This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:
“What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”
Oh, this is a good question and kind of a tough one! The first thing that came to mind for me was Life Of Pi by Yann Martel. I heard nothing but raves from everyone (my mom, sister, the nest book club board, and it won the Man Booker Prize) so I was pretty excited to read it. BLAH. It wasn't AWFUL but I just don't get how it is SO great. I think that maybe I had my expectations set too high before I started it, and the book just let me down. I remember when I finished the book thinking, "really, that's it?"
The next book that came to mind was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Once again, lots of rave reviews for this one and it was given to me to read by my best friend. The beginning really caught my attention and the ending was exciting but oh man, those middle couple hundred pages were like pulling teeth to get through. I would literally fall asleep while reading that middle part. The middle definitely ruined it for me.
I read The Giver by Lois Lowry and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle in school when I was younger and I hated them. But, I think that if I read them now, I would like them. I'm reading A Wrinkle in Time in April for The Nest Book Club monthly discussion so we'll see! I'm definitely willing to give those ones another shot. But The Historian? Probably not.
i haven't read the first two, but really like the giver and a wrinkle in time. Hopefully you like them better now. Almost all of the books I was forced to read in school i hated.
ReplyDeleteI also read A Wrinkle In Time when I was young, maybe aroudn 10, and didn't get it at all. It was one of those books my mom loved and wanted me to read as soon as I was old enough -- but I couldn't have cared less! I agree with you -- if I read it now, I'm sure I would have a totally different appreciation for it!
ReplyDeleteI tried to read Life of Pi and The Historian as well. I got around 50 pages in and gave up.
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I refuse to buy a book that makes the Booker Prize list. Terrible luck with those books. Library, maybe. Buy, no way.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Life of Pi was cool, but the ambiguous ending annoying. I loved Wrinkle in Time when I was young, but felt indifferent about The Giver.
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely recommend reading A Wrinkle in Time again. It's an unusual story but a good one.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Historian but I will agree that the middle dragged for a while and I was debating whether or not to finish it at some points.
ReplyDeleteI also remember reading The Giver and A Wrinkle in Time when younger and liking both of them but I am a bit worried about going back and rereading them.
Reviews of The Historian are split in the middle. I'm still curious about it.
ReplyDeleteDa Vinci Code for me. It doesn't have any competitor.
I had life of Pi on my readar screen, guess it's coming off
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I'm with you on The Life of Pi! I really hated the ending of that book. And that island? Too weird.
ReplyDeleteHope you like Wrinkle and Giver, I did when I read them again. Life of Pi is on my stack.
ReplyDeleteAh man! I loved The Historian!
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