Is it good if a book pisses you off?

[Captain Pike]

John Irving -- who couldn't like John Irving, right? I like John Irving. I loved A Prayer for Owen Meany. Okay, so my, Little Miss Wonderful, bought me this new book, and I am avidly reading along through, Last Night in Twisted River, [spoiler alert] I'm getting to know the characters then the accidental killing happens, and it's like, someone else takes over writing the book right along at the bottom of page 95.
It really made me mad -- the idea that, on account of an accidental killing, a man would leave, with his kid, in the middle of the night! Up-root his kid, leave his job as a cook in an ongoing concern, and become fugitives! Oh, and if that weren't enough, they're going to try to look up a dead boys parents -- while they are on the run! It's crazy!
I wish I could write like John Irving -- I guess that's what makes me so mad!

[Virgil]

Hey Capt, nice to see you. I have only read one John Irving novel, and that was A Prayer for Owen Meany. It was ok. [We had a book club discussion of it here: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24399] It started off well but i was let down in the second half. There's something about Irving that prevents him from being a great writer. He starts with a great idea and then it kind of falls apart. I can't comment about his most acknowledged work, The World According to Garp, since I haven't read it. Perhaps he comes through there.

[Dinkleberry2010]

John Irving is an interesting writer, but I would not say he is great. I don't go out of my way to read him.

[manolia]

I like J Irving very much. So far i have read "The world according to garp" and "cider house rules" and i found those books very interesting and well written.

[dfloyd]

of Garp and Cider House. I liked both movies, and I thought the movie of Garp was better than the book. I think that this happens when the book leaves something to be desired, and the screen writer and director are able to polish the book a little.

As far as getting mad at an author, I have never done this. If the book doesn't hold my interest, I just quit reading it. I generally just read books that are considered classics, and I am conscientious about finishing them. Pesonally, I don't see how one could be angry with an author or a character in a novel. Books I have quit reading because they seemed to be going nowhere are DeLilo's Underworld and several of Philip Roth's novels.

[Captain Pike]

Yes, hi hello Virgil, I am seriously remiss in my writing -- I kind of lost a bet with myself last year: it was a stupid thing but it definitely daunted my spirits. And I have had some equipment difficulties as well.

You guys are all right in your lackluster judgment of Irving, I guess I just wonder what my place is when I'm "dissing" a published author. Writing is a very competitive sport. I suppose we have some say as readers -- what we like and so forth. I am so ill-read (I'm getting better, actually) that when I don't like a particular author or story, I almost always chalk it up to a fault of mine.
Isn't that interesting? Sounds like a self-defeating stratagem, now that I see it typed out here. Dammit, my wife paid 25 bucks for that book -- I can ***** about it all I want! Thanks guys!

[Katy North]

It's good if the characters or plot in a book piss you off, but not if the author's writing style pisses you off.

Usually I can tell whether I'm going to like an author's writing style or not by the end of the first page, unless it's one of the older classics, in which case I usually need to get used to the writing style first.

That's the rule I go by at least. I haven't read anything by John Irving yet, so I can't really give my opinion on his book.

[OrphanPip]

John Irving is an interesting writer, but I would not say he is great. I don't go out of my way to read him.

I agree with this assessment pretty much, I think The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules are very good novels, some of his stuff isn't that great though. The Hotel New Hampshire isn't very good.

I'm fond of his first novel Setting Free the Bears (not sure about the title, something about bears), it is an impressive effort from a 23 year old Irving.

[Amoxcalli]

Usually I can tell whether I'm going to like an author's writing style or not by the end of the first page, unless it's one of the older classics, in which case I usually need to get used to the writing style first.

I don't know if you'd consider Mahfouz an author of classics, but I've found all of his works to be stylistically annoying for the first few pages. Had I stopped after the first page, I'd have missed out on some of the greatest literature I've ever read.

[Katy North]

I will make a point of reading his works. I am definitely not above putting my foot in my mouth if necessary! :redface:

[Babbalanja]

I had the same feeling reading The Tidewater Tales by John Barth. I loved Barth's early works, and TT started off decently enough, but the plunge it took after about a hundred pages would have made Wile E. Coyote shudder.

Regards,

Istvan

[keilj]

Answer: not if it's written by Glen Beck