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I'm aware i may make some enemies by saying this, but Catcher in the Rye is probably the worst book i have ever read.
It's just really irritating, and ultimately pointless.
Shakespeare is over-rated; his comedies should have been laid to rest years ago, but some of his work is sheer genius.
I guess 'Catcher in the Rye' was momentous and provocative at some point, but now it just seems whiny, not that well written, and as you say, really irritating.
But I still differ on Shakespeare. Maybe some of his comedies aren't "sheer genius," assuming that you mean great works about human nature, but they aren't supposed to be. After all, half the time Shakespeare was catering to the peanut throwing groundlings. They were only meant to amuse and entertain, and their brand of genius lies in the fact that, half a millenium later, they continue to amuse and entertain.
I ahven't read it cause i've heard it's so sad... or am i thinking of "Where the Red Fern Grows"?
Two very different things, fever! ;)
With most books, even the most, in my opinion, detestable, showing the least talent, imagination, and/or intelligence, I try to discover some kind of respect; yet, with certain works, I cannot help but feel annoyed.
As I have said in a similar thread, Creation by Gore Vidal really irritated me, along with Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, and most fantasy and science-fiction books. A few selected poets also tend to bother me, too, specifically Billy Collins, though he remains the U.S. poet laureate.
With most literature, something really, really has to bother me in order to earn my disliking, yet the ones I do dislike stay very distinguished.
Awakening by kate Chopin this is one bad book
I remember that.... o, yes, the book The Red Pony by i think by the guy who wrote the grapes of wrath... i'm drwaing a blank... But it was senseless
I think Catch-22 is way over-rated. It's considered to be a great piece of satire but it's too long, repetitive (to the extent of getting on your nerves at times) and really not very interesting writing. The basic plot may possibly have had merit(even if only in the author's head) but the book got too loud and obnoxious. I think satire works best when it's kept short and to the point.
Steinbeck?Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowfeverlime
The worst book i ever read was
The Last of the Mohicans - Fenimore-Cooper
or any Henry James
Well I love this book alot..and as I realize that this thing is totally subjective, I won't argue with you. Same as I don't want to argue with Rowling's fans when I told them that Harry Potter series are overrated.
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Originally Posted by cruciverbalist
Thanks for mentioning that. Twain was right, Fennimore -Cooper wasn't a good writer. 18 of a possible 19 literary sins.Quote:
Originally Posted by HandBag
I never finished this book as well...
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Originally Posted by Edmond
The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald was AWFUL and it was a major ordeal to get all the way through it.
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Originally Posted by PeterL
I had to read it for my uni course....
i forgot to mention my dislike for dickens also, but i suppose indicating i hated James was a hint of that.
I am happy that I have avoided reading much of Fennimore-Cooper, but I understand why he was a noteworthy author. It is a pity that he didn't learn how to wwrite well.Quote:
Originally Posted by HandBag
The problem that I have with Dickens and many other authors is that they toss too much into a book. Perhaps they want to create an extremely detailed picture for the reader, and perhaps they have multiple reasons for writing a given book. I think the reason varies.