The Next Best Book Club discussion
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Top 3 Most Frustrating Novels
Katie, I am curious about what you found frustrating about Watership Down, since I loved it.
Tara wrote: "Blood Meridian is on my to-read list, I hope to get to it within the year. It makes me nervous to read it because so many people feel just as you do--you love and hate the book at the same time. I have to prepare myself for something dark and bloody and unredemptive. Horrah!"Blood Meridian is an excellent novel, but not exactly light summer reading. I thought it was brilliant but I really have no great desire to put myself through that kind of emotional trauma again. You just feel dead inside when it's over. You feel like you did all the things that the characters did (like one of those dreams where you are strictly an observer, powerless to do or change anything). And since the characters do horrible things, it's not exactly easy to handle.
There are loads of books which were frustrating just because they were awful or unclearly written. Its the books that hang around way too long and have loads of off topic stuff that most people have trouble reading.Like these:
Don Quixote: Just really lame. In the second volume don quixote is pranked endlessly by a wealthy couple who set up numerous elaborate stunts for his benefit. It goes on for 170 pages, leads nowhere and is not remotely funny.
Les liaisons dangereuses: It gets really good in the final 50 pages but the preceding few hundred pages are so dull.
The master and margarita: Just a succession of silly events. This book goes nowhere or it goes to too many places. Eitherway nothing matters.
Starmaker by olaf stapledon: Mindblowing stuff all the way through but its not exactly a thrilling read. Pretty hard going.
Stranger in a strange land: I read the original unexpurgated version which, IMO, could have done with a little expurgating. Good stuff but some of the ideas are silly and are explored for way too long.
A tale of two cities: No idea whats going on for the first 200 pages.
Moby Dick: Ok, but i think most of us really arent as interested in whale anatomy as Melville is. Generally too uneventful.
Virtually anything by Dostoevsky. The idiot and the brothers karamazov are REALLY baggy and way longer than they need to be. Notes from underground begins with 50 pages of incomprehensible bullshit.
The hunchback of notre dame: Fantastic novel but if i wanted to read a treatise on gothic architecture i wouldnt go looking for it in classic romantic novels.
Titus groan: A little too wordy.
War and peace: The greatest novel ever written but the historical philosophy stuff is a little extraneous to the plot and a bit of a slog.
Kathy R wrote: "Anything/everything by Gabriel García Márquez. But I'll make it through one of them one of these days."I agree. I made myself finish 100 Years of Solitude, I returned Love in a Time of Cholera to the library without a second thought about not reading it
I am so with Jessica on House of Leaves. I was so excited for the first half of the book, then dismayed, then ticked. Nothing happened. Lots of gyrations and creepiness, but that was it. And I really wanted it to work.Confederacy of Dunces-- Those people were just so stupid I couldn't take it. Yes, I know that was the point.
Hi. Number 1 on my list is: Vernon God Little.Number 2 is: Anything by Jodi Piccoult
Number 3 is: anything by Marian Keyes
Mod
Wow. You are knocking some pretty great books there.
Master and Margarita was pretty clever IMO.
Brothers Karamazov is by far one of my favorite classics! I have so many of his other novels bought and awaiting me to pick them up and read them because of how much I loved that book!
I guess the great thing here is that you have actually read all these wonderful, timeless novels in the first place :)
KillthePopular,I'm confused as to how you found all these books frustrating but still rated most of them three or four stars.
Dan wrote: "KillthePopular,I'm confused as to how you found all these books frustrating but still rated most of them three or four stars."
I can kind of see that, though. I found The Poisonwood Bible to be very frustrating in a sense for me but I still gave it four stars. I would have given it five but it got so preachy. During the first part she did an excellent job of making the sisters sound different with different voices but the end section Leah and Adah just sounded the same (i.e. mouthpieces for Kingsolver's stone to grind) and Rachel became a caricature just to present the extreme otherside of the debate. It was so painfully obvious that she molded Rachel's personality to fit her needs.
Grace wrote: "...but the end section Leah and Adah just sounded the same (i.e. mouthpieces for Kingsolver's stone to grind) and Rachel became a caricature just to present the extreme otherside of the debate. It was so painfully obvious that she molded Rachel's personality to fit her needs."Thank you! I felt the book was unnecessarily "preachy" towards the end as well, which is the main reason I don't think I liked it nearly as much as the rest of the population.
OutlanderI read it as part of a bookclub. I did like it. The whole time travel plot/gimic I did in th 80's but grew tired of was not as original as my group thought. I hated the ending. It did end were I expected. They continuely mention Prince Charlie and they're finally in France and they don't meet. And her feeling pregnate thing didn't work for me.
I did try the next in the series but it starts somewhere else than the ending so I gave up.
El wrote: "Grace wrote: "...but the end section Leah and Adah just sounded the same (i.e. mouthpieces for Kingsolver's stone to grind) and Rachel became a caricature just to present the extreme otherside of t..."Grace and El thank goodness I am not the only one. I feel like a pariah when I admit to not loving The Poisonwood Bible.
I totally agree with Grace's analysis of the 2 dimension quality of the characters in the second half of the book.
Laura wrote: "Poisonwood BiblePoisonwood Bible
Poisonwood Bible
is the epitome of frustrating. Due to subject matter. Her writing is beautiful, but could these people (parents) be any dumber?"
Laura, I totally agree. I was yelling at the pages a lot of the time.
1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - Parts of this book were so incredibly amazing and wonderful! However, other parts were completely rushed and didn't seem to be very well thought out. After spending 6 months of my life dissecting every last bit of Hamlet, I must admit that I really didn't care to know about the Hamlet theme in the book. (Though it was a little interesting to figure out who was who.)2. The Poisonwood Bible - I think that Laura's comment pretty much sums up my opinion - "Her writing is beautiful, but could these people (parents) be any dumber?"
3. Handle with Care - This book was too much like My Sister's Keeper in many ways. Also, how dumb can the parents be?
Oh great, wish I'd read these posts BEFORE I'd already read 250 pages of Poisonwood Bible. Has anyone stopped reading a book halfway through? Should I finish?
Lynne wrote: "Oh great, wish I'd read these posts BEFORE I'd already read 250 pages of Poisonwood Bible. Has anyone stopped reading a book halfway through? Should I finish? "Lynne,
If you are enjoying it, you should continue. Personally, I couldn't finish it, but there are a lot of people who did. It also has quite a good rating here. If you feel like you're wasting your time, then maybe consider dropping it. :)
Lynne wrote: "Oh great, wish I'd read these posts BEFORE I'd already read 250 pages of Poisonwood Bible. Has anyone stopped reading a book halfway through? Should I finish? "I did give it 4 stars so I can't say I hated it but it seemed like in the last half she was just using the characters as mouth pieces for her own ideas. Leah in particular. I would finish it, especially if you are enjoying it. I especially did like the first half.
1. Death Comes for the Archbisop - not frustrating so much as just flat out dull. 2. The Crying of Lot 49 - I know that Pynchon is like the reader's darling but really??
3. Crime and Punishment - in the end I loved this book but it was a slog to get through
Honorable Mention:
The Picture of Dorian Gray - the second half rocks but getting through the first half is the real challenge. It's like eating an orange... the peeling really sucks but ultimately the orange is tasty
Mod
By no means a complete list, but a few that have really irked me:Blood and Guts in High School - Kathy Acker
I truly hated this book.
Unless - Carol Shields
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
There are more, but since you asked for three ... :)
It's interesting to see one of your favorite books on someone's list, as I am sure my list contains other people's favorites. That's what makes this fun. Anyway - mine are:Anna Karenina - I have tried to read this book twice, and ended up getting two thirds of the way through. I really want to like this book, but it is too long and too hard to read.
Lord of the Rings - again, too long winded. Tolkien is such a hard read. Thank goodness they did a good job with the movies since I absolutely love the story.
Breakfast at Tiffany's - I really enjoy Capote's writing and liked this story, but it was way too short. It ended before you really got to know the characters, which some say was the point, but not for me.
The Scarlet Letter. Need I say the dreaded words again? The Scarlet Letter.
House of Leaves--I was really excited to read this because I'd heard so much about it, but it was very frustrating. At first I was really killing myself to read EVERY WORD, then I started just skimming, then I said "Screw it" and started skipping parts entirely. I didn't like the character of Johnny Truant so his footnotes were just annoying for the most part, and the relationship between Navidson and his wife didn't seem all that relevant. The Navidson Record itself was very interesting when it didn't get too bogged down in random cr*p.
The Hobbit Or There and Back Again: aaarrrrggghhhhhhhhMrs. Kimble: so good for the first half (3/4s?), and then no ending.
The Thirteenth Tale: 3.92 average rating on goodreads? The most formulaic obvious story ever, and bad writing to boot! I spent the whole book waiting for the "great twist" only to find I'd figured it out ages ago.
Lyn wrote: "It's interesting to see one of your favorite books on someone's list, as I am sure my list contains other people's favorites. That's what makes this fun. Anyway - mine are:Anna Karenina - I ha..."
Anna Karenina? War and Peace has got to beat that in terms of frustration.
For Whom the Bell Tolls: I know Hemingway had depression but this is not worth it
Thus Spoke Zarathustra A Book for None and All: I wanted to like this considering I was writing an essay on his works, it took me at least a week and excessive swearing in order to keep the book physically complete. overwhelming arrogance.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull: thats it? thats what the whole fuss is about? I can't find the plot after the first 2 pages.
Have to say the last few books by Grisham. I can't even remember their names. It's a shame because I'm a huge fan. I get really into reading the books and have really been disappointed in how he quickly raps them up.
For me it is Romeo and Juliet.Shakespeare with out a doubt is and will forever be a genius. His writing can make a frozen heart melt and scrooge dream of long summer days walking along the river with a pass lover.
But oh my god, his characters frustrated the living daylight out of me. Can they be anymore dense and stupid.
I apologize to anyone who loves this book, but I just read it in 9th grade Lit and it frustrated me to no end.
Mon wrote: "....Jonathan Livingston Seagull: thats it? thats what the whole fuss is about? I can't find the plot after the first 2 pages. "At least JLS has pretty pictures. Bach's Illusion made me feel unwell. Trite, obvious, smug - and to make it worse the friend who gave it to me kept telling me how it had changed her life!!!
Delusion would probably be a better title.
Esther wrote: "Mon wrote: "....Jonathan Livingston Seagull: thats it? thats what the whole fuss is about? I can't find the plot after the first 2 pages. "At least JLS has pretty pictures. Bach's Illusion made m..."
damn i downloaded the JLS ebook, it was pretty much just a word doc with airal 12 font.
Maxi, at least there's sex in Romeo and Juliet ;) in hamlet you only get dead people, and a ghost, that may or may not be real... (again sorry to all those who like it, but I'm going to stick with Macbeth and King Lear)
I remember one of my father's colleagues taught a course on "contemporary literature" back in the 70s.One of the books he assigned was Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He concluded Richard Bach was a genius - "How many pages does it have? How many pages actually have text? How much did you pay for it? I tell you, this guy is a genius!"
Susanna wrote: "I remember one of my father's colleagues taught a course on "contemporary literature" back in the 70s.One of the books he assigned was Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He concluded Richard Bach was ..."
I think another reason I liked JLS more than I normally would is the fact that we studied it at school and the music our teacher paired it with was Fleetwood Mac's Albatross
Love it, Esther!
Grace wrote: "I'll admit that John Saul is a pretty decent writer but I'm sick of books ..."I met John Saul years ago at a book signing in Seattle and asked him why he always did such horrible things to kids in his books and his reply was, "Because I love children." I looked back at him in disbelief and he just smiled and said, "I do. I love children."
Twisted sense of love, if you ask me. But, as in anything in the news, society seems to be drawn to that which is twisted, unbelievable, and tragic. And so too is the audience of John Saul drawn to his books.
Mary wrote: "House of Leaves--I was really excited to read this because I'd heard so much about it, but it was very frustrating. At first I was really killing myself to read EVERY WORD, then I star..."Ouch! I loved House of Leaves but I can see where it might not be for everyone. It was a big influence on the games Silent Hill: The Room and Silent Hill: Origins which are two of my favorite games. So it was fun to read it and see where the influences came from.
I'm reading Something Wicked This Way Comes right now and it could be so much better. A few of the parts that could have been horrifying or scary are buried in the purplest prose imaginable.
Mod
I was actually just venting about this to a friend, so I'm glad to find this thread!1) Free For All Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library- I've been waiting to have time to read this book for over a year, and then I read it and I was SO disappointed. I was hoping for some interesting insights into the world of a library, not an idea book for a sitcom (granted it would be a great sitcome... the Scrubs/Office of the library world). I wanted it so badly to go into some depth and not just tell funny stories!
2) Moby-Dick or, The Whale- Like many other people I was forced to read this in an English class and I hated it... it was long and horrible and just awful. We hear so much about how it's the "Great American Novel," but it just didn't live up to that for me.
3) I can't think of a third one right now, but when I do I'll let you know.
Soundless Library Edition a good read (with some over-familiar abusers), but the ending -- suddenly no ground under my feethaunts me months later
Hello all!1. WICKED (I just didn't care for the ending and was disappointed with how the writer explained certain things. And what happened to what's her name's boyfriend? Where the hell did he go? Did he die? Never confirmed. blagh)
2. Anna Karenina (she was too drippy for me)
3. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (just not my cup of tea)
4. Moby Dick (Rebecca said it all for me)
John Buchan's The 39 Steps. Henry James's Turn of the Screw. Edith Wharton's Descent of Man.The worst books I have read this year.
Mod
I hated Turn of the Screw. Just agonizing for me!
# Freaking 1: War and PeaceI think that, really, people only read this book to be able to say that they've done the impossible.
#2: The Portrait of a Lady
I got 100 pages in and put it down because nothing was happening. Nothing at all.
#3:A Wild Sheep Chase
This book was a gift from a friend so I really did try to read it, but it tells you the entire plot in the title. Not for me.
Haelee wrote: "# Freaking 1: War and PeaceI think that, really, people only read this book to be able to say that they've done the impossible.
Or... they genuinely enjoy Russian lit. :)
ULYSSES.But then I'm only fluent in English. Do they have a Rosetta Stone program for incoherence?
Stephanie wrote: "ULYSSES.But then I'm only fluent in English. Do they have a Rosetta Stone program for incoherence?"
Snort!
Jennifer, I think I made it through part of Wheel of Time's book six and just gave up. Too many characters to remember, too much jumping around from place to place.I do try now to only start completed series, but it's just not always possible, and sometimes you pick up a book and really love it, and THEN realize that it's just the first volume in a who-knows-how-many-volumes series.
I too await the ending of Song of Ice and Fire, at which time I will have to read ALL of them over from the beginning. Have you heard, HBO is making it into a series?
@ HaeleeThat's Henry James for you :D even his novelettes seemed to be three times longer than its original length.
1. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
2. Atonement
3. The Memory Keepers daughter
1. Atonement by Ian McEwin2. Wicked by Gregory Macguire
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
And let me explain the 3rd one...I really enjoyed the middle part of the book...but the beginning and the end were such a drag!! there had to be a better way of getting there...if you know what i mean...don't want to put any spoilers in here.
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Ulysses - I am clearly not smart enough for this one -- I've pick it up at least five times, and have never gotten past the first 10 pages
House of Leaves - This book gave me motion sickness just trying to follow the sentences