Question

[AlexCole]

Has anyone ever read a book, of their own accord, that they didnt enjoy or they felt that since the book was a classic, they almost had to read it?

I just started reading Catch 22 and i think the pace is a little too slow for me right now. i have been reading mysteries from Dan Brown for the past few months so i have a sort of gotten used to twisting plots and a fast pace from page one.

If anyone has advice, book suggestions, etc. then i am open ears and i really appreciate it.

 

[jenn]

do you mean that even though you don't like it you keep on reading, even if it wasn't required like for school?
i read the alchemist because my mom loved it and really wanted me to read it. i sort of liked it but definitley wasn't moved by it like she was.
however, if i am half way through something and i am still waiting to get hooked i usually give up, or at least set it aside and try again later. i am currently reading life of pi and have set that aside as i just can't seem to get into it. it may be that i need to be in another frame of mind. with cold mountain it took 2 tries and i have read it 4 times now and love it.
i won't finish something i don't like just because it is a classic or a best seller or award winning. it's like wine, it doesn't matter if it cost 50$ for the bottle, if you think it tastes like crap, why drink it?

 

[AlexCole]

Thanks for the advice. I felt the same way about the alchemist and i couldnt finish it either. i think i will put the books on the shelve and read them when i am maybe a little older and more wise and in a more relaxed mood. thanks again.

 

[Nosferatu Man]

Wow, you're not going already are you, Alex?

I read Catch-22 a while ago and thought it was pretty slow-paced and complicated, but when I had finished it, I realised I absolutely loved it. Because there's seemingly no strict plotline, I think readers could be prone to restlessness, etc. - especially if you're used to reading Dan Brown's stuff - but on 2nd and 3rd times round, I think a stronger plotline will emerge and the book will be more enjoyable. I'm currently reading Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code but I'm not enjoying it as much as I might do, mainly because the plot is so blatently obvious and spelt out for me so much that I just don't bother thinking about what's previously happened or what might happen, because I just about know I'll get a little recap in the form of a 'though' or a bit of speech. Sorry about the long sentence. I am recommending you to read George Orwell's 1984 and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Those are two of my favourite books and I think you might enjoy them. Neither of them are particularly slow-paced and they're both considered to be 'Classics'. If you want a really nice adventure story then I strongly recommend you to read J.R.R. Tokien's The Hobbit. I loved that book from the first sentence, and if you enjoy that then you should read The Lord of the Rings. That's my favourite story, but some parts of it are pretty slow-paced and I don't know if you'll have the patience. Those other three are 'must reads', though.

 

[Geenh]

"The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald is a fantastic book! Easy to read and interesting in content. Also, there's a book "Zelda" (I forgot the author... it's at home) about F S F's wife. Good book as well.

 

[Scratchy]

Has anyone ever read a book, of their own accord, that they didnt enjoy or they felt that since the book was a classic, they almost had to read it?

I used to think: if its a classic, it has to be read. It can't be a classic for nothing. Then, after reading a few "classic" books I didn't enjoy, I changed my thinking to: if its a classic, I'll give it a try. But I ain't gonna force it down my throat, either.

What I normally do is read the work, and if I don't enjoy it after its few opening chapters, I look around to see what others have to say about it (some books start unfavourably, but get progressively better). If the general consensus say that it's worth it, I find out the reasons why. If those reasons suit me, then I stick with it. If not, I put the book down and say: "NEXT!" Ploughing through a book you don't enjoy just for the sake of reading it is like filling your house up with Picasso when you hate cubism.

LOL, as for how you feel about Catch 22, I'm the exact opposite of you. I read Da Vinci Code to find out what the hype was about and really didn't enjoy it all that much: found the plotline predictable, didn't appreciate Brown's tendency to repeat "crucial" information as if readers aren't smart enough to get it the first time; only thing I appreciated was the art / religious history information he saturates the plot with; but I loved Catch 22 within its opening pages. So I guess my "classic" wouldn't necessarily equate to your "classic"!

 

[bookshack]

I too have often picked up a book just because it was a 'classic' only to put it down. In fact, I just quit reading 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. The prose is too flowery and self-conscious. I suffered through 'Dandelion Wine' this summer and came away with the same conclusion. I guess Bradbury just isn't for me. Anyone else feel the same way?

 

[bookshack]

We should start a list 'Greatest Classic Novel Disappointments."

 

[Scratchy]

We should start a list 'Greatest Classic Novel Disappointments."

LOL, you start it, and I'll come running with my lists. Although I think I saw a similar thread somewhere in this forum before...