who inhabit the Tolkien books. I loved the movies too, and have the DVD's. Do try books. Laurel
Has anybody here read The Lonely Polygamist? I personally consider it child abuse to tell a little boy he's a pervert and to let one child call another 'fag' as if it's a bad word. Adults can make their own choices, but I'm struggling with the book because of the poor children. Should I give up?
Cheryl wrote: "Has anybody here read The Lonely Polygamist? I personally consider it child abuse to tell a little boy he's a pervert and to let one child call another 'fag' as if it's a bad word. ..."Cheryl
If you don't like it, don't read it. Don't feel obliged you have to finish reading it.
another one i just cant seem to get through is Eat, Pray, Love.... had this book for over a year and still stuck on page 82... the author is so annoying and self-centered... it's really gets to me!!
Carmel wrote: "Sophie wrote: "another one i just cant seem to get through is Eat, Pray, Love.... had this book for over a year and still stuck on page 82... the author is so annoying and self-centere..."Hahaha!! that is brilliant! Love Margaret and David - and they have managed to completely sum up what i hate about the story/author!
Thanks for that! Made me laugh :D
Oh i know - its the whole band wagon thing. You get a well-known celebrity like Oprah or Julie Roberts raving about it (and they even joined forces for this one) and all their followers go along with the craze ... very frustrating ... feel like yelling "THINK FOR YOURSELF FOR ONCE!!!" gah.. oh well, each to their own... :P
Aussie Readers
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The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Might try this again some other time, I think I need the crib notes first. Struggled thorough the first chapter, seemed incomprehensible and I thought it had printing mistakes but is apparently written through the eyes of a retarded man. Further into the book one finds narrative by a few other people. I'm finding it difficult and there are not many books that I've not been able to read. While stream of consciousness can be interesting and this book become part of standard high school and university curricula around the United States and sold well at publication, it's trying to say the least and I'm only on page 70. On the inside page of my 2nd hand copy someone has written in pencil the following quote which I think quite apt.:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That strutts and frets his hour on the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
signifying nothing."
(Act V, Scene V) Macbeth.
Dark Places by Kate Grenville. Hated the characters. The father just creeped me out.
Soft Machine by William S Burroughs. it's just junkie delirium. I was looking forward to seeing Burroughs' cut and paste method in the original. Bitterly disappointed. The 60's and 70's produced some innovative but strange & silly works. There are tiny sections of Soft Machine that I recognised from reading his biography. If you had no knowledge of Burroughs' life you'd be stuck with mostly gibberish and junkie slang. but I CAN recommend "Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs" by Ted Morgan.
and I have been taking all this year to get through Crimes Against Humanity (Popular Penguins)
by Geoffrey Robertson - I am enjoying it and learning a lot but it is very much like a uni thesis so am averaging about 5-8 pages a week. ;(