The moment the ballyhoo kicks in on a book's promotion, I know instinctively that I don't want to read it but the thought of being obliged to read Dan Brown is pretty awful.Originally Posted by Neely
The moment the ballyhoo kicks in on a book's promotion, I know instinctively that I don't want to read it but the thought of being obliged to read Dan Brown is pretty awful.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
Yes it wasn't the high point of my degree by a long shot.
I understand that of course, he's not up to the level of all the famous classic authors. But he's hardly any worse than a lot else that gets published nowadays, why single him out?
1. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (I found the style annoying and boring and didn't get anything out of it)
2. The Cleft - Doris Lessing (Utter drivel. Ought never to have been published)
3. Run - Ann Patchett (Too politically correct, and utterly lacklustre)
I don't really regret the time I spent reading the Da Vinci code and New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. I knew they'd be really bad, but just wanted to satisfy my curiosity, so I'm not including them.
Volya, it must be something to do with Dan Brown's impressive sales figures.
Last edited by mona amon; 10-06-2012 at 01:13 PM.
Exit, pursued by a bear.
It's because his books sold through a massively hyped publicity campaign that had nothing to do with literary merit but everything to do with marketing. Of course there are others whose books are as bad but it's only occasionally that publishing houses will go out on a limb and start a bandwagon rolling depending on the subject matter i.e. vampires, wizards, the occult, conspiracy theories etc.
It works on the basis of 'If everyone else is reading it then it must be good.'
Of course, everyone else isn't reading it but sufficient numbers of people have fallen for the hype to make it appear that they are and it takes off from there.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
Watch out, Emil! You are showing signs of mellowing.
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
I had forgotten that list but, with a nod to Faulkner, I'm going to include Southern Gothic.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
i bet Emil's punishment in hell would be forced to live in a world where everyone speaks like they were Finnegan's wake characters.
The Island of the Day Before - Umberto Eco
Focault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
Charles Dickens, by George Orwell
Yeah, plus they're all hipsters who are speaking ironically.
I bet I'd love Emil's Hell.
As for me, the first book that came to mind was Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Judging by some of the contributions to this forum, some of them do.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
I didn't, I lampooned Laymond and Cussler as well and yes there are many others as bad as them I expect.
Ten books written by Elizabeth Bishop
In Scher's original post:
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
I have to agree that I could have been fine never having read this book. I was never able to really appreciate this book, given its iconic level. I found the story to be interesting, but the writing was nothing special.
I loved Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code also, I'm a big fan of the symbologist Robert Langdon. I don't understand why many people say it's absurdly written though.
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