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Overrated Books

Spiritchaser said:
Pride and Prejudice
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Catcher in the Rye
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I love To Kill A Mockingbird, but I can see where the other two would be disappointing.
I was school-forced into reading The Old Man and the Sea in junior high and hated it. I still don't like Hemingway, apart from some of his short stories.
 
ChaosTheory said:
I love To Kill A Mockingbird, but I can see where the other two would be disappointing.
I was school-forced into reading The Old Man and the Sea in junior high and hated it. I still don't like Hemingway, apart from some of his short stories.
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I also hate Hemingway but still would not classify his books as 'overrated' which means that people think they are better than they really are. Even if you hate a book or an author, does not mean you can't still acknowledge the quality of the writing.

Hemingway IMO is not overrated, but I still do not like his perspective on life.
 
Yeaahh, I'm sure you're not meaning to be condescending right now, but I did go to grade school, I know what "overrated" means. A writer can still be overrated without being void of talent.
 
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I didn't know The Old Man and the Sea was highly rated in the first place, but while I did not hate it, I think I did not learn the lesson of the story.
 
ChaosTheory said:
Yeaahh, I'm sure you're not meaning to be condescending right now, but I did go to grade school, I know what "overrated" means. A writer can still be overrated without being void of talent.
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No condescension intended, implied or in anyway meant. Simply my opinion.
 
I would agree with you on Harry Potter, they are very badly written. Tried to read one once and didn't make it more than a few pages in.
 
The few Potter books that I read (first, last, one in-between) seemed entertaining to me and more interesting than comparable series I remember reading when I was in the intended age group. I think their popularity (and her wealth) is well-justified.
 
“Look—” he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.
It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.
Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered. . . . Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal’s side, and began to drink its blood.
“AAAAAAAAAAARGH!”
Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted—so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry—unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry—he couldn’t move for fear.
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I rest my case! Terrible!
 
I have read the Spanish edition instead of the original, and I didn't find it to be badly written. Maybe the translation fixed it, maybe most of the original is not that bad...

My main problem with Harry Potter is relating to plot and the evolutive path it took, which ruined some books for me.

The end fight is the worst end fight I have ever read. And believe me, I have read a lot of "final boss fights". I understand that Harry is not supposed to behave as a Dungeons & Dragons knight, but c'mon! Some characters with lots of potential were discarded in awful ways, when they could have been discarded in "epic" memorable ways. And, my main problem: they tried to get literature for young people and make an epic saga out of it, and the distinctive feeling of the first good books was lost in the process.

(IMO clause applies).
 
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Spiritchaser said:
I'm sure there's a lot of contemporary novels that don't live up to the hype (eg. The Hunger Games)

Just limiting myself to the "classics":

Pride and Prejudice
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Catcher in the Rye
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Hunger Games Trilogy started out great then went straight downhill (IMHO).

Pride and PRejudice was one rare book I actually liked that they made me read in school...I never had to read the other two, but out of curiosity, I listened to To Kill a Mockingbird on CD. It was alright and I see why they make middle schoolers read it, but I'm not sure it's worth all the hype. There are more interesting books that raise the same sorts of issues.
 
I've always wondered what hype is, even though everyone seems to know.
Just wondering, so we're on the same page.
 
I sometimes avoid books that get a lot of hype, because too many times they are a let down. I finish them and think, it was ok, but was expecting world altering based in what others were saying. Later I may even think it was probably good but the expectation of something better slightly spoiled it.
 
Meadow337 said:
Many positive opinions based on other positive opinions not necessarily on what is.
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Leading to a kind of "cultural correctness". You're SUPPOSED to like these books (or paintings, music) and if you don't, this is a reflection on you, to be pointed out in condescending tones.* If you don't think it's anything special, that's because you can't understand it, and maybe won't make the effort. (This argument can be true sometimes, even quite often, but nowhere near as many times as it used in patronizing comments.) Austen, Harper Lee, Salinger. If you don't love Jane Austen, I don't share your opinion but I don't think any less of you. I can see why many people love To kill a Mockingbird, but it doesn't move me as it does them. Catcher in the Rye is, for me one of those (music/ paintings/movies etc.) which make a big impression the first time, but lose their power with repetition. The best things don't.

*NOT in this forum. But you know what I mean.
 
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