Chrissy Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 For me, it was without a doubt 100 years of Solitude - god how I hated that book! 1 million years of boredom, more like! This is always rated more highly than 'Love In The Time Of Cholera', which I have always felt is unjust. I loved LITTOC, and found 100YOS easily forgettable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I can only think of two books that I have not read to the end (no matter how long it took!), and one of them was 100 Years of Solitude. I couldn't see the point to it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceinwenn Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I forced myself to finish it, to my incredible regret, because I hated every minute of it. To me, it was the Forest Gump of the literary world - horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 A Separate Peace by John Knowles (when it was was over I said. "so what?")I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (tries too hard to be shocking, but just succeeds in being offensive) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (B-O-R-I-N-G) Love Story by Erich Segal (I gag when I think of it) I definitely agree with you on Gatsby. It's a hyped-up "classic" that doesn't live up to the hype. As for modern books, I hate to say it, but I I feel that way about all Nicholas Spark's books I've read too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frugal Mule Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Jodie Picoult - My Sister's Keeper: I read this with a completely open mind and without having read anything of hers before. I found it trashy and cheap and not unlike a cheesy American made-for-TV film. A poignant subject matter doesn't necessarily make for a proufound book. Do you want to send me poo in an envelope now? Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale: I wanted to like this, but really didn't. I don't really understand why it's so popular. Emile Zola - Germinal: When I read the reviews on Amazon I got really excited about read this. I was sure I was going to love it. I finished it but nearly lost the will to live whilst doing so. Sometimes I think the term "Classic" means no more than "Really old". Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian: "There were trees everywhere. Everywhere there were trees. I scanned my eyes over the vast scene before me - trees everywhere! Finally, I arrived at the crypt, my heart pumping. There was a crisp coldness to the air and an uneasiness in my being. Suddenly - look - trees!" Zzzzzzzzzztreeszzzzzzzzzzz Sorry If I was looking at my book shelf right now I could think of loads of others that I didn't 'get'. I am beginning to take a five star rating as a sign to avoid a book at all costs. It does make the illusive 'good ones' all the better when I find them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frugal Mule Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 .... or profound, for that matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeeeve Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian: "There were trees everywhere. Everywhere there were trees. I scanned my eyes over the vast scene before me - trees everywhere! Finally, I arrived at the crypt, my heart pumping. There was a crisp coldness to the air and an uneasiness in my being. Suddenly - look - trees!" Zzzzzzzzzztreeszzzzzzzzzzz Sorry Hahahaha. Fantastic. I agree it did get insanely boring for the middle third of the book. How many countryside scenes did they need to be awed by? How many bits of paper did they need to find that would lead them to books that would lead them to other bits of paper that would tell them about a monk who might have written the first bit of paper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian: "There were trees everywhere. Everywhere there were trees. I scanned my eyes over the vast scene before me - trees everywhere! Finally, I arrived at the crypt, my heart pumping. There was a crisp coldness to the air and an uneasiness in my being. Suddenly - look - trees!" Zzzzzzzzzztreeszzzzzzzzzzz Sorry I certainly hope that's not a real quote from the novel?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Atonement and Saturday - didnt get past the first couple of pages of either book - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I love Ian McEwen. I think "The Davinci Code" and "Memory Keepers Daughter" were raved about by people who read one book every ten years, and that was it. I 'got' The Great Gatsby on the third reading. Read it three times over to help son with his English last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I think "The Davinci Code" and "Memory Keepers Daughter" were raved about by people who read one book every ten years, and that was it. Hm. I enjoyed both of those, along with the couple of hundred books I read every year. Just a matter of personal taste, I would have thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D Salinger, it was readable but I am still not sure why its a classic. . My thoughts exactly. What's so great about it? Even if it was wow at the time it got published (and I'm pretty sure it wasn't) by now there have been tons of other ''rebelious'' stories written. I just don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Hm. I enjoyed both of those, along with the couple of hundred books I read every year. Just a matter of personal taste, I would have thought. Oh, I enjoyed them, and I do read a lot too, it just seemed like they were popular among friends who didn't read much. I was referring to the original question "over rated books" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eck Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I might get a bit of flack here . Elizabeth Wurtzels Prozac Nation just annoyed the hell out of me, talk about whiney. American Psycho the whole 80's thing didn't do it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirandashell Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Zen is a brilliant book! I devoured it in one sitting! But then I have an interest in philosophy so maybe it was more my kind of book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esiotrot Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Agree on Catcher In The Rye and The Great Gatsby - can see how in their day they were exciting ~ but IMHO now its night. kx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 Oh, I will probably get hate mail for this, but I think One Hundred Years of Solitude is the most highly over-rated book ever. It was all style, and no substance. I found the characters to be non-interesting at best, and loathsome at worst. The ending was depressing and not in a way that made me sorrow for humanity, but only for the author's view of humanity. It took me two tries to get through the book, it was so boring and pretentious, and I generally love magical realism. Now, would I burn this book? No. If other people want to read it, that is their business. But I would never recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtjm Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 I would have to say "The Shining" by Stephen King while I enjoyed the book (and how easy the story flowed) I believe that this wasn't as good as the hype Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayrha Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Couldn't finish The Inheritance of Loss even though it was prize winning. Didn't/could't even reach half way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 I must be the one weirdo who liked The Da Vinci Code . Although I did find it hilarious that some people treated it as if it were a factual historical account. When people say it was badly written I'm not sure what they mean. Did it have grammatical errors? My pet peeve is waffly descriptions of scenery / locations but I thought the pacing in The Da Vinci Code was okay. I'm kind of assuming that people didn't like the writing because it was a fairly simple read and maybe some people like something more to get their teeth into? Correct me if I'm wrong. Add my vote to Atonement by Ian McEwan. And The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It's my husbands favourite book but I just found it a bit silly. Sorry to all the fans. Mind you, being my husband's favourite book is not that flash as he only reads about 2 a year so there aren't many to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimes Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 At the moment there is a thread about underrated books and I thought that it would be interesting to hear about the books/series that you think are overrated. We have all come across them, those books that you hear so much about but when you get around to looking at them they are a great let down or are down right bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 There is actually already a thread for overrated books here -> http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/3188-most-overrated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 I've merged the new and existing threads. I think The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is extremely overrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 I've merged the new and existing threads. I think The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is extremely overrated. Or any other book by Paulo Coelho.... I've read four of his books. Why the heck did it take me so much reading time, to learn that all of his books were overrated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sakura Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 For me it must be Lord of the Rings. It's such a classic, but I just found it boring to the extreme. I still finished it, always thinking: "Well, everyone loves it, it has to get better". Just that it never did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 (edited) I must be the one weirdo who liked The Da Vinci Code . Although I did find it hilarious that some people treated it as if it were a factual historical account. When people say it was badly written I'm not sure what they mean. Did it have grammatical errors? I can assure you you are not the only one! I very much enjoyed TDVC! I don't think it was badly written at all. No grammatical errors or typos, and it was very great, fast paced, great thriller! That's just my humble opinion Edit: And I agree on Coelho! Although Veronica Decided To Die wasn't as bad as The Alchemist. Edited October 11, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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