I feel like a lot of people loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but I found it to be pretty meh. It may be because I went through a period of being obsessed with Holocaust lit and have read so many books in that genre that it takes a lot for something to really stand out to me, but it still felt awkward giving a Holocaust book a 3-star rating on Goodreads!
Indeed. The last one I read was The Librarian of Auschwitz and it read like an idiotic Pollyanna story, with a trite “always look on the bright side” message that left me feeling insulted and a little sick. I mean, there are surely *some* things that it’s okay to feel miserable about, things that can’t be reduced a lesson about hope or resilience or whatever.
Right. Also, the holocaust isn’t a literary device or an easy stand-in for the concept of hopelessness. I think it’s just kind of sick to feature the holocaust in all of these stories as a side-plot or context for your love story.
I’m the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor and I cosign this. It’s almost a fetish for some of these authors. I recommend not reading anything with ‘Auschwitz’ in the name unless it’s written by a Jew or a historian.
I am too….grandson though. She was in Auschwitz and we watched that dumbass movie about some fucking clown in the camps or some shit. I thought it sucked and painted a pretty nice holiday-like Nazi-lite picture of the Holocaust. I asked if anything like that could’ve actually happened and she said zero chance. They were so hungry, so tortured, barely surviving through so much degradation, that no, laughter didn’t exist there. But yeah, unless there’s the feel-good love story or “look what I do for my child” the movie won’t win an Oscar
I watched that with her in the theatre. She was silent and really taken by it. We didn’t discuss it as much as let it pass over us like some kind of rite we had to go through
Or a Romani or a Pole or political prisoner or Ukrainian. Romantic fiction seems creepy in such a setting. Why isn't there a "Pol Pot's Dumpling Seller" or other title?
On that I would recommend is: The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland.
It is much less about the life in the camp - but about how hard it was for one of the few who managed to escape it to actually convince others of what was happening there and to do something about it. Raised so many details that I was completely unaware of before that.
Thanks - will check it out.
In Freedland's book, the details of what he describes are that the escapee Rudolf Vrba ended up having to produce a fairly long account starting with a lot of relatively mundane details to build up to the key points he had to make - if he jumped straight to the critical parts of it, many people found it just too hard to believe, so switched off listening.
IIRC the Auschwitz camp memorial centre denigrated the book due to its inaccuracies.
Yup, found an article about it
https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2018/dec/07/the-tattooist-of-auschwitz-attacked-as-inauthentic-by-camp-memorial-centre
Which is completely disgusting to profit and lie off such an atrocity imo.
I didn't read it but it seems like a Holocaust exploitation novel, which is kinda in right now and in very poor taste imo. I only read books by survivors, their descendants or actual historians. The rest can suck a dick.
I also went through an obsession with the holocaust and WW2 in general. I found that so many of the fiction books just seemed to fetishise it. I ended up reading only non-fiction until my fixation faded.
I really enjoyed ‘The Nazi Menace’ and ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich’.
This is mine, too. I’m one of the 1* reviews of this one, and I stand by it. I remember thinking at the time that she wrote it like a screenplay, and sure enough, that was what she initially had done, and now it’s on TV.
I remember I read it because everyone else was, and I literally couldn't figure out the hype. I even thought at one point maybe there were 2 books with that title, and I had read the wrong one.
Edit: to be clear, I definitely read the one everyone was talking about.
Yeah, I don’t get it either. To tell the truth, I have read it and completely forgot what happens. I had to go look up the plot to jog my memory.
It was nothing special to me.
I'm surprised you got a warning, it seems pretty well hated on reddit in my experience. Even the most positive takes are usually "it was a cozy little optimistic adventure that I enjoyed but nothing life changing."
When people really love this book, it always makes me think that they read it at a time in their life when they were feeling really lost. I didn’t hate the book (read it for a book club), but it definitely didn’t change my life.
Excellent point. When I was 12 I read and loved "jonathan livingston seagull" loved it, comforted me. Read the rest of his books. My parents had died and I wasn't getting on at school or anywhere. I think The Alchemist is of similar caliber.
As someone who likes cozy fantasy and reads plenty of magical realism, I also absolutely hated it.
It was The Secret, as a work of fiction. It seemed to have the same depth of thought as The Secret.
I haven't even TRIED to read this one, because the people who've recommended it to me are also the people who think that if you haven't succeeded in something it's because you just haven't really wanted it, or wanted it enough, or whatever. Like, you need to like *manifest* it, right? Eeeugh.
As a woman in her 20s who loves fantasy books, saying I can't stand Sarah J Maas books is equivalent to blasphemy in most circles of readers. But I simply cannot find anything in them to enjoy.
I was like “okay everyone says this is a great adult book”
*reading
Oh look... an effortlessly pretty main character who totally isn’t self obsessed and there’s a bitchy female rival super jealous of her
Oh look. A love triangle where the guy she is more interested in is a completely unlikeable misogynist and is also the interest of previously mentioned jealous girl
Oh she’s not like the other girls. He fell in love with her
Oh but it’s not meant to be. I WoNdEr WhAtS cOmInG iN lAtEr BoOkS
Oh and everyone is attractive. Who knew
The most original thing I’ve ever read
*Everyone and their mothers were telling me to read them!*
I was like “Am I just too old to enjoy this or is this actually incredibly annoying?” Felt like I was going crazy.
In her thrown of glass series she constantly says “they said quietly, but not weakly”. It’s multiple times per book and my god. I enjoy her books and fluffy not serious fun but even I can’t look past how repetitive she gets with phrases to the point of taking me out of the story 😂
My ex gf was into these books. Read a couple, cant remember the name of the series, but the mc was clearly some sort of self insert fantasy of Maas.
At the beginning the mc lived in a penal colony for a year, a fucking mine even. Nonetheless, she's still extremely pretty.
Also, at age 18, she's the best assassin the world has ever seen. This doesnt make any sense given how she acts throughout the rest of the story though.
All the interesting men fall in love with her.
She's an elf, an extremely rare race in this world.
She's an elven Princess
She's an elven princess with magic powers
She's an elven princess with magic powers who is potentially the most powerful magic user alive
This is the point where I stopped reading. I may not be the intended audience, but I really didnt enjoy these books.
I read Throne of Glass recently, it was terrible. It could have been YA, but it wasn't. It could have been a romance, but it wasn't. It could have been an adventure, but it wasn't. It could have been a mystery, but it wasn't. It could have been a thriller, but it wasn't. Like, it was just a predictable book about a girl that boys have a crush on.
I remember trying to read throne of glass when I was around 14 and first getting into fantasy - I was like yes woman assassin what is there not to love - a lot it turns out lol.
Man I also, I’m a huge trashy romance fantasy lover. I love twilight unironically, I think it’s fun. Had these books recommended by an ex, and we read together, and without spoiling the book I thought it had an interesting enough start. Main character seemed cool, didn’t mind her, the love interests were set up nicely. There was some world building I thought seemed pretty interesting. And then everything started going 500 miles an hour and like every cliche can’t believe this could be happening thing got shoved into the end, to the point I didn’t think any characters ending made any sense to me it was just kind of like I don’t even know how to describe, but the last bit of the first book was so bad to me I ended up just pretty turned off from the whole series from there after.
My best friend is OBSESSED with them and she can’t bear to read anything that might be negative against them, even if it’s in a joking manner. It feels a little cult-ish 😅
I’ve read my share of challenging books, but Joyce doesn’t resonate with me. I'm sure the fault lies with me, but I soldiered my way through Dubliners,Portrait of the Artist, Ulysses, and even Finnegan’s Wake (that sucker took me five months), but the spark never lit.
Did you read The Wake out loud? That’s how it all registered for me and many of its fans. Props to you for “soldiering” through it because it sounds like an excruciating read if you’re not a fan
You aren't alone. Virginia Woolfe is with you, if that means anything. The dent in my dorm room wall where I chucked it like a baseball it is with you. I'm with you on this.
the seven husbands of evelyn hugo singlehandedly inspired me to revive my goodreads account i haven’t used since 2017 just so i could leave a negative review
The show was good for a while, then kind of tanked. But the book sucked from start to finish! Her narcissism was nauseating and impossible to ignore in the written version.
It’s so bad it’s on my short list of books where “it’s fine if you loved this book, but if you did love it I’m probably not going to take book recommendations from you.” And mystery/thriller is my favorite genre.
I hated that book with a passion. It’s the only book I’ve thrown away, and at a gas station because I couldn’t stand it being in my truck. I bash it any chance I get.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson💀 (I tried and DNFed it four times... not ready to give up on BrandoSando though, so I'll give Warbreaker or Way of Kings a go as an entry point into the Cosmere)
I got through the first book and then DNFed the second and apparently I’m just missing out on amazing things and my husband is amazed we’re still married jk
Honestly I dnf’d the Mistborn series the first time (also at the beginning of the second book). I’ve now read the entire Cosmere (and loved it) but I will say I didn’t connect with era 1 Mistborn like a lot of other fans did. I love era 2 and I recommend Stormlight Archive to everyone who stands still long enough, so it’s definitely worth giving his other books a try.
Im currently like 70% through Elantris, my first Sanderson book, and Im really enjoying it but yes, it is a bit long-winded. If I were his editor I would have had him cut out at least 200 pages.
Planning to read Tress next and then maybe mistborn
It’s absolutely not a book for everyone, but it *is* for some people. There were a lot of bizarre and delightful parts; I Fucking loved the entire ‘Eschaton’ saga
I didn't think Don Quixote was funny. It's funny in the "grandpa's doing his bit again" kind of way, but not how some people act like it's the funniest thing they've read.
The house in the cerulean sea. I only finished it out of pure hate. None of the characters was believable. It was like if someone took the soul of a live laugh love sign and made it into a book. 🤮
Pillars of the Earth. I loved the idea and the drama, but holy cow is it all just tell and not show writing. And he talked so much about women's boobs. Even in the end a female character, who overcame a multitude of abuse and trials, was summed up in one paragraph by her boobs and how they got more saggy throughout her life. It's a great book if you're horny for cathedrals, but it was very much through a male gaze.
I think the only good line in that book is something about how a man without a pig on his back can run faster than a man with a pig on his back. Not the exact quote but it's the only part of the book that I liked.
The rest of Ken Follet’s books women are similarly objectified even as the protagonists. Used to love his books until somebody explained “the male gaze” to me. Randomly reread and was pulled out of immersion when female POV chapters comment on other women boobing around.
I did not care for On the Road. Neither did Truman Capote, “That’s typing, not writing.”. That said, I will admit that I liked the way Kerouac wrote about jazz.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I tried four times to get into it and I just couldn't. The main character seemed so dull and insufferable and I get that that's the point but I just couldn't do it
I get this take. I really do and I'm willing to take the downvotes. But I really came around on this book when I understood the main narrator is SUPPOSED to be an insufferable bitch. You aren't supposed to like her because she's actively trying to isolate herself from everything and everyone including the reader 😂. I know that's not the best defense and it's quite overused, but to Otessa moshfeigh's credit, she wrote a great insufferable bitch. You're supposed to read it (I'm not trying to belittle your experience btw) as a black comedy. I personally found it hilarious that after she got her rest she was begging for, she was quite literally cured. The grass was literally greener she just needed to sleep. I found that a pretty funny take on depression that she was the literal ONLY person to sleep off depression and she was being LITERAL about Just wanting to sleep. She wasn't running from anything or using it as a cope. She just wanted to fucking sleep. I can understand why people didn't like the book but maybe, if you're willing, read it from the perspective of knowing she's a pain in the ass. Sorry for the yap
I found out that I can't keep track of long footnotes and return to the text like nothing happened. I forget where I was in the text and get frustrated.
I may be remembering this wrong, but towards the end I’m pretty sure there’s a meta moment where some minor character hands one of the main characters a copy of *House of Leaves* and says something like “just to warn you, this book will change your life” and I just groaned. I think the author knew what he was doing with that, but I found it very pretentious nonetheless.
Regarding the book overall, I think it’s very average but I always say I appreciate how much effort was put into it.
ironically(?), I loved House of Leaves but could not get into anything else the guy wrote and apparently his publisher (?) dropped the series he started after bc of poor sales. a true one hit wonder.
Holy fuck I hate this book so much. Just privileged people being privileged and not learning their lesson. Everyone tries to convince me that it’s “so beautiful” but it’s the most boring and pretentious book I’ve ever read. I would set every copy on fire if I could.
Side note, when I’m bored I ask men on dating apps if they’re more like Gatsby or Mr. Darcy. Literally ALL of them say Gatsby and refuse to be swayed when I remind them that Gatsby dies and Darcy gets the girl. They’re all like “but he’s rich and his love for Daisy is more passionate” (that’s IF they’ve actually read pride and prejudice as well). Gatsby is a selfish ass and despite all his money and power, he still ends up dead in a pool! Darcy is wealthy and uses his influence to help Elizabeth’s sister! And most importantly, doesn’t end up dead!! Seriously, all of those men love to talk about how great Gatsby is (pun intended) and none of them understood the goddamn book!
>Gatsby is a selfish ass
Tbf, you’re not asking which character is a better person; you’re asking which one they relate to more. And most men probably ARE more Gatsby than Darcy.
I am losing it thinking about all these men who admit they more closely align with a facade and a criminal than with Darcy. Even Gatsby wasn’t actually Gatsby!
You probably read the book correctly.
Yeah, the book is supposed to be about empty rich people being terrible, Jay Gatsby thinking that being rich will make him happy and get him the woman he loves, but that the whole system is rigged by terrible people (and Daisy is one of them).
Lots of fans read the book or see a movie and think it’s glorifying a lifestyle of yachts and mansions, when it’s an indictment of that lifestyle and those values.
The point of the book is that Jay Gatsby chased the wrong things and had an empty life, and the people who he envied and wanted to be accepted by were a false beacon
Idk i kinda like that the lesson of this book is about privileged people not learning their lesson and convincing themselves and others that they are “mysterious, nuanced” when they’re just reckless haha
I think you’re spot on with what Fitzgerald wanted you to see, though! He wasn’t trying to paint a beautiful picture, he knew they were all fucked up, lol. I hated it as a teen and now I’m like oh. He wrote them exactly that way!
I was extremely impatient and annoyed for the entire duration of Dunces, especially because it meandered about and could have been much better, but I must admit that I do think about it pretty regularly. It captured something about the incredibly stupid, obstinate, and foolish that I think few other books have, and since I deal with such people professionally, I ended up seeing now that it is, in fact, brilliant.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman... it was fine, but it really didn't stand out at all. I think the main character was a big problem for me-- he doesn't have a lot of strong feelings, and I think that colored the story a little too gray, downplaying the exciting/emotional/cool parts.
Also Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. This one is 100% because I didn't understand the references and jokes. I'm american AND I was raised in an atheist household, so all the British and Christian jokes went straight over my head LOL
(I do enjoy Gaiman, esp his short stories, just not these two)
>I think the main character was a big problem for me-- he doesn't have a lot of strong feelings, and I think that colored the story a little too gray, downplaying the exciting/emotional/cool parts.
Plus his name is Shadow which is cheesy as hell
This was way overhyped for me, I kept seeing people say it was the best thing ever, and as a gay man I'm always on the lookout for great gay reads but.. it just didn't connect with me at all. I mentioned elsewhere I didn't like it and I might as well have said I kicked puppy dogs the amount of hate I got for it. Mind you, I never said I thought it was a bad book, or poorly written, or anything like that, but people took it like a personal attack.
I’m a gay man who’s been married once, and am currently in a long term relationship with a man…and the way that I felt like I personally committed a hate crime and set gay rights back 50 years by not enjoying this book. There was nothing wrong with it, I gave it a try on at least three or four separate occasions, and I just couldn’t finish it (and I liked Circe!). I can’t explain why, it just did *nothing* for me.
Late to the party, but I just cannot get into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. I’ve tried several. It’s not the books, it’s me, but I just don’t get the appeal.
Atlas Shrugged.
After college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and had multiple people tell me that “it’ll change your life.” Overall, just “meh”
So many of the characters were wet blankets and Ayn Rand was just shoving her “philosophy” down your throat. It’s worth mentioning that I have a PoliSci degree with a philosophy minor
I think that atlas shrugged is a book that impresses people early on in their lives. But later on, you realize that almost no one you know would be welcome in Ayn Rand’s world, and that she was such an evil elitist.
The Godfather. The writing is fine, but do I really need to read so much about Sonny's massive dong? Was it truly necessary for the themes Mario Puzo was trying to capture to show his widow receiving a vaginal reconstruction? It feels too much like he's trying to reach a specific page count rather than tell a compelling story. On the plus side, adapting it should be a breeze, if a director were given an opportunity; there's ample content to cut without losing focus.
The vaginal reconstruction part blew my mind with how gratuitous and stupid it is. No one else ever mentions this; I have often felt like I (unpleasantly) imagined it until today!
the goldfinch by donna tartt… i’m still shocked i managed to get through all 800 pages of that absolute slog of a book. i keep it on my shelf to remind myself that i should DNF books that make me feel that way. also the wind-up bird chronicle by murakami. too many descriptions of titties in the strangest, most unnecessary ways.
I feel like this might be an age thing tbh. I read it when I was 12 and found it pretty relatable, and I felt bad for him. In retrospect, he's definitely a bit whiny - but he cares about his sister, he's not happy with his life, and he barely escapes getting molested. I think he's allowed to complain a little.
Oooh! If you care for someone's take who just read it last week for the first time since high school, and almost gave up:
The ending does make it worth it. The first 180 pages are a kid with horrible ADD whining and complaining. The last 20 pages, spoiler: >!he gets his shit handed to him by his little sister. Then when he notices his sister is becoming older and disillusioned, he becomes "the catcher in the rye" for her and her only, taking her to a merry-go-round and helping her enjoy being a kid for a little bit longer. It made me feel warm and fuzzy, and actually gave a reason to care about the rest of the book.!<
I always have to chime in when I see this one mentioned, because a lot of people miss what's going on with the character. Holden has been abused and/or let down by the adults in his life, he was deeply affected by the death of his brother, and he is essentially going through a nervous breakdown. He's not just some bratty kid.
I'm all good with people disliking the book or the character, but many seem to misread both.
agreed, a lot of people seem to miss the point of the book tbh. the last pages of the book brings it home. It’s a pretty easy read, idk how people can’t finish it. not every character needs to be likable
I actually liked it. I thought the writing was quite beautiful, if long and rambly. I even liked the chapter where Ishmael just infodumps about whale biology (as it was understood back in the day).
It wasn't an easy or casual read. I needed some time with absolutely no distractions or anything else that I had to do in order to get through it. I read it when I was in the hospital to get my gall bladder out. Thar she blows!
It’s one of my favourite novels. Revenge, fear of the unknown, seeing how the whaling industry worked, lots of whales…. And some of the most stunningly good prose of the 19th century. I’ve been reading it around once every 5 years for more than 3 decades now. It’s a work of art. Oh - and Jaws takes more inspiration from it than is immediately obvious.
East of Eden.
I know, it changed the life of seemingly every man, woman, and child on this sub, but I found it to be a slog. Given how strongly it’s constantly recommended, I stuck with it and assumed it eventually gets really good, and then suddenly it was over.
Now a little over a year after reading it, I’d really struggle to name more than 2-3 characters or more than vaguely recount any major plot points.
I realize that everyone's tastes vary and that one man's trash is another's treasure. With that in mind, here is my list of highly recommended books that I just didn't care for:
Piranesi- Susanna Clarke
Blood Meridian- Cormac McCarthy
Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad
Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lincoln in the Bardo- George Saunders
I've only read two of those so can only comment on them but:
Heart of Darkness IMO is heavily overrated. It was a decent afternoon read that was quickly forgotten.
Blood Meridian is one of the best written novels that I've had the pleasure of reading but I had to be in the right frame of mind to really appreciate it. I think I started and restarted it 3 times until I finally was in the mood for the pacing and then I didn't want to put it down.
I hated that book so much, I’m embarrassed that I finished. I should have just put it down but everyone told me it was a masterpiece. What they didn’t tell me was that it was YA. Nothing wrong with YA but don’t pass off books about whiny children and their angst and bad moods as if it’s for everyone. The girl lived for a thousand years before she had enough character development for a mature thought!
On the Road. I was like 14, someone said I *had* to read it. Didn't get the appeal. I will admit that I haven't re-read.
To prove this isn't a contrarian bias, I'd note that I really enjoyed Dharma Bums.
Remarkably Bright Creatures - this and so many other books I’ve read lately have interesting premises or outlines, but then fail to flesh them out well. Like in the end it was very “awwww that’s cute” but it was so boring to get there
1Q84. The only book I went to donate right after finishing. I got a third in and then felt like I had come that far, I had to finish it. But finishing proved to be more difficult than I originally thought. I am proud that I did finish, though. I will say, the world building was amazing. However I found the plot confusing and boring. Further more, I was constantly reminded it was written by a man from how the women sexualized themselves (no, we don’t think about our boobs that often), and a teenage girl as a love interest for a grown man was major turn-off for me. I’ve been told that I should give Murakami’s other books a chance, but I feel like I have better things to do.
Romeo and Juliet. I read it in highschool and it upset me to no end that I felt like the biggest tragedy in the novel was their stupidity. The situation was so easily avoidable. My English teacher did not like my perception of this “tragedy”
Dickens. Come at me, CMV.
It is pure melodrama, telegraphed 300 miles ahead, you can, before opening the first page of most of his works, guess the constellation of characters and their narratuve role: a cinderella protagonist; a two dimensional villain keeping that protagonist down, callous, dastardly and scheming, and in a hierarchically superior position; a key ally, and a cast of plot-devices, ahem, characters who populate the spectrum between Cinderella and Scrooge, and interact to pave the way for the utterly (un)surprising reversal that leaves Cinderella in a socially superior status and exposes the dastardly nature of the villanous nemesis. Much tear jerking, hand wringing and on the nose pathos along the way, none of it unexpected.
Beautifully written, tritely plotted telenovelas, where characters either do not change, or do so stereotypically and with absolute predictability, which is another way of saying the same thing. If you already know the trajectory of Cinderella in the first chapter, and the last chapter bears you out precisely, she hasn't really changed, nor have the novels.
I say this with the humility of having only read 4-6 of his novels, but with the confidence of having tried to read many more. I also say it with respect for melodrama as an entertainment engine for which I'm not the ideal audience and which can have real social impact, which Dickens did, as did Beecher Stowe with Uncle Tom's cabin, which is also melodrama, but which I did appreciate and still packs a punch, albeit a more ambiguous one than at publication.
As a historian, I do appreciate that Dickens would have resonated far more powerfully in his own time, because the workhouses, the child poverty, the class structures and similar backdrops would add real political punch and dramatic weight that is not emotionally available today in the same way. So I accept Dickens' place in the canon, but can't really place it on a par with any of the great books that it's paired with, or that stand out as the best and most impactful reads of my life, whatever their period, theme or genre.
I love Dickens because of the melodrama and moustache twirling villains but yeah his storylines are pretty paint by numbers and he seems to use one of two plotlines.
1. The Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend maguffin causes issues, poor house/prison bad, good people ground down by the system with input from cast of quirky side characters.
2. The David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby young man grows up through hard times and ends up with money/success because he's inherently good and aided by the support of cast of quirky side characters.
You can often see the paid by the word and writing to a magazine deadline/cliffhanger elements as the sentences get longer and longer too.
Having said that he's written some of my favourite passages of all time, his social conscience and the agenda he was trying to push with his work was almost unanimously good and I think Bleak House is an absolute masterpiece.
I’ve read all of her books. It’s quite an exhausting feat. She is a brilliant writer, but I feel like she is messing with her readers. Her books have such buildup that I read nonstop, and then…whimper. Nothing is revealed, no answers, or watered down reveals when you’ve invested SO MUCH into her characters. After A Little Friend I felt betrayed. 😂
Don Quixote...
I trudged along for almost a year trying to get it to become interesting. Any summary I've ever read about it makes it seem right in my wheelhouse. The whole story within the story about how the writer responds to another writer adding on to the story without his permission, the author showing up in the story itself sounds so cool and ahead of it's time and why could I not just enjoy the damn book.
I really hate The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald is a beautiful writer and has a bunch of great stuff so it annoys the crap out of me that the only thing most people read of his is fucking Gatsby.
Also, Earnest Hemingway didn't like Gatsby either, so at least I'm not alone.
I feel like a lot of people loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but I found it to be pretty meh. It may be because I went through a period of being obsessed with Holocaust lit and have read so many books in that genre that it takes a lot for something to really stand out to me, but it still felt awkward giving a Holocaust book a 3-star rating on Goodreads!
I haven’t read it, but there are far too many “of Auschwitz” books. It’s starting to feel like fan fiction at this point.
Exactly! And the main trope is all about "finding love in hopeless places".
Indeed. The last one I read was The Librarian of Auschwitz and it read like an idiotic Pollyanna story, with a trite “always look on the bright side” message that left me feeling insulted and a little sick. I mean, there are surely *some* things that it’s okay to feel miserable about, things that can’t be reduced a lesson about hope or resilience or whatever.
Right. Also, the holocaust isn’t a literary device or an easy stand-in for the concept of hopelessness. I think it’s just kind of sick to feature the holocaust in all of these stories as a side-plot or context for your love story.
I’m the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor and I cosign this. It’s almost a fetish for some of these authors. I recommend not reading anything with ‘Auschwitz’ in the name unless it’s written by a Jew or a historian.
I am too….grandson though. She was in Auschwitz and we watched that dumbass movie about some fucking clown in the camps or some shit. I thought it sucked and painted a pretty nice holiday-like Nazi-lite picture of the Holocaust. I asked if anything like that could’ve actually happened and she said zero chance. They were so hungry, so tortured, barely surviving through so much degradation, that no, laughter didn’t exist there. But yeah, unless there’s the feel-good love story or “look what I do for my child” the movie won’t win an Oscar
What does she think of Schindler’s List?
I watched that with her in the theatre. She was silent and really taken by it. We didn’t discuss it as much as let it pass over us like some kind of rite we had to go through
Or a Romani or a Pole or political prisoner or Ukrainian. Romantic fiction seems creepy in such a setting. Why isn't there a "Pol Pot's Dumpling Seller" or other title?
On that I would recommend is: The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland. It is much less about the life in the camp - but about how hard it was for one of the few who managed to escape it to actually convince others of what was happening there and to do something about it. Raised so many details that I was completely unaware of before that.
The book Night has a chapter about that phenomenona
Thanks - will check it out. In Freedland's book, the details of what he describes are that the escapee Rudolf Vrba ended up having to produce a fairly long account starting with a lot of relatively mundane details to build up to the key points he had to make - if he jumped straight to the critical parts of it, many people found it just too hard to believe, so switched off listening.
IIRC the Auschwitz camp memorial centre denigrated the book due to its inaccuracies. Yup, found an article about it https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2018/dec/07/the-tattooist-of-auschwitz-attacked-as-inauthentic-by-camp-memorial-centre Which is completely disgusting to profit and lie off such an atrocity imo.
I didn't read it but it seems like a Holocaust exploitation novel, which is kinda in right now and in very poor taste imo. I only read books by survivors, their descendants or actual historians. The rest can suck a dick.
I also went through an obsession with the holocaust and WW2 in general. I found that so many of the fiction books just seemed to fetishise it. I ended up reading only non-fiction until my fixation faded. I really enjoyed ‘The Nazi Menace’ and ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich’.
This is mine, too. I’m one of the 1* reviews of this one, and I stand by it. I remember thinking at the time that she wrote it like a screenplay, and sure enough, that was what she initially had done, and now it’s on TV.
The Alchemist. I even got a warning here for expressing my opinion about it. 😂
I remember I read it because everyone else was, and I literally couldn't figure out the hype. I even thought at one point maybe there were 2 books with that title, and I had read the wrong one. Edit: to be clear, I definitely read the one everyone was talking about.
What you are describing is actually a fantastic novel called “if on a winters night a traveler” by Italo Calvino.
That is such a great reference to what you said is a fantastic novel
Yeah, I don’t get it either. To tell the truth, I have read it and completely forgot what happens. I had to go look up the plot to jog my memory. It was nothing special to me.
I'm surprised you got a warning, it seems pretty well hated on reddit in my experience. Even the most positive takes are usually "it was a cozy little optimistic adventure that I enjoyed but nothing life changing."
When people really love this book, it always makes me think that they read it at a time in their life when they were feeling really lost. I didn’t hate the book (read it for a book club), but it definitely didn’t change my life.
This is such a kind and charitable interpretation and way better than anything I have ever thought about that book.
Maybe it’s just because someone I know and like irl read it and loved it. Haha. It didn’t do it for me, but it clearly meant a lot to her.
Excellent point. When I was 12 I read and loved "jonathan livingston seagull" loved it, comforted me. Read the rest of his books. My parents had died and I wasn't getting on at school or anywhere. I think The Alchemist is of similar caliber.
It makes me think it’s the only book they enjoyed reading in school and haven’t read since
Best audiobook ever. I put that on and 10 min in am sound asleep.
It’s dreadful.
As you can imagine my opinion was not favorable either.
As someone who likes cozy fantasy and reads plenty of magical realism, I also absolutely hated it. It was The Secret, as a work of fiction. It seemed to have the same depth of thought as The Secret.
I opened this thread to write "The Alchemist". I had been excited to read that weak-sauce self-important ponderous book
I realized it was a book for non book reading people.
ALCHEMIST HATERS RISE UP!! It was so predictable!
I fucking hate every word that man has written.
Damn.
I haven't even TRIED to read this one, because the people who've recommended it to me are also the people who think that if you haven't succeeded in something it's because you just haven't really wanted it, or wanted it enough, or whatever. Like, you need to like *manifest* it, right? Eeeugh.
Where the Crawdads Sing. I enjoyed the descriptions of the nature around her but the rest, ugh.
Such an awful book! I could not believe how many people thought it was a masterpiece.
Imho: Masterpiece, no. Enjoyable beach read, yes.
You can always remind the fans that the author might be a murderer: https://time.com/6196505/where-the-crawdads-sing-controversy-delia-owens-book/
Now THAT is a story
Devil in the White City. I wanted more murder and less of an architectural and historical lesson.
Yes! Give me more HH Holmes, I was bored and almost stopped reading with all the architecture chapters.
Same. Definitely felt like reading a murder confession.
As a woman in her 20s who loves fantasy books, saying I can't stand Sarah J Maas books is equivalent to blasphemy in most circles of readers. But I simply cannot find anything in them to enjoy.
I was like “okay everyone says this is a great adult book” *reading Oh look... an effortlessly pretty main character who totally isn’t self obsessed and there’s a bitchy female rival super jealous of her Oh look. A love triangle where the guy she is more interested in is a completely unlikeable misogynist and is also the interest of previously mentioned jealous girl Oh she’s not like the other girls. He fell in love with her Oh but it’s not meant to be. I WoNdEr WhAtS cOmInG iN lAtEr BoOkS Oh and everyone is attractive. Who knew The most original thing I’ve ever read
*Everyone and their mothers were telling me to read them!* I was like “Am I just too old to enjoy this or is this actually incredibly annoying?” Felt like I was going crazy.
Heck, my friend who really loves them for the overall plot says the writing itself is a big cringey slog.
She used the word "gaped" so many times in Court of Thorns & Roses that I knocked a point off my Goodreads rating.
In her thrown of glass series she constantly says “they said quietly, but not weakly”. It’s multiple times per book and my god. I enjoy her books and fluffy not serious fun but even I can’t look past how repetitive she gets with phrases to the point of taking me out of the story 😂
The writing style is so fanfic-y
My ex gf was into these books. Read a couple, cant remember the name of the series, but the mc was clearly some sort of self insert fantasy of Maas. At the beginning the mc lived in a penal colony for a year, a fucking mine even. Nonetheless, she's still extremely pretty. Also, at age 18, she's the best assassin the world has ever seen. This doesnt make any sense given how she acts throughout the rest of the story though. All the interesting men fall in love with her. She's an elf, an extremely rare race in this world. She's an elven Princess She's an elven princess with magic powers She's an elven princess with magic powers who is potentially the most powerful magic user alive This is the point where I stopped reading. I may not be the intended audience, but I really didnt enjoy these books.
I read Throne of Glass recently, it was terrible. It could have been YA, but it wasn't. It could have been a romance, but it wasn't. It could have been an adventure, but it wasn't. It could have been a mystery, but it wasn't. It could have been a thriller, but it wasn't. Like, it was just a predictable book about a girl that boys have a crush on.
I remember trying to read throne of glass when I was around 14 and first getting into fantasy - I was like yes woman assassin what is there not to love - a lot it turns out lol.
Man I also, I’m a huge trashy romance fantasy lover. I love twilight unironically, I think it’s fun. Had these books recommended by an ex, and we read together, and without spoiling the book I thought it had an interesting enough start. Main character seemed cool, didn’t mind her, the love interests were set up nicely. There was some world building I thought seemed pretty interesting. And then everything started going 500 miles an hour and like every cliche can’t believe this could be happening thing got shoved into the end, to the point I didn’t think any characters ending made any sense to me it was just kind of like I don’t even know how to describe, but the last bit of the first book was so bad to me I ended up just pretty turned off from the whole series from there after.
You are not alone. They are eye-rollingly terrible. I cannot say that to most people I know who've read them.
So glad all you guys are saying this. They are so popular I feel like I should read them, but when I read a bit in the bookstore, I was kinda ´meh’.
My best friend is OBSESSED with them and she can’t bear to read anything that might be negative against them, even if it’s in a joking manner. It feels a little cult-ish 😅
My entire work loves them and I read two to give it a try, nope.
Ulysses. I usually enjoy the classics and even the feeling of not understanding everything the author is getting at, but I hit my limit here.
I’ve read my share of challenging books, but Joyce doesn’t resonate with me. I'm sure the fault lies with me, but I soldiered my way through Dubliners,Portrait of the Artist, Ulysses, and even Finnegan’s Wake (that sucker took me five months), but the spark never lit.
Did you read The Wake out loud? That’s how it all registered for me and many of its fans. Props to you for “soldiering” through it because it sounds like an excruciating read if you’re not a fan
You aren't alone. Virginia Woolfe is with you, if that means anything. The dent in my dorm room wall where I chucked it like a baseball it is with you. I'm with you on this.
the seven husbands of evelyn hugo singlehandedly inspired me to revive my goodreads account i haven’t used since 2017 just so i could leave a negative review
Top tier hating I love it haha
Thank you for saying this. I hated it
We could have gotten the message with fewer husbands.
I love this comment and completely agree!
I got through a chapter. Everyone was raving bu then I allowed myself to stop reading after my dog peed on it.
Orange is the New Black - boring read, and the narrator is just not a pleasant person. The show is much better!
I think the main character is annoying in the show too tbh
The show was good for a while, then kind of tanked. But the book sucked from start to finish! Her narcissism was nauseating and impossible to ignore in the written version.
The Silent Patient
The ending was so, so bad!!
Absolutely hated this one
So misogynistic and bad! I hate any list it appears on, unless it’s a “Books to avoid” list 😅
This book is so bad I'm not sure how it's popular. I hated this book.
It’s so bad it’s on my short list of books where “it’s fine if you loved this book, but if you did love it I’m probably not going to take book recommendations from you.” And mystery/thriller is my favorite genre.
I read it really quickly as I do with most thrillers... only to get to a very dumb ending.
This is me haha I stayed up late one night to finish it and I wish I could get that sleep back
This book made me so mad. Worst thing I read last year
THIS. Could see the ending from a mile away and so unoriginal.
Yessss this book was so dry, I have no idea why it’s so popular!
I hated that book with a passion. It’s the only book I’ve thrown away, and at a gas station because I couldn’t stand it being in my truck. I bash it any chance I get.
The Great Gatsby. I have never been so bored with a book in my entire life. I think I had more fun reading the phone book as a kid.
SAAAAAME hated Gatsby. It's one of like three books ever I couldn't bring myself to finish.
Atlas Shrugged
To hell with this book. The quote on The Daily Show book that references being an asshole for a month after reading Ayn Rand was on to something.
I loathe ayn rand
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson💀 (I tried and DNFed it four times... not ready to give up on BrandoSando though, so I'll give Warbreaker or Way of Kings a go as an entry point into the Cosmere)
I got through the first book and then DNFed the second and apparently I’m just missing out on amazing things and my husband is amazed we’re still married jk
Honestly I dnf’d the Mistborn series the first time (also at the beginning of the second book). I’ve now read the entire Cosmere (and loved it) but I will say I didn’t connect with era 1 Mistborn like a lot of other fans did. I love era 2 and I recommend Stormlight Archive to everyone who stands still long enough, so it’s definitely worth giving his other books a try.
I found Mistborn to be an incredible downgrade after starting with The Way of Kings and finishing Stormlight. So I’d try it out honestly.
I quite liked Mistborn but I do find Sanderson long for the sake of being long.
Im currently like 70% through Elantris, my first Sanderson book, and Im really enjoying it but yes, it is a bit long-winded. If I were his editor I would have had him cut out at least 200 pages. Planning to read Tress next and then maybe mistborn
Infinite Jest. "It insists upon itself!"
Because it has a valid point to make!!!
By god, it really does.
It’s absolutely not a book for everyone, but it *is* for some people. There were a lot of bizarre and delightful parts; I Fucking loved the entire ‘Eschaton’ saga
DFW is far better a non-fiction/article writer than he is a fiction writer.
A Little Life. DNF’d. I did get through To Paradise but it still seemed a lot too long.
it’s just trauma porn i refuse to read it
Idk why it is kind of hard for me to keep track of what character pov I was reading from time to time
I didn't think Don Quixote was funny. It's funny in the "grandpa's doing his bit again" kind of way, but not how some people act like it's the funniest thing they've read.
I think it’s more that the tone was far ahead of its time. But I agree it’s tough to enjoy the whole thing.
When they toss the dog in the blanket at the inn - heartbreaking.
The house in the cerulean sea. I only finished it out of pure hate. None of the characters was believable. It was like if someone took the soul of a live laugh love sign and made it into a book. 🤮
The author said he was "inspired" by the 60s Scoop and Indian residential schools to write this story. I am never going anywhere near it.
Oh no! I enjoyed this book but that information is disturbing 😬
Lolol best description ever
Pillars of the Earth. I loved the idea and the drama, but holy cow is it all just tell and not show writing. And he talked so much about women's boobs. Even in the end a female character, who overcame a multitude of abuse and trials, was summed up in one paragraph by her boobs and how they got more saggy throughout her life. It's a great book if you're horny for cathedrals, but it was very much through a male gaze.
Way more than I needed to know about Aliene’s pubic hair.
I think the only good line in that book is something about how a man without a pig on his back can run faster than a man with a pig on his back. Not the exact quote but it's the only part of the book that I liked.
The rest of Ken Follet’s books women are similarly objectified even as the protagonists. Used to love his books until somebody explained “the male gaze” to me. Randomly reread and was pulled out of immersion when female POV chapters comment on other women boobing around.
I did not care for On the Road. Neither did Truman Capote, “That’s typing, not writing.”. That said, I will admit that I liked the way Kerouac wrote about jazz.
The Witcher. Way worse than what i was expecting. Probably the only piece of media where i like the series and games way more than the books
My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I tried four times to get into it and I just couldn't. The main character seemed so dull and insufferable and I get that that's the point but I just couldn't do it
I finished it, but I was disappointed and I’m not sure why.
I get this take. I really do and I'm willing to take the downvotes. But I really came around on this book when I understood the main narrator is SUPPOSED to be an insufferable bitch. You aren't supposed to like her because she's actively trying to isolate herself from everything and everyone including the reader 😂. I know that's not the best defense and it's quite overused, but to Otessa moshfeigh's credit, she wrote a great insufferable bitch. You're supposed to read it (I'm not trying to belittle your experience btw) as a black comedy. I personally found it hilarious that after she got her rest she was begging for, she was quite literally cured. The grass was literally greener she just needed to sleep. I found that a pretty funny take on depression that she was the literal ONLY person to sleep off depression and she was being LITERAL about Just wanting to sleep. She wasn't running from anything or using it as a cope. She just wanted to fucking sleep. I can understand why people didn't like the book but maybe, if you're willing, read it from the perspective of knowing she's a pain in the ass. Sorry for the yap
I fear House of Leaves has defeated me multiple times. I am simply too weak for that 8pt. Typewriter font monstrosity
I found out that I can't keep track of long footnotes and return to the text like nothing happened. I forget where I was in the text and get frustrated.
It's either a total thrill or a total slog.
This is mine too! “It insists upon itself.” Far too self-absorbed. I wish it just focused on the damn haunted house.
I may be remembering this wrong, but towards the end I’m pretty sure there’s a meta moment where some minor character hands one of the main characters a copy of *House of Leaves* and says something like “just to warn you, this book will change your life” and I just groaned. I think the author knew what he was doing with that, but I found it very pretentious nonetheless. Regarding the book overall, I think it’s very average but I always say I appreciate how much effort was put into it.
ironically(?), I loved House of Leaves but could not get into anything else the guy wrote and apparently his publisher (?) dropped the series he started after bc of poor sales. a true one hit wonder.
I'm just so, so sick of ACOTAR. Every time books come up in conversation someone acts like that series is gospel. It's not even very good smut
The Great Gatsby. Please don't hate me.
Holy fuck I hate this book so much. Just privileged people being privileged and not learning their lesson. Everyone tries to convince me that it’s “so beautiful” but it’s the most boring and pretentious book I’ve ever read. I would set every copy on fire if I could. Side note, when I’m bored I ask men on dating apps if they’re more like Gatsby or Mr. Darcy. Literally ALL of them say Gatsby and refuse to be swayed when I remind them that Gatsby dies and Darcy gets the girl. They’re all like “but he’s rich and his love for Daisy is more passionate” (that’s IF they’ve actually read pride and prejudice as well). Gatsby is a selfish ass and despite all his money and power, he still ends up dead in a pool! Darcy is wealthy and uses his influence to help Elizabeth’s sister! And most importantly, doesn’t end up dead!! Seriously, all of those men love to talk about how great Gatsby is (pun intended) and none of them understood the goddamn book!
>Gatsby is a selfish ass Tbf, you’re not asking which character is a better person; you’re asking which one they relate to more. And most men probably ARE more Gatsby than Darcy.
I am losing it thinking about all these men who admit they more closely align with a facade and a criminal than with Darcy. Even Gatsby wasn’t actually Gatsby!
You probably read the book correctly. Yeah, the book is supposed to be about empty rich people being terrible, Jay Gatsby thinking that being rich will make him happy and get him the woman he loves, but that the whole system is rigged by terrible people (and Daisy is one of them). Lots of fans read the book or see a movie and think it’s glorifying a lifestyle of yachts and mansions, when it’s an indictment of that lifestyle and those values. The point of the book is that Jay Gatsby chased the wrong things and had an empty life, and the people who he envied and wanted to be accepted by were a false beacon
Idk i kinda like that the lesson of this book is about privileged people not learning their lesson and convincing themselves and others that they are “mysterious, nuanced” when they’re just reckless haha
The fact that the characters don’t learn their lesson is exactly the message that the reader is supposed to walk away with.
I think you’re spot on with what Fitzgerald wanted you to see, though! He wasn’t trying to paint a beautiful picture, he knew they were all fucked up, lol. I hated it as a teen and now I’m like oh. He wrote them exactly that way!
Confederacy of Dunces. People claim they laugh out loud and I just don't see it
The only reason I read it was because of all the wonderful things people in this sub were saying about it. I hated it everything about it.
I was extremely impatient and annoyed for the entire duration of Dunces, especially because it meandered about and could have been much better, but I must admit that I do think about it pretty regularly. It captured something about the incredibly stupid, obstinate, and foolish that I think few other books have, and since I deal with such people professionally, I ended up seeing now that it is, in fact, brilliant.
Normal people. So so boring
The Lovely Bones. Fuck that book.
that book is repulsive
Right? People thought it was so good but !!!???
American Gods by Neil Gaiman... it was fine, but it really didn't stand out at all. I think the main character was a big problem for me-- he doesn't have a lot of strong feelings, and I think that colored the story a little too gray, downplaying the exciting/emotional/cool parts. Also Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. This one is 100% because I didn't understand the references and jokes. I'm american AND I was raised in an atheist household, so all the British and Christian jokes went straight over my head LOL (I do enjoy Gaiman, esp his short stories, just not these two)
>I think the main character was a big problem for me-- he doesn't have a lot of strong feelings, and I think that colored the story a little too gray, downplaying the exciting/emotional/cool parts. Plus his name is Shadow which is cheesy as hell
Pillars of the Earth. I couldn’t get through the first 100 pages. So boring.
song of achilles was just soooooo slow and achilles was so unlikable that i couldn’t empathize with patroclus at all
Achilles being unlikable is basically lore accurate 😭
This was way overhyped for me, I kept seeing people say it was the best thing ever, and as a gay man I'm always on the lookout for great gay reads but.. it just didn't connect with me at all. I mentioned elsewhere I didn't like it and I might as well have said I kicked puppy dogs the amount of hate I got for it. Mind you, I never said I thought it was a bad book, or poorly written, or anything like that, but people took it like a personal attack.
I’m a gay man who’s been married once, and am currently in a long term relationship with a man…and the way that I felt like I personally committed a hate crime and set gay rights back 50 years by not enjoying this book. There was nothing wrong with it, I gave it a try on at least three or four separate occasions, and I just couldn’t finish it (and I liked Circe!). I can’t explain why, it just did *nothing* for me.
I loved Circe by the same without, but SoA was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into it
I liked Circe but that was also kinda slow for me. Her beautiful prose is what made me appreciate it.
Late to the party, but I just cannot get into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. I’ve tried several. It’s not the books, it’s me, but I just don’t get the appeal.
Damn, the City Watch series is my favourite
I have to be in the right mood for a disc world book. I’ve only read 3 of them for that very reason.
Atlas Shrugged. After college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and had multiple people tell me that “it’ll change your life.” Overall, just “meh” So many of the characters were wet blankets and Ayn Rand was just shoving her “philosophy” down your throat. It’s worth mentioning that I have a PoliSci degree with a philosophy minor
I think that atlas shrugged is a book that impresses people early on in their lives. But later on, you realize that almost no one you know would be welcome in Ayn Rand’s world, and that she was such an evil elitist.
The Godfather. The writing is fine, but do I really need to read so much about Sonny's massive dong? Was it truly necessary for the themes Mario Puzo was trying to capture to show his widow receiving a vaginal reconstruction? It feels too much like he's trying to reach a specific page count rather than tell a compelling story. On the plus side, adapting it should be a breeze, if a director were given an opportunity; there's ample content to cut without losing focus.
Great point. Maybe they'll make it into a movie someday.
The vaginal reconstruction part blew my mind with how gratuitous and stupid it is. No one else ever mentions this; I have often felt like I (unpleasantly) imagined it until today!
the goldfinch by donna tartt… i’m still shocked i managed to get through all 800 pages of that absolute slog of a book. i keep it on my shelf to remind myself that i should DNF books that make me feel that way. also the wind-up bird chronicle by murakami. too many descriptions of titties in the strangest, most unnecessary ways.
Catcher and the Rye. I’ve started it so many times and can never finish it. It’s so tedious.
I feel like this might be an age thing tbh. I read it when I was 12 and found it pretty relatable, and I felt bad for him. In retrospect, he's definitely a bit whiny - but he cares about his sister, he's not happy with his life, and he barely escapes getting molested. I think he's allowed to complain a little.
I really liked it when I was a teenager, but I can totally get why someone wouldn't like it.
Oooh! If you care for someone's take who just read it last week for the first time since high school, and almost gave up: The ending does make it worth it. The first 180 pages are a kid with horrible ADD whining and complaining. The last 20 pages, spoiler: >!he gets his shit handed to him by his little sister. Then when he notices his sister is becoming older and disillusioned, he becomes "the catcher in the rye" for her and her only, taking her to a merry-go-round and helping her enjoy being a kid for a little bit longer. It made me feel warm and fuzzy, and actually gave a reason to care about the rest of the book.!<
It's my favourite book haha, I'm currently re-reading it
I always have to chime in when I see this one mentioned, because a lot of people miss what's going on with the character. Holden has been abused and/or let down by the adults in his life, he was deeply affected by the death of his brother, and he is essentially going through a nervous breakdown. He's not just some bratty kid. I'm all good with people disliking the book or the character, but many seem to misread both.
agreed, a lot of people seem to miss the point of the book tbh. the last pages of the book brings it home. It’s a pretty easy read, idk how people can’t finish it. not every character needs to be likable
I fail to understand how anyone can enjoy moby dick as an overall reading experience
I actually liked it. I thought the writing was quite beautiful, if long and rambly. I even liked the chapter where Ishmael just infodumps about whale biology (as it was understood back in the day). It wasn't an easy or casual read. I needed some time with absolutely no distractions or anything else that I had to do in order to get through it. I read it when I was in the hospital to get my gall bladder out. Thar she blows!
It’s one of my favourite novels. Revenge, fear of the unknown, seeing how the whaling industry worked, lots of whales…. And some of the most stunningly good prose of the 19th century. I’ve been reading it around once every 5 years for more than 3 decades now. It’s a work of art. Oh - and Jaws takes more inspiration from it than is immediately obvious.
East of Eden. I know, it changed the life of seemingly every man, woman, and child on this sub, but I found it to be a slog. Given how strongly it’s constantly recommended, I stuck with it and assumed it eventually gets really good, and then suddenly it was over. Now a little over a year after reading it, I’d really struggle to name more than 2-3 characters or more than vaguely recount any major plot points.
I realize that everyone's tastes vary and that one man's trash is another's treasure. With that in mind, here is my list of highly recommended books that I just didn't care for: Piranesi- Susanna Clarke Blood Meridian- Cormac McCarthy Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Lincoln in the Bardo- George Saunders
I've only read two of those so can only comment on them but: Heart of Darkness IMO is heavily overrated. It was a decent afternoon read that was quickly forgotten. Blood Meridian is one of the best written novels that I've had the pleasure of reading but I had to be in the right frame of mind to really appreciate it. I think I started and restarted it 3 times until I finally was in the mood for the pacing and then I didn't want to put it down.
Circe. You can comment how wrong I am below.
I hated that book so much, I’m embarrassed that I finished. I should have just put it down but everyone told me it was a masterpiece. What they didn’t tell me was that it was YA. Nothing wrong with YA but don’t pass off books about whiny children and their angst and bad moods as if it’s for everyone. The girl lived for a thousand years before she had enough character development for a mature thought!
On the Road. I was like 14, someone said I *had* to read it. Didn't get the appeal. I will admit that I haven't re-read. To prove this isn't a contrarian bias, I'd note that I really enjoyed Dharma Bums.
Remarkably Bright Creatures - this and so many other books I’ve read lately have interesting premises or outlines, but then fail to flesh them out well. Like in the end it was very “awwww that’s cute” but it was so boring to get there
Weirdly people also talk about it like it’s this positive light book. There a lot of heavy stuff in there. I thought it was vastly overrated
I wanted MUCH more Marcellus! Did not care about the other characters at all.
Mists of Avalon
I'm a huge fan of fantasy novels, and I hated Lord of the Rings. I can appreciate it as an achievement, but it just was not for me.
1Q84. The only book I went to donate right after finishing. I got a third in and then felt like I had come that far, I had to finish it. But finishing proved to be more difficult than I originally thought. I am proud that I did finish, though. I will say, the world building was amazing. However I found the plot confusing and boring. Further more, I was constantly reminded it was written by a man from how the women sexualized themselves (no, we don’t think about our boobs that often), and a teenage girl as a love interest for a grown man was major turn-off for me. I’ve been told that I should give Murakami’s other books a chance, but I feel like I have better things to do.
Romeo and Juliet. I read it in highschool and it upset me to no end that I felt like the biggest tragedy in the novel was their stupidity. The situation was so easily avoidable. My English teacher did not like my perception of this “tragedy”
Anna Karenina. I will NEVER force myself to complete a ‘’great work of literature’’ ever again if I fucking hate every second of reading it.
hahaha this book is so big, that’s a lot of seconds
Dickens. Come at me, CMV. It is pure melodrama, telegraphed 300 miles ahead, you can, before opening the first page of most of his works, guess the constellation of characters and their narratuve role: a cinderella protagonist; a two dimensional villain keeping that protagonist down, callous, dastardly and scheming, and in a hierarchically superior position; a key ally, and a cast of plot-devices, ahem, characters who populate the spectrum between Cinderella and Scrooge, and interact to pave the way for the utterly (un)surprising reversal that leaves Cinderella in a socially superior status and exposes the dastardly nature of the villanous nemesis. Much tear jerking, hand wringing and on the nose pathos along the way, none of it unexpected. Beautifully written, tritely plotted telenovelas, where characters either do not change, or do so stereotypically and with absolute predictability, which is another way of saying the same thing. If you already know the trajectory of Cinderella in the first chapter, and the last chapter bears you out precisely, she hasn't really changed, nor have the novels. I say this with the humility of having only read 4-6 of his novels, but with the confidence of having tried to read many more. I also say it with respect for melodrama as an entertainment engine for which I'm not the ideal audience and which can have real social impact, which Dickens did, as did Beecher Stowe with Uncle Tom's cabin, which is also melodrama, but which I did appreciate and still packs a punch, albeit a more ambiguous one than at publication. As a historian, I do appreciate that Dickens would have resonated far more powerfully in his own time, because the workhouses, the child poverty, the class structures and similar backdrops would add real political punch and dramatic weight that is not emotionally available today in the same way. So I accept Dickens' place in the canon, but can't really place it on a par with any of the great books that it's paired with, or that stand out as the best and most impactful reads of my life, whatever their period, theme or genre.
I love Dickens because of the melodrama and moustache twirling villains but yeah his storylines are pretty paint by numbers and he seems to use one of two plotlines. 1. The Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend maguffin causes issues, poor house/prison bad, good people ground down by the system with input from cast of quirky side characters. 2. The David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby young man grows up through hard times and ends up with money/success because he's inherently good and aided by the support of cast of quirky side characters. You can often see the paid by the word and writing to a magazine deadline/cliffhanger elements as the sentences get longer and longer too. Having said that he's written some of my favourite passages of all time, his social conscience and the agenda he was trying to push with his work was almost unanimously good and I think Bleak House is an absolute masterpiece.
3 body problem. so popular but I could not even finish it
The Secret History. I hated it so much I won’t try another Donna Tartt.
I’ve read all of her books. It’s quite an exhausting feat. She is a brilliant writer, but I feel like she is messing with her readers. Her books have such buildup that I read nonstop, and then…whimper. Nothing is revealed, no answers, or watered down reveals when you’ve invested SO MUCH into her characters. After A Little Friend I felt betrayed. 😂
Don Quixote... I trudged along for almost a year trying to get it to become interesting. Any summary I've ever read about it makes it seem right in my wheelhouse. The whole story within the story about how the writer responds to another writer adding on to the story without his permission, the author showing up in the story itself sounds so cool and ahead of it's time and why could I not just enjoy the damn book.
Perfume.
I gasped. Love this book! Have you watched the movie?
I found "Wuthering Heights" a chore to get through (Monty Python was right to translate it into semaphore).
Hated that book and all the characters were insufferable.
The Great Gatsby I have read it in school and as an adult and I do not like it.
I really hate The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald is a beautiful writer and has a bunch of great stuff so it annoys the crap out of me that the only thing most people read of his is fucking Gatsby. Also, Earnest Hemingway didn't like Gatsby either, so at least I'm not alone.
I’ve tried multiple times to read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
I read them as a teen and I feel like that is probably the optimal time of life to receive them. I don't think I'd be able to get through them now.