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Worst or most disappointing book?

Daniel said:
White Teeth by Zadie Smith. In fact i didnt just find it disappointing, i stopped half way through and ripped it to shreds one night at work.
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Books have feelings you know! :p
 
Wow. I couldn't disagree more with some of these posts.

Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books although I can see how it might seem too much like hard work if all you're used to reading is Harry Potter and Stephen King. It's like the difference between Brtiney Spears and J. S. Bach. If you don't "get" it, you might want to take a look at Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism edited by Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaacs for a least a flavor of what's going on in the book beyond the wizards and the sword fights.

Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost and The Portrait are another two favorites. Dream of Scipio wasn't quite up to the standard of Fingerpost for entertainment value but that's not to say I didn't find it fascinating to read.

For me, the most overrated book would have to be the Bible. Obviously there are some good bits, some of the gospels, the psalms, Ecclesiastes (sp?), but the rest of it? Largely unintelligible, badly translated fairly tales, and repetitive? Don't get me started!
 
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. More than just hyped, the book was recommended to me by two people whose taste I respect. I really looked forward to some high-quality writing, but I found the writing impersonal and burdensome, and I didn't finish it.
 
nhunter said:
Lord of the Rings....I can see how it might seem too much like hard work if all you're used to reading is Harry Potter and Stephen King.
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And what if you couldn't finish the book but don't read Harry Potter and Stephen King?

It's like the difference between Brtiney Spears and J. S. Bach.
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I'd swap JS Bach with Glenn Miller. I don't consider Tolkien to be a greate writer.

Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost
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Whoops! I was reading this earlier this year but had completely forgotten I was reading it. I was quite enjoying it, too.


For me, the most overrated book would have to be the Bible.
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I don't se how you can call it "overrated" - it's not as if it's covered in quotes such as "Unputdownable (Claire Rayner)" and "Laughed? I was nearly crucified! (Angus Deayton)" in order to hype it up. It's a religious book and these aren't rated or overrated.
 
"It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies." (Mark Twain)
 
Mari said:
"It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies." (Mark Twain)
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Oh, thank you! I hadn't seen this before.

Presumably he was talking about KJV.
 
Shakespeare. Shakespeare is the literary Beatles for me. I understand the context and impact of the works but just don't see the genius of the work beyond timing. Had the work occured any later time it would not have reached the acclaim it did. Of course the influence such works had gives them greater importance. I enjoy books that have more of a timeless appeal.
 
Macbeth, for example, doesn't have a timeless appeal? Hamlet, Othello, Romeo & Juliet? No timeless appeal? That must be the reason for the continuous adaptations, for stage and screen, that place them in many settings both historical and contemporary.
 
The plots maybe. Method certainly not.

Edit: Perhaps it's my opinion that hype may be responsible? It's not solely responsible but definitely involved.
 
I just couldn't got into The Life of Pi. I'm wondering whether to give it another try though, you know how sometimes you're just not in the mood for a certain book and other times you are.
 
Honeymoon by James Patterson and somebody else. I was really disappointed in it-it sounded like it was scribbled out in a weekend and sent to the publisher without much rewriting. If it had been fleshed out a bit more it would have been great.
 
I may get shot for saying this, but I recently read The Catcher In The Rye and I thought it was the most boring book I've ever read.
 
Bagpuss said:
I may get shot for saying this, but I recently read The Catcher In The Rye and I thought it was the most boring book I've ever read.
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I've been a member of two internet book boards, and on both of them I'd say that there was a lot of people with a similar view to yourself.
 
Please put me down for The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.
That it was even on display in the store was over-hype! That it was only$10 was incredibly exorbitant for what little it contained. That it was small and short were two steps in the right direction, but not carried far enough. There are books I have not enjoyed, but for "disappointed" this was truly it! It is called a fable, and it is one of the most simple-minded trite stories I have ever seen. The young lad searches the world looking for whatever, the meaning of life or something. Guess where he finds it! Just take your wildest shot! If you read the book to find out, don't say I didn't warn you!
Yech,
Peder

(Now I'll find out there are legions who love it :) )
 
Irene Wilde said:
Ooh! Beware of blanket statements, Mr. Enema!

Was Mr. Fitzgerald The Great American Novelist? No. But "The Beautiful and Damned" is not without merit. And even "The Great Gatsby" had some lovely descriptive language in it.

Irene Wilde

For grossly over-rated, I'd have to go with anything by Erica Jong. Great voice of feminism? Not hardly.
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The Great Gatsby is one of those things that I've attempted to read more times than I can count, but was never interested in enough in to finish. Yes, I know pretty much how the whole story goes, as well as the historical narrative that corresponds with it. I'm not sure why, but this one just never did it for me.
 
Irene Wilde said:
For grossly over-rated, I'd have to go with anything by Erica Jong. Great voice of feminism? Not hardly.
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Thank you, Irene. Someone had to say it.
 
Peder said:
Please put me down for The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.
That it was even on display in the store was over-hype!
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I've tried to read this twice, got about forty pages in, and decided it was boring. One day I'll find out what the "big secret" is.
 
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