The Worst Book You've Ever Read?

[Seasider]

I liked What Daisy Knew very much. And The Bostonians. The DVD is great with Vanessa Redgrave among others. (well she's a recommendation in my view, though I know it's controversial )

[Calidore]

Confederacy of Dunces. It won a Pulitzer, and it was absolute crap. Unpleasant people behaving unpleasantly, who you were apparently supposed to laugh at contemptuously.

[Buffalo Girl]

The Kite Runner. The beginning was actually quite enjoyable, but by the middle of the book the writing seems to get sloppy, and the plot gets more ridiculous as the story progresses. Several times I found myself saying "you have got to be kidding me" as the plot "unfolded" (although that is perhaps a generous description of the way the plot moves from the middle of the book forward). Such a disappointment, although I know there are many who would disagree.

[G L Wilson]

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It was a layer cake of rubbish. BTW I am an atheist.

[oanna]

Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho
It took me 2 hours to read it and I was quite disappointed.

[ChicagoReader]

Huck Fin, I read it early on in high school and absolutely despised it. I've been trying to will myself to give it another go but with so many enticing books on my shelf it doesn't look like it will get a chance anytime soon.

[Fafnir]

The worst 'literary' book I've read is American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
I don't think it's a poorly written book and I understand what Ellis was trying to achieve, I just really disliked the graphic descriptions of torture, rape and mutilation which are abundant throughout.
It's strange because I consider myself rather open-minded about violence in visual arts such as movies or even videogames however, with this book, instead of being a mere bystander to the carnage, we experience the murders as Patrick Bateman, a perspective which I found quite disturbing.
Besides the violence, Ellis paints a thoroughly loathsome picture of 80's 'yuppie' society. There was not one single likable character in the whole novel.

If it is the purpose of art to provoke strong reactions then Ellis succeeded admirably with me. What I'm saying doesn't diminish from his abilities as a writer, yet I still dislike the novel itself. It may not be the worst book I've read from a technical perspective but it's one of the books that I've least enjoyed.

If anyone is wondering, I have seen the movie and I really enjoyed it, Christian Bale was great as Bateman. The condensed version of the 'Morning Routine' monologue was better in the movie than it was in the novel.

[aliengirl]

"The Inscrutable Americans" by Anurag Mathur is the worst book I've ever read. A pure waste of time! The only consolation I have is that I was not so foolish as to buy it or borrow it. A friend lend it to me and I think she did it with the best of intentions. The whole story revolves around a young man who goes to US for higher studies. But his sole purpose is to lose his virginity somehow which certainly does not happen till the last page. Most of the pages seem to be taken from some porn magazine. The author tries to be witty but he forgets that wit also needs some peg to hang on. I read to the end only because I don't like to leave any book unfinished and also to save others from the trouble. Oh, my three precious hours!

[mastermind23]

Catcher in the Rye. The most boring, pointless, about nothing book ever!

I thought The Life of Pi was the worst Booker Prize winner I ever read

Agreed. Another terribly boring one.

[Adolescent09]

Oscar Wilde's absolute ABOMINATION which is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. More predictable than the outcome of a teenage boy stroking his package, more mundane than the wait for christ's second coming, and about as sad as a man who has won the Jackpot.

[Yulehesays]

Probably The Road by Cormac McCarthy, or Blood Meridian by the same perpetrator.

[Desolation]

Oscar Wilde's absolute ABOMINATION which is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. More predictable than the outcome of a teenage boy stroking his package, more mundane than the wait for christ's second coming, and about as sad as a man who has won the Jackpot.

Best dismissal of a classic book ever.

[romeoindespair]

I haven't read that many bad books but I guess if I had to pick Enders game

I don't know how to put this but Ender doesn't feel like a real person to me. I get that he's supposed to be a tactical genius but there comes a point where he feels too perfect. From day one it feels like he's one step ahead of everyone.

[Pompey Bum]

The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell. About a gay Nazi who drinks his own diarrhea. Very highly regarded in France.

[romeoindespair]

The worst 'literary' book I've read is American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
I don't think it's a poorly written book and I understand what Ellis was trying to achieve, I just really disliked the graphic descriptions of torture, rape and mutilation which are abundant throughout.
It's strange because I consider myself rather open-minded about violence in visual arts such as movies or even videogames however, with this book, instead of being a mere bystander to the carnage, we experience the murders as Patrick Bateman, a perspective which I found quite disturbing.

I really don't get how people can get on AP for violence when I think its barely 13 pages of all 400.