It’s a question inspired by this post https://www.reddit.com/r/books/s/s2jK2DzFrA by u/oh_sneezeus

Is there any book that is considered a classic or regularly shows up on the “100 books to read before you die” lists and such, you had high expectations before reading and then you ended up absolutey detesting?

For me it’s Blindness by José Saramago, it started off good and then page after page it was becoming more unbearable for me to read, I hated the characters, the things they were doing and the conclusions of the book. I was really disappointed because the plot seemed really good and all I ended up with was frustration.

Is there a book that did the same to you?

  • We_lived@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Ulysses by Joyce. I have tried and tried and then waited 10 years and tried again. I cannot. I’ve read the Cliff’s Notes and that’s as far as I’ll get.
    Yet this book is on almost every top 10 books of all time list.

    • Bad_Idea_Hat@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I’m going to try this again, and then want to go to Zurich for the sole purpose of getting drunk and pissing on a grave.

    • JDHURF@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Same. Exactly my response. I couldn’t even finish it. Unreadable gibberish.

    • thedishonestyfish@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      It’s so impenetrable that people think it must be good, instead of just being incomprehensible unpunctuated stream of drugged out consciousness.

    • Rare-Lingonberry2706@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      That’s because you’re correct in identifying that it’s complete drivel. I tried a few times and never completed the first chapter.

    • wildcard-inside@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I tried to read it and it made no sense. Didn’t help that pages had fallen out of my parents copy and my Dad had just shoved them in anywhere