it doesn’t have to be your favorite book or anything. It can be any book that you find yourself thinking of with a sense of pride for having read it.
Personally, I am really proud of myself for not DNFing A Little Life and pushing forward. I read a very good chunk of that book with tears running down my face–mind you, I was reading it on my phone during lectures for the entirety of my first semester last year–and I was always on the verge of putting it down just because of the horrible content. Also, it was pretty long; too long, actually. So when I was done, I was simultaneously Heartbroken, broken (just like in general), and relieved. It was truly a feat.
An honorable mention is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, because I swear to God I did not understand a single thing about it even 10 chapters in. Charles Dickens is too much.
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For context, I struggle cognitively with books and can maybe force myself to read 1 or 2 books a year if I’m having a good year. I’m definitely not like you people (lol) and am silently observing this sub as many frequently declare the sad depravity of our nation for finding out that some people don’t read books for fun like they do. I roll my eyes at your insular community when people laugh “some people think a 1,000-page book is long?”, as if pretending to not know most people are in the 90th percentile of IQ below them.
Okay, my joking rant aside, which ended up coming across hateful and bitter even though I love y’all-
I read The Unconsoled by Ishiguro. All of it. I thought I was going to lose my mind, but by God I did it.
Probably IT by Stephen King, it’s not really “difficult” but it’s over a thousand pages long and I’ve read it three times
I finally made it through Ulysses. Wasn’t worth it
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. It was just so difficult to read, especially at the beginning. But I really liked it so I’m glad I got through it. Plus my sister didn’t manage to finish it and she’s way better-read than me, so I can feel better than her in this one thing! From time to time I think about re-reading but I’m a bit reluctant to go through the beginning again.
Frankenstein, not a difficult read but we read it in my AP Lit class and had to write an essay about it. I’ve always struggled with school after elementary school because I was undiagnosed adhd but I was good at taking tests and well spoken because I was very well read(I seriously would devour any book I could get my hands on, I’ve read multiple books in a day at that time) anyways my ap teacher was tough and I managed to get the highest grade in the class on that essay with a note from my teacher expressing how I was the first person in 20 years to make her see the story from a different perspective and how she was happily surprised and genuinely impressed and I just remember everyone in class staring at me almost in awe because it wasn’t just the highest grade for that essay, I was the only one in that whole year to get that high of a grade on any essay we did that year. I ended up getting a 4 on my ap lit test. Sounds low but the highest score you can get is a 5. Probably should have went to college instead of trying to kill my self and moving in with a psychopathic drug dealer but hey! Trauma and mental illness is practically a necessity for any aspiring writer.
War and Peace, then Anna Karenina
I’m impressed so many people like to read!
„A little life“ is even more awful because it‘s readable and it sucks you in so completely. I also read in just a few days. I‘m don‘t really count it as accomplishment because it‘s very difficult to put it away in my experience and since finishing it I grew much more critical of the book. So not sure. In terms of length Paul Austers „1,2,3,4“ I‘d probably count as an accomplishment because I read it in like a week and I think it‘s about a 1000 pages. I think one I‘d call accomplishment is finishing Will Self‘s „Dorian“ in English because of the unusual language.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. I had to read it for uni. Hardest book I’ve ever read
I came here waiting to see Joyce mentioned! I’ve been a big fan since my teenage, don’t ask me why. I loved A Portrait. Ulysses is a masterpiece that I keep coming back to. Finnegans Wake, I’ve read it piece by piece, over the years. It’s a book that always fascinated me, not that I’d pretend to really understand it, but the stylistic tour de force is enough to keep me interested.
If that was a grind for you in British Lit, be glad the prof didn’t assign Finnegans Wake.
There is a book club, in California I believe, that has been meeting for 25 years to discuss only this book. It was recently published in the newspaper. I applaud their commitment.
I got a lit degree in Texas in the mid-late 2000s and I had to read Joyce AND Finnegan’s Wake. Good times.
Is it worth the read?
LMAO. Yeah, starting with moo moo. What the fuck did I get myself into? Great book either way
Is Joyce a cow
The sermon near the end almost did me in.
Finally got through it as an audio book.
it reads much easier as an adult
That’s weird, I remember Portrait being fairly straight forward. Read it for an Irish Lit class and absolutely adored it. One of the books that had a profound impact on me at the time. I last read it in 2006 or 2007, but left a lasting impression.
Just bought thrift copies or A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dublineers yesterday for a dollar each. Popped open Dublineers and it seems straightforward. APOTAAAYM is really that tough? I wanted to start it after finishing Heart or Darkness.
As a non-native English speaker: Moby Dick on English.
Yeah that book is rough, really good but it’s a slog.
But the encyclopedic knowledge it contains is awesome. I too am a non-native English speaker but with an intense fascination for Geography and History. So I enjoyed every bit of it. For reference I used powermobydick.com. After reading it I got bitten by Thalassophillia. So I further read following books on Sailing.
David Grann: The Wager: A tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
Alfred Lansing:Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Dava Sobel:Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
Martin Dugard:Farther than any man
I am a native English speaker. I have not gotten past the fourth chapter!
As an English-speaker: same!
Dickens is awful. I’ll gladly maintain DNF on most of his that I’ve started.
Les Miserables has been my toughest I think, and I’ve read it twice. The first time I was really confused as the little I knew about the show at the time didn’t occur until well into the book.
Atlas Shrugged. A friend sent it to me. I found it depressing, but I forged through so as to be able to discuss it with my friend.
Les Misérables when I was 13/14. Man I wish I had that drive as an adult. I was absolutely obsessed with that book.
The Count of Monte Cristo, just bc it’s so long. I love being able to say I’ve read it.
Oh yes! I love that book. I’ve read it several times.
I love this book. It got me through an incredibly rough pregnancy where I had intense insomnia. I didn’t realize how long it was because I was just filling hours of not being able to sleep.
Also came to say this! Such a good book, but oh so long 🥴
This was my pick too! Did it take me a year of inconsistent reading - yes. Am I glad I read it - also yes.
One of only two books I’ve read twice. The other washing Lord of the Rings
I was told to pick this one up. Hope to dedicate some time for this one.
I was proud of myself for making it through Solaris(the first English translation, unsure if the newer is better).
Not because it’s bad, in fact it’s a fantastic book but the exposition just started to drrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggg. I even like the way it’s presented, it just got to be a bit much haha.
Read that book though, it’s great! I’m sure I really sold it here 😂