Famous books you never cared for/understood the appeal of?

Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by Lemex, Jun 6, 2015.

  1. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

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    You have to bear in mind thomas Conevant came out before the HBO-Rome/hypersensitivity era.
     
  2. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Yeah, the snail's pace start of Lord Foul's Bane has been a torture.... :/

    ETA: And it's not Thomas's seeming brush-off of the rape that I find hard to buy. That part I can see. I can understand someone emotionally divorcing themselves from the culpability of committing such an act in order to function. What I find hard to buy is everyone else's reactions to the event. The only person whose reaction was, to me, plausible is the fellah who stalks them for a while and accuses Thomas of being a "raver" and a "ravisher". Him, I totally get. The mother? Complete confusion on my part. She clearly doesn't come from the Puerto Rican part of The Land. ;)
     
  3. Tim3232

    Tim3232 Active Member

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    In search of lost time - or - a la recherche du temps perdu (not that I read it in French.) The local library were surprised when I asked for it and asked me which volume. I thought Vol. One would be a good start. I forced myself through about half.

    Can't stand white chocolate either (seeing as a lot of food seems to have been mentioned in this thread.)
     
  4. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Vol. 1 Swann's Way, right? Been reading it bit off on. You're right, it is somewhat of a slog.
     
  5. Phil Partington

    Phil Partington Member

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    Books I wasn't especially fond of that every else seems to like/are famous:

    - The Lord of the Rings series. Let me quantify this--I recognize they're greatness (fantasy wouldn't be what it is today without this series) and, yes, I'm a fan of fantasy, but the style just wasn't for me. The Similarian, don't get me started. Though, to be fair, I think that one was written more encyclopedia style than anything else, if for no other reason than to dump lore.

    - The Dead Zone (Stephen King). I know it's not famous on the Lord of the Rings level, but it did get its own movie and tv series. I should mention, I'm a huge Stephen King fan. People who don't know, he's actually a better non-horror writer (IMHO) than he is a horror writer. Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile...all his. The Dead Zone's not a horror either, but it's just so...damn...slow, and while the ending is kind of clever, it's too anticlimactic for such a slow build up.

    - Jurassic Park. Love the movie, and the last 50-80 pages of the book...fantastic. Crichton is so heavy on the theoretical science of things, however, that it just doesn't draw me in...at all. Personal taste, I suspect, but it wasn't my favorite. Never did read Lost World.

    - I love Charles Dickens for the most part, though having to write in segments and adjust the storyline per audience reaction probably limited him some. Still, I'm a fan...with the exception of Our Mutual Friend. Too many characters and just too tough to keep track of things. lol

    - Might be going out of the bounds a little, but I've always thought Poe was a little overrated. Not that he wasn't a tremendous atmospheric writer, but just thought he was a bit over the top with some of his works. Makes sense that he was, since he was all about effect. He actually is credited with writing the first short story as well as the first murder mystery, from what I recall. Though in the case of his murder mystery, there was 'solving the puzzle' for the reader. Again, he was about the ultimately effect more than anything, which isn't my style. I want some plot layering and such, personally. He was more focused on themes.
     
  6. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    I agree with you. To be honest, as I get older I find Poe less and less interesting. He seems now to me too ... melodramatic, too goth, and too simplistic to be interesting. And his poetry is dreadful, I mean, outside of The Raven, City by the Sea, To Helen, and maybe Sonnet to Science, do you really like any of it? Really?

    And his short stories, most of the famous ones are just pulpy short stories for mild amusement. And it's telling how a lot of his other short stories aren't really remembered. I mean, have you ever heard anyone praise the short story 'The Sphinx'?
     
  7. Tim3232

    Tim3232 Active Member

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    Yes, Swann's Way. Stop punishing yourself - life's too short. You're surely not going to work thru all the other volumes.
     
  8. No-Name Slob

    No-Name Slob Member Supporter Contributor

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    I loved this book, not because it is a particularly unique or fantastic crime novel, but because at it's core it is about sexism and systematic oppression. The author wrote it pertaining to Sweden, but I believe it relates to the US and greater society as a whole just as much.
     
  9. Phil Partington

    Phil Partington Member

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    To be fair, when we say things like "Poe is too goth," he's really the one who popularized that (or at least one of them). I respect his talents for writing for atmosphere, but yeah, can't get into his stuff without gagging. Melodramatic is the right word, though sometimes I feel it's too soft a word. There's a reason why high school girls seem drawn to his work.
     
  10. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    Absolutely Heart of Darkness yawwwn, and the film yawwwnn, forgotten its name, had to 'study' the film at college.

    Tender is the Night, euch..
     
  11. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Them's fightin' words.

    *slaps @matwoolf with a glove*

    I shall see you at dawn, sir :)
     
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  12. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    I'm sowwy. Sure I'd like the film more now. At the time, by way of example, I thought great war film 'Deer Hunter' was marred by the tedious hour and half of wedding at the beginning.

    Tender Is The Night - I was seventeen [excuse] - still I managed, enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, Mayor of Casterbridge...

    Eureka...Apocalypse Now
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2015
  13. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    Then you might enjoy Henning Mankell's The Fifth Woman :) another highly successful Swedish crime author. And you've probably read Handmaid's Tale :D

    Yeah I guess the Tattoo book was just too extreme for me in places too. I can see that the themes you mentioned are indeed there but it just didn't strike me. I tried to read the second book and got through the first 50-100 pages before I finally stopped - it was just too disturbing reading about how this rapist's gonna get his revenge...
     
  14. No-Name Slob

    No-Name Slob Member Supporter Contributor

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    I will definitely give you that it's extremely disturbing. It should almost come with a trigger warning.
     
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  15. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Yeah, that's true about Deer Hunter which is a good movie overall. It seems to me a lot of 70s movie opened with a half hour or more of very slow pacing before building into some action. Not sure why.
     
  16. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    Slow films can be good tho? I like 'pretentious' cinema, can't get hold of it - Netflix, Sky. No. No French films, or Russian, or independent, grumble. Back to books I failed...

    atb
     
  17. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    Yeah I used to read a lot of crime novels. But they've got so graphic that I'm almost scared to read them :( It's like the crime genre has crossed over to torture porn.
     
  18. KaTrian

    KaTrian A foolish little beast. Contributor

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    Jane Austen. I have tried to read her novels, but they just don't work for me. I just keep getting really, really bored.

    Old Man and the Sea. I didn't connect with the story or characters. I wasn't particularly engaged. I almost finished it 'cause it is readable, but I couldn't really see the appeal in it.

    Moby Dick. I read about ten pages and already wanted to use the book as a pillow. Again, just couldn't get into it at all. The same happened with Don Quixote.

    I actually also tried to read 50 Shades. I guess I wanted to know what all the fuss was about; people telling it's so captivating I'll miss my bus stop or at least a few nights' sleep 'cause I'll be too engrossed to put it down. I guess since it turned out Christian Grey isn't my type, unless perhaps in terms of sparring partners or people I'd sacrifice for the sun god, I just couldn't make it past the first meeting of Anastasia and Christian. Also, Anastasia... being inside her head was like being inside a cheap, itchy pullover. I just really wanted out of there.

    I gotta wonder why they translated it The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. Why not "Men Who Hate Women"? Sure, it might not sound quite so mysterious, but it's the original title and, imo, packs quite a punch.
     
  19. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    As an aside, to anyone who has read the book, whenever James references the "inner goddess" do you picture the Venus of Willendorf?
     
  20. No-Name Slob

    No-Name Slob Member Supporter Contributor

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    LOL
     
  21. No-Name Slob

    No-Name Slob Member Supporter Contributor

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    I actually had no idea that was the original title. You're right, it certainly packs a punch. I'd probably have picked it up much sooner, honestly. Lol.
     
  22. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Oh, man. I love Moby Dick.
     
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  23. BookLover

    BookLover Active Member

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    @KaTrian - I also had no idea that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was originally titled Men Who Hate Women. When I read that, I thought you were being sarcastic at first. :p But yeah, that fits. That's very straightforward and to the point.

    Also I just read that the English piece changed the size of Salander's tattoo to something much smaller than what was in the original version. So that makes a lot of sense. :confused: "Let's make the dragon tattoo really small and then name the whole book after it!" One theory is they had already commissioned the cover art for the novel. The tattoo on the cover was pictured as very small, so they translated the book so that it would fit the cover. :eek: Blech. Not sure if that's true or not, but that's a stupid reason to change a big aspect of her appearance.

    I'm currently reading Fifty Shades Darker, the second in the Fifty Shades trilogy. Yes, I did skip the first one. It's because I never planned to seriously read this trilogy. I'm house sitting and saw the book lying in a pile. I couldn't find the first one in the pile, so I randomly opened this one. It was morbid curiosity about the writing style since I've heard so many bad things.

    I'm about halfway through, and it's pretty awful. I could write a detailed review of all the pros and cons (and there are some pros), but I don't think anyone wants to hear my snark.

    I'm trying to figure out the appeal, and so far, all I've come up with is it might be like a wish fulfillment, self-insertion type of thing for those who enjoyed it. It seems it's not really a story about a woman submitting to a man. It's more like a story about a woman who won the lottery! Grey is supposed to be unbelievably hot and unbelievably rich. He forces money into her bank account, forces new cars onto her, worships her body, cares deeply for her safety, loves her passionately, wants to protect her, wants to make her happy, and is awesome in bed. :rolleyes: I'm sure there are a few other reasons people care for this book, but I'm guessing the wish fulfillment thing is the main one.

    Personally, I cannot believe people can read this multiple times. I'm having a hard enough time reading it once.
     
  24. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    I couldn't even start the second one. Page 5: Motherfucking email. I'm out.
     
  25. BookLover

    BookLover Active Member

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    Yeah, that email was something else. And why does he keep saying "Laters, Baby." He sounds like an idiot.
     

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