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The Most overrated fiction book ever?

That's lucky, given your username! I may have mentioned this earlier in this thread, but I think Catch-22's flaws (and I'm not saying they are many) are that it's too long and takes a good hundred pages or so to really get going. Compared with Heller's second novel, Something Happened, which hits the mark from page one, it's - dammit - just not perfect enough.
 
Shade said:
That's lucky, given your username! I may have mentioned this earlier in this thread, but I think Catch-22's flaws (and I'm not saying they are many) are that it's too long and takes a good hundred pages or so to really get going. Compared with Heller's second novel, Something Happened, which hits the mark from page one, it's - dammit - just not perfect enough.
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Yeah i suppose i could agree with that, never read any other of Hellers books so i couldn't really compare it though. I think i just find it difficult to criticise books i really like.
 
Shade said:
I think Catch-22's flaws (and I'm not saying they are many) are that it's too long and takes a good hundred pages or so to really get going.
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I did start reading this a couple of years ago, but I put it down after about 50 pages because it was just so slow. I have heard really good things about it, so I may give it another chance when I have the time.

~MonkeyCatcher~
 
not only 'Catch 22'

I actually thought 'Catch 22' was a little better than 'Catcher in the Rye' Ever read (or tried to) Faye Kellerman? "Then she said..Then he said..
 
MonkeyCatcher said:
I did start reading this a couple of years ago, but I put it down after about 50 pages because it was just so slow. I have heard really good things about it, so I may give it another chance when I have the time.

~MonkeyCatcher~
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Oh please do, it does get a lot better, i want to make everyone read catch 22 :)
 
catcher in the rye, definatly. i loved it when i was 12. that should say something. i do appriciate it more after i read it for my english class, but its just overhyped.

most of the typical classics are overhyped. we have english classes to thank for that

Stewart said:
Hmmm, that's got to be The Da Vinci Code and The Lord of the Rings in joint first place. Too much hype. :rolleyes:

And I didn't much care for Catch 22 either.
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i definatly agree with you on the first two. i never read Catch 22 yet, but it is pretty much one of those titles that EVERYONE knows.. and makes references to.

conigs25 said:
The Lovely Bones
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hm, i dunno about that one. its a title that everyone seems to know, but i really did love it.

Esther23 said:
Most overrated:

Definitely "The DaVinci Code"
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that seems to be a uniamous (sp?) opinion throughout america
 
Yossarian89 said:
I'm new here, so im just curious on what everyone thought about books and what not
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Think the general concensus is that (and I agree) Catcher in the Rye, The da Vinci code, LOTR and Catch22 are all over rated. I think Catcher is just some adolesant jibberish. The Da Vinci code ain't a bad read but has been taken far to seriously on the whole, it certainly is not well written. LOTR is a good film script. Catch22 I read about 25 years ago and don't remember much about it (which tells a story). I'd like to add Hemingway's Farewell to Arms. If he'd written it using a word processor he could have used the grammer thingy to great effect and made it more readable (ok, so I'm not Shakespeare). Top of my list though are the Harry Potter books, I read the first one to our son when he was 5 or 6 and felt like I was patronising him, how can anyone over 10 years old take any time over reading them?
 
OK, I just read through the Thread, and I would like to add my 5 cents about Lord of the Rings. (A personal favourite of mine)

Is the Lord of the Rings a literary masterwork? No, it is overly long, the writing style is clumsy and his grand visions aren't translated to the reader properly.

Is the Lord of the Rings overrated? Definitely not! The Lord of the Rings will always stand as the beginning of modern fantasy. JRR Tolkien managed to create a world and a type of story, that other writers have polished and perfected.

I loved the movies, they were a brilliant interpretation of the book, and in a sense they outdid the book.

The movies fixed the problems in the book. The movies are much more action packed, and doesn't descend into pointless songs and 20 page ramblings about nothing of import. Anybody that has seen the movies first will probably be disappointed with the books.

Despite this the Lord of the Rings are a masterwork. How someone could have written a story with such scope and imagination, without having previous writer's works to build on is beyond me.

JRR Tolkien did not master the art of writing fantasy, but he is the one who pioneered it.

And while it may be slow-paced it is a novel of undeniable epic scope, and a good read.
 
Since this threads been rediscovered, I'll add Hemingway: I just can't stand him.
 
Definitely Snow Falling on Cedars, after reading the book, I don't think I could ever stomach the movie.
 
My choice would be Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand, for the life of me i never understood what she wanted to tell in the book????????????:confused:

Robert Jordan & Terry Goodkind would be other ideal contenders if it were "Most overrated authors" ;)
 
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