Books You Don't Quite "Get" - Page 5

frostbitejunkie · 6th August 2006, 10:48pm

I did Sunset Song for Higher too, but then just answered a question on Romeo and Juliet instead...

azriel · 6th August 2006, 10:48pm

I think my english teacher made me hate it more by telling me that I was wrong, Quine was pronounced Queen not Quine. Even after I told him I had lived about 20 miles from where it was set in Aberdeen!

Devastator · 6th August 2006, 11:00pm

I remembered another one tonight, Catch 22. I was about 14 right enough, so I might enjoy it more now.

Addy · 6th August 2006, 11:10pm

I love Catch 22! Brilliant book, just brilliant!

juicebox · 6th August 2006, 11:11pm

My honours politics course guide.. I don't get it, it simply confuses me and kills my soul a little

Crystal Meth · 7th August 2006, 9:59am

This thread's really interesting - so many books hated by some and loved by others!

I loved Steinbeck in my teens, always found his stuff terribly profound and moving. Have to agree Grapes of Wrath was hard work though.

Love love love Martin Amis, especially Money and Success. So many supposedly modern tricks (writing yourself into the narrative like Brett Easton Ellis, or using lying narrators like Ian McEwan) were actually done first by Martin Amis 20+ years ago

Personally, I didn't 'get' Atomised by Michel Houllebeq. Critics and friends alike raved about it, but I found it pretentious as all hell.

lirazel · 7th August 2006, 10:07am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crystal Meth

Love love love Martin Amis, especially Money

I've read that twice now and i still can't decide if i like it.

sylvianorth · 7th August 2006, 2:20pm

Oh God where to start.

MRS FUCKING DALLOWAY by Virginia fucking Woolf. I absolutely despised this book. "I'm buying my own flowers for the party" and all this crap, JUST THROW THE FUCKING PARTY AND SHUT UP ABOUT IT!

"The Turn of the Screw", short story by Henry James, I think. Absolute gash, a ghost story (or is it?!?!?! etc etc) about a woman who has to baby sit in this creepy old mansion. It's a fairly shite ghost story to start with, but then in Uni you have to look at all these sexual allegories, like "there wen't any ghosts at all, it was was her sexual frustrations manifesting themselves into hallucinations! Look, the tower is a phallic symbol!"

THE BELL JAR. For some reason I own two copies of this tripe, I seriously can't be bothered getting into the Sylvia Plath rant.

And of course, Prozac Nation. Typing what I feel about this book would probably take years and to be honest I'm resentful about the time I wasted reading it, which I could have spent sitting looking at a wall or planting a tree or something productive. I'm actually resentful about the time I'm spending typing about it now so I'll stop here.

Dec · 7th August 2006, 2:45pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by poprock

Dance Dance Dance by Murakami looked like just my kinda thing, but I found it so utterly devoid of personality that I gave up halfway through.

I was the same with Sputnik Sweetheart, I felt well ripped off when it ended.

Charley · 7th August 2006, 4:33pm

There's this awful Swedish writer named Björn Ranelid as well. I hate him more than anybody in this world. You're lucky his works haven't been translated.

Just the titles are pretentious. Everything is pretentious. He's a fucking pretentious retard and I want him to die. Bär ditt barn som den sista droppen vatten is one of his books, which translates into "carry your child like the last drop of water". Omg, pretentious arse.

7th August 2006, 8:02pm

I tend to read books really quickly and in one go but I've been trying to read the Constant Gardener by John le Carre for about 6 months now. I just can't get into it, it's disappointing cuz there are bits of it which have been really good, but I put it down once and now everytime I pick it up I only read a few pages.

Devastator · 7th August 2006, 8:26pm

Is the film based on the book by any chance? I'd never heard of it until right there

7th August 2006, 8:37pm

Yes I believe so, not seen the film though.

Nieriel · 7th August 2006, 8:37pm

I actually enjoy Ian Rankin's Rebus series myself, though I despised the Wasp Factory.

I attempted to read some Terry Pratchett book, and gave up about 5 pages in. I found it to be the most dull, unimaginative, uninspired tripe ever. Totally put me off reading anything with his name attatched to it.

Trip · 7th August 2006, 8:48pm

Yeah I was a fan of Ellis before I read 'Money' and I saw the similiarities straight away...

I loved the Constant Gardener, I really enjoyed the book so much so I went straight out as soon as I'd finished it and bought the (oscar winning) DVD and I thought it was really rubbish,and didn't do the book justice at all.