Famous books that you didn't enjoy....

shakespeare

thomas hardy

Almost any classical literature. It's just gash.

The one I had thrown at me in the Old Bailey.

I found The Bible a little far fetched.

How to commit suicide

If I don't enjoy a book Itend to stop reading it

All that "always finish what you start" stuff is cobblers imo and the source of much needlessly wasted time.

I tried telling them that at uni.

passage to india

Shantaram....good idea, but too bloody long and descriptive. 1000 pages..don't do it to yourself

James Joyce

[i]

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - good title but unreadable (when I tried 15 yeas ago). One of those trendy books that is probably read by about 10% of those who by it.

Catch22 - just couldn't get into that. might try it again

slartybartfast. 14 Jan 22:58
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - good title but unreadable (when I tried 15 yeas ago). One of those trendy books that is probably read by about 10% of those who by it.

Lower than 10%, I suspect.

Moby Dick.

Moby Dick.

I agree, sometimes I barely bother colouring in the first page.

den perry 14 Jan 22:58
Catch22 - just couldn't get into that.

WTF!! catch 22 is the funniest book ever written. Each to their own, i spose.

agree with vectis - moby dick. started it 3 times, never got past page 20.

I am staggered, and not a little disheartened, that Shakespeare should be mentioned. I agree that Dickens is overrated.

Try Hardy's poetry; he's one of my favourite poets.

The Darkling Thrush....one of my favourite poems

don quixote

I tried that cure for insomnia, 'Ulysses' about 10 times, facked if I could get past 10 pages.

Evski, not saying its not Good, just couldn't find it interesting enough to go past the first 20 pages

Can't stand Dickens, personally. Umberto Eco - drivel after Name of the Rose.

Catch 22

Conrad. Lord Jim. Saw the film and thought this is a ripping yarn, I'll read the book. Tried half a dozen times never got past the first chapter.

Wait until you hit the whaling encyclopdia is all I can warn!

Heart of Darkness is another turgid, though mercifully short, tome. I wonder how many people have read it - or claimed to have loved it, after watching Apocalypse Now.

Great Expectations. It wasn't all that i had hoped for.

LOl. It was the same with the movie "Blow UP". It was a big let down. :)

Hardy!! omg! Far From The Madding Crowd a masterpiece. Includes one of the most romantic lines ever written by man. Shame it was used in the last episode of The Vicar of Dibley!

i have attempted to read heart of darkness a few times and can't make it through

have read a few other conrad novels and finished them all

i loved 'american psycho' when i read it and waited and waited for bret easton ellis' next novel..

then he wrote glamorama...

ill never ever get that time back

ulysses a top shout. tried reading it a few times got notwhere.

will finish it one day.

catch 22 is like chewing a brick(try his other one-something happened,worse)ulysses-across the room slingable

James Joyce's mate, Samuel Beckett, they must have had a great laugh seeing who could write the most unintelligible work.

I reckon Beckett wins with Waiting For odot.

^ Godot

I used to read a lot of fiction but as I got older I realised I was just wasting my time reading made up stories so I got a computer and came on here instead.

Agree with those nominating Ulysses but Finnegans Wake is even worse. I also tried and failed with Stephen Hawking. How the hell did that sell so many?

Interesting to see a few mentions of Catch 22. I've known a few people who also said they just couldn't get into it. Read the first chapter and were totally bewildered and gave up.

I personally loved it and it's the funniest book I've ever read. Maybe it's a "marmite" book. You either love it or you don't. I don't know many people who just thought it was ok.

Yes strange to find Catch 22 on here, but all about opinions..

Bleak House is the book for me.

I'm in the catch 22 club I'm afraid, got about half way through then just hit a wall. Also gave up on Captain Correlli's Mandolin.

slartybartfast. 14 Jan 22:58
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - good title but unreadable

Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses beats allcomers in the unreadability stakes (which is ironic given how much trouble it caused).

i refer you to my earlier post. there can be no more unreadable book than finnegans wake. try reading a page - it's impossible!

Far too many literary novels consist of 300 pages of nothing much happening only partly mitigated by a brilliant metaphor on page 115.

to kill a mocking bird was a bit of a chore to read

had hard times by dickens for english at school, terrible boring book
ulysses and finnegans wake both unreadable , though in fairness to joyce dubliners is an excellent collection of short stories.
have tried war and peace but never got more than 2000 pages into it. lol. have got through moby dick and while there are enjoyable passages overall it wasnt worth the effort.

louie87

to kill a mockingbird would rate in my top 10 best books , a wonderful story spellbindingly told. ( and the film isnt bad either )

probably because i read it at school.suppose atticus finch wasn't a bad spud. never seen the film.

Couldn't get on with Catch 22, better than that da Vinci nonsense though

Big Charlie 14 Jan 23:59
I tried that cure for insomnia, 'Ulysses' about 10 times, facked if I could get past 10 pages.

Do yourself a favour and do a bit of research on the autor and on the book before starting again. Get to grips with what he is donig and what he is trying to achieve and you will unlock a book that you will not only read once but reread sections for years. Is beyond the scope of conventional literature

It is a recurring theme that certain books were ruined for us by having them forced on us at school. Thats certainly what happened with me and Dickens. But then you can tell by his style, the way he stretches things to levels of boredom I cannot handle, that he was serialising them.

atticus finch is one of literatures good guys, do yourself a favour louie and give the book another read, and if you can find the film watch it, gregory pecks best performance.

sibaroni , i agree to a certain extent, but we did lord of the flies at school and i must say thats a very good read.

Animal Farm

Cabbaging nonsense

Treasure Island, what was that all about?

Easter 1916 15 Jan 13:07
i refer you to my earlier post. there can be no more unreadable book than finnegans wake. try reading a page - it's impossible!

And who helped him research it? My man Samuel Beckett.

statoyork

treasure island is about a boy - jim hawkins whose folks had a lodging house . one of there lodgers was an old sea dog who liked his rum... just read the book . its brilliant.

betfair guide to dummies..im still losing

Ulysees

I was disappointed with Catcher in the Rye.

Came with such awe inspiring reviews. Just didn't do it for me.

Spycatcher,so many names and dates!The Satanic Verses ,not worth losing your life over,total pile of crap.

Spycatcher,so many names and dates!The Satanic Verses ,not worth losing your life over,total pile of crap.

bungalow bill 15 Jan 15:13
I was disappointed with Catcher in the Rye.
Came with such awe inspiring reviews. Just didn't do it for me.

Agreed.

James Joyce's Finnegans Wake

Love Catch 22, surprised to see so many mentions of people not enjoying it, but I guess it's one of those, get it or not.

I used to love to kill a mockingbird untill I did it at school, then all the analysing of every bloody word and line bored me to tears, and I can barely even look at the cover now. I still hate my English teacher for ruining this classic for me.

Ulysses is not that hard, you just have to keep going. It's a miracle of a book.

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynhon, now that is harsh.

I enjoyed Catch 22, particularly the part set in Rome. Strangely reminiscent of Dostoevsky. Enjoyed Catcher also, one of the quickest reads ever.

I agree with Thomas Hardy. I 'read' The Mayor Casterbridge at school for English Lit. I love reading I really do, but this book was beyond boring for me, i literally gave up half way through so I would sit in class with another book inside the Hardy novel. I passed the exam with flying colours mind because i listened to all the analysis**

kingsley amis - lucky jim....studied at school :(

hated it, i buy it for my sister every 2 years or so
for christmas as she told me it was good

Did any non-mason enjoy Da Vinci Code? Absolute load of far-fetched tosh imo

i enjoyed catcher in the rye. in fact i enjoyed most famous books of the mid to early 20th century, where as i hate virtually everything from 19th century and earlier.

The Dice Man , absolute drivel imo.
Harry Potter - Read the first one to please the kids & see what the fuss was all about . I thought it was a very , very ordinary childrens book.
And as for those massive selling Cornwell crime books .

Chief White Halfoat : Racism is a terrible thing Yossarian, it's a terrible thing to treat a decent, loyal Indian like a nîgger, kîke, wöp or spîc.

:-) Ahhhh, what's not to like.

Pretrendy lefty, panty-waist liberals, thankyou in advance for not replying

Trainspotting, utter utter utter shîte. Fever Pitch for druggies.

A sequel :-( and now a prequel :-(

Read Oliver. Not as good as the film.

war and peace gave up after 5 years just could"nt get on with it at all

Lee Ho Fooks 15 Jan 18:57
Did any non-mason enjoy Da Vinci Code? Absolute load of far-fetched tosh imo
*****************************************

Far-fetched?

No shît Sherlock.

I saw the film on a plane - from the body to the painting, from the painting to the bank, from the bank to the church, from the church to the...at which stage I said 'AW JUST FIND THE FüCKING THING WILL YOU', a bit louder than I might have.

I was escorted off the plane at Heathrow :-(

On the Road. Don't know why, just thought it was rubbish.

Have to agree with Moby Dick, couldn't get beyond a bout 20 pages.
Force fed Mayor of Casterbridge and Conrads Nostromo at school, but loved them. Shame I got thrown out before the exams.
Loved Catch 22, which I read off my own bat.
Faulkners The Sound and The Fury; found it really difficult but then one night I took a load of drugs and it made a lot os sense; read it cover to cover.