What, in your opinion, is the best book that you haven’t liked? Mind you, I don’t mean your most-hated book–oh, no. I mean the most accomplished, skilled, well-written, impressive book that you just simply didn’t like.
Like, for movies–I can acknowledge that Citizen Kane is a tour de force and is all sorts of wonderful, cinematically speaking, but . . . I just don’t like it. I find it impressive and quite an accomplishment, but it’s not my cup of tea.
So . . . what book (or books) is your Citizen Kane?
Well I would have to say mine would be the following:
- Love In The Time of Cholera by Gabriel Marquez-I just could not finish this book.
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand-another one that I couldn’t finish.
I tried and I know both of these books are supposed to be amazing pieces of literature but for me they were NOT.
What about you-what are yours?
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Love in the Time of Cholera is one of my favorite books, but I hated One Hundred Years of Solitude. Sometimes I wonder if the weather has as much to do with what books I like as the book itself.
I cannot read Ayn Rand. I knew too many boys obsessed with Rand in high school and college. Creepy!
OMG!! now that was a shocker..:) I have both these books on my wishlist.. I have never read either of them.. i heard rave reviews about Love in the Time of Cholera..and i thought it was one of those universally loved books! I liked fountainhead and i plan to read atlas shrugged sometime too.. now i’ll be prepared!:)
The book/books that i didn’t like despite the hype would be the harry potter series.. maybe i should just start BTT..:)
Mine was One Hundred Years of Solitude. Another Garcia Marquez 🙂
I have three different titles; one is by one of the same authors you listed. Come take a look at my response.
My boss is currently reading Atlas Shrugged (or was) and I think he thinks that because I read a lot I should have already read it or will automatically enjoy/appreciate it. I have absolutely no desire!! 🙂 I wouldn’t mind reading The Fountainhead one day, though. Have you read that?
Rachel, I know lots of people who liked Time of Cholera-I just couldn’t find much in it but that’s the way it goes right. Thanks for popping in!
lol Ramya, again it’s probably because of me and my liking of those classic type books. I bet you’d like them and tell me about them in such a way that I’d think I need to read them. lol.
I meant to mention that Shana. When I read yours I realized how much I had disliked both books of his I had read.
Smilingsal-I’ll be popping over.
Trish, Atlas is such a huge book too-over 1000 pages. I haven’t read Fountainhead although a friend of mine is supposed to send it to me so I may give it a try and see if I like it better than I did ATlas.
I’m currently reading Love In The Time of Cholera, but I’m finding it really bland.
And I don’t even want to talk about Atlas Shrugged – I have been reading this for ages it seems. But I am determined to finish it (sometime before I’m eighty) 🙂
lol book zombie-good luck with Atlas-I just couldn’t push myself through those pages with all the other books I had waiting.
Aww, Atlas Shrugged is one of my favorites! I hate Rand’s philosophy but I love the way she writes.
I read Love in the Time of Cholera earlier this year and I did NOT enjoy it at all! I forced myself to finish it, and I struggled the whole way through!
I have never read Ayn Rand, but the reviews I’ve seen do make me hesitate. As for Marquez, I love him, but I can completely understand why his books wouldn’t work for others.
Swapna, you know I read at least 200 pages and I did enjoy the story but not all the details of the railroad-she just lost me there.
Laura, I did the same when I read it. I’m pretty sure we had read it for my book club so I did keep plugging away otherwise I’m sure I would have just said, forget it.
Nymeth, for me Rand takes a lot of concentration and maybe the time was wrong when I tried reading it also. Not sure.
she?? i didnt realize ayn rand was a “she”.. wow! fountainhead was such a “man” book that i assumed it was a “he”!..well, trish, i did read fountainhead..a while ago and i liked it.. it wasn’t one of my favorites but i liked it..
dar – lol! i know that feeling.. i have sometimes read a book and not really liked it too much and then read a review and actually wanted to read the book again to see what i had missed!:)
Ramya, I agree. When you read the book, even partially, she really does have a voice like a man. I have the feeling I must have missed something on a lot of books especially when I go to my favorite blogs and read their reviews. lol.
I liked Fountainhead. Atlas Shrugged I did finish though.
guatami tripathy-congrats on finishing Atlas. I applaud anyone who does. I will give Fountainhead a try before I say no more to Ayn Rand. lol.
Love in the Time of Cholera…ugh. I couldn’t even get past the first 20 pages. And I really wanted to like it because I’d heard such good things about it!
–Anna
http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com
Anna, I felt the same about Cholera because others were reading it at the same time as me. I guess it comes down to your taste in books and you can never really tell who will like what.