corina Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Wally Lamb springs to mind. "I know this much is true" is one of my favourite books. I was eagerly awaiting "The hour I first believed", however, I don't think I even finished it and skipped through big chunks. Does anyone else have such a strong polarizing reaction to an authors work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I think it's more than possible, I think there are a lot of people that think that about Donna Tartts 'Secret History' (they loved) and 'The Little Friend' (they didn't like nearly half as well) .. I haven't read them, they are on my TBR list ... but I'm going to start with the loved one first .. because it can put you off an author if the first thing you read of theirs is a trial. A lot of people are also disappointed with Audrey Niffeneggers latest book after loving 'The Time Travelers Wife'. I've never hated a book by an author that I've previously loved but I have been disappointed by a fair few. It's bound to happen though isn't it, you can't always love an authors work like you can't always like songs by your favourite groups/singers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I really don't like The Colour of Magic (1st), The Light Fantastic (2nd) , or Eric (9th) by Terry Pratchett, but I love the rest of the Discworld series. I actually read Reaper Man first and adored it, so I was heartily disappointed to go back and read the first two books of the series and really not like them at all. Then half a dozen really good'uns followed by another duffer. There's not realy been a bad'un since Eric though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirinrob Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 My feelings about Nabokov tend to be polarised. The books up to and including 'The real Life of Sebastian Knight' I really enjoy. Anything after that, with possible exception of Pnin, I just don't like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I think it's more than possible, I think there are a lot of people that think that about Donna Tartts 'Secret History' (they loved) and 'The Little Friend' (they didn't like nearly half as well) It was like that for me - Secret History is one of my favourite books, and I wished I hadn't wasted my money on The Little Friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 For me it's the prolific horror writers that are terrible for this. Specifically Stephen King, James Herbert and Dean Koontz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I really don't like The Colour of Magic (1st), The Light Fantastic (2nd) , or Eric (9th) by Terry Pratchett, but I love the rest of the Discworld series. I actually read Reaper Man first and adored it, so I was heartily disappointed to go back and read the first two books of the series and really not like them at all. Then half a dozen really good'uns followed by another duffer. There's not realy been a bad'un since Eric though! Though when you are as prolific as Terry .. there's bound to be some that are 'duffers' ... three is pretty good going. Having said that I loved 'The Colour of Magic' ... but I didn't like 'the Light Fantastic' much and haven't read 'Eric'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Univerze Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Anne Rice. Perfect example. I either hate or love her books. I love most of the Vampire Chronicles, except say, Memnoch the Devil, or Vittorio (okay, not really part of the vampire chronicles but still one of her vampire books), which I hate. And I can't stand what I've read of the Mayfair Witches books. I hate them, they're dull, don't make sense and the characters annoy me. So yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 For me it's the prolific horror writers that are terrible for this. Specifically Stephen King, James Herbert and Dean Koontz. I would agree with you here, also with the Audrey Niffenegger one, I loved TTTW, but her new one was terrible. There's also Jodi Picoult for me, I love some of hers, and dislike some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Jodi Picoult definitely. I love My Sister's Keeper but really didn't like The Pact. Also, Green Mile is my favourite book, but every other Stephen King novel I've tried I've struggled with (apart from Cell which I'm reading at the moment and don't mind). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffin Nail Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I've never read anything by my favourite authors that I actually hated. If I take an entire body of their work and it has its highs and lows. There are simply some of their books I like more than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Its Jean Plaidy for me. I loved Murder Most Royal as well as The Widow of Windsor, but really struggled with Uneasy Lies The Head earlier this year. I also remember hating The Queens Husband. So yeah, I generally love her work but it can be hit and miss at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carm Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I agree with you Corina. Loved I know This Much Is True but struggled with The Hour I First Believed... I've read everything by Stephen King and I loved some of his books and couldn't figure out the point in others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Though when you are as prolific as Terry .. there's bound to be some that are 'duffers' ... three is pretty good going. The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are his first two books though, and you can see the rough edges. I'm not a huge fan of either, but they were the first Pratchett books I read when I was a teenager and they led me on to Equal Rites and Mort which got me well and truly hooked. Also, Eric was originally a picture book, a vehicle for Josh Kirby's illustrations, and it doesn't work as well when presented as a straight novel. I've said this before, and recently, but I would have to nominate David Nicholls' Starter for 10 as a book I hated, and One Day as a book I loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholbb Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 With me it is normally series that let things down. Frank Herbert: Dune = Fantastic God Emperor = sucky sucky Laurell K Hamilton and Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures = Fantastic Flirt = Oh God, someone stick blunt needles in my eyes Stephen R. Donaldson and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: First = WOW!!! Last = They were never written ... no listen to me ... they ... were ... never ... written ... Understand Me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Donna Tartt comes to mind. The Secret History was simply superb, whereas Little Friend was boring and I couldn't finish it. Didn't hate it though, but was really disappointed in it after having enjoyed The Secret History so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenKingman Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Absolutely. My favorite ever book is The Stand, and Stephen King has had me thrilled, entranced and downright terrified by other masterpieces like The Shining, Misery and Under the Dome. And yet the very same author releases utter tripe like Bag of Bones, Tommyknockers and Hearts in Atlantis, all books which i found excruciatingly boring and sluggishly paced (in the case of Bag of Bones, nothing at all happens!). But his ratio of good to bad is still very much in favor of good so i forgive his mistakes. Another example is Dan Brown, i really enjoyed Digital Fortress and Angels and Demons, but found Deception Point a real chore to read, its hard to believe that its even the same author with the difference in writing and grammar style. Also, The Lost Symbol i found very average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Donna Tartt comes to mind. The Secret History was simply superb, whereas Little Friend was boring and I couldn't finish it. Didn't hate it though, but was really disappointed in it after having enjoyed The Secret History so much. Yes! Ditto! Frankie hit the nail on the head. I did finish Little Friend however and can genuinely say I hated it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I'm considering taking The Little Friend off my TBR pile since I've read so many bad reviews about it. Goodness knows I'll hardly miss it with all the other books I have to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Probably be a good idea, Kylie, or at least put it at the very bottom! I think what compounded my dislike for it was just the fact that I loved 'Secret History' so much, waited and waited for 10 years and Tartt to write another book, and then to have to read that disappointment, ugh . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I suppose it's a good thing that I'm always the last to jump on an author's bandwagon. They always have several books out already before I even get to the first one so I generally have a good idea of their overall ability. Would you try another book by Donna Tartt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 (edited) was supposed to quote this message, then accidentally deleted it and posted my new message on here. Smart me! Edited March 13, 2011 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenKingman Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Stephen King is a very good example, I didn't think of it until you mentioned him. I've enjoyed so many of his novels (The Green Mile, Stand, Cujo, Misery) and then he's also written the most boring, the most annoying, the most nothing-ever-happens-or-will-happen novel called The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. When the book came out I was so excited and I even bought it for my then BF for a Christmas pressie. When I read the book myself I was utterly horrified that I'd given him such an awful book, I was so ashamed. He liked it though, goodness knows why StephenKingman, I really got to admire you for mentioning your favorite writer in a thread like this! For me it would be hard if my most favorite author had written a horrible novel, I'd like to brush such a detail under the carpet and wouldn't gladly talk about it. Hats off to you Frankie, i love Stephen King and he remains my favorite author but im not afraid to wear the critics hat either and see his shortcomings. His novels tend to fall into three categories: Fast paced, spine chilling isolation tales (Shining, Misery, The Stand, Under the Dome, Misery, Gerards Game, Tom Gordon, Bag of Bones), slow paced and sluggish tales which go nowhere (Insomnia, Tommyknockers, Hearts in Atlantis, From a Buick 80 and the rest....which would comprise of non-horror fiction like Apt Pupil and then he has his dabble into sci fi and fantasy with the Dark Tower series. King's critics have all been in agreement that his most obvious downfalls are: 1. Ending a story weakly 2. Far too much attention to detail when describing places and structures 3, Sudden changes in pace from lightning fast to plodding It makes the readin of a book all the more enjoyable when you realize that none of the above faults are in many of his books. Oh, and dont kill me Frankie, but i actually also liked the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, i liked the story and the many obstacles faced by the little girl (runs for cover). Now if i could only get well paid for being a critic i would be sorted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 StephenKingman, you're quite entitled to like the books you do I'm happy somebody liked TGWLTG, so King didn't write it in vain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I agree about Stevie King having his phases - I absolutely adore his classic stuff (The Dark Half, Misery, Carrie, Christine, Nightmares and Dreamscapes etc.), but his newer stuff has never gripped me into being bothered to finish it (see Dreamcatcher and Hearts in Atlantis). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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