I nominate Tristram Shandy. I understand that the narrative technique was meant facetiously; I just thought the joke was insipid and poorly executed. Nevertheless, I reserve the right to read the book again and eat my words.
I nominate Tristram Shandy. I understand that the narrative technique was meant facetiously; I just thought the joke was insipid and poorly executed. Nevertheless, I reserve the right to read the book again and eat my words.
Emma and Atlas Shrugged
Oh god, you did not just equate Austen with Rand! What was it about Emma you found boring?
I'm going to have to say Moby Dick as well as the OP. I couldn't even finish it, it was so boring. I was thinking about going back to reread it, as I usually feel a little guilt over not finishing a book, but this might be a special case where I just don't care enough.
Everything. Persuasion was her only novel I really enjoyed and didn't slog through.Originally Posted by Lykren
I never really 'got' Emma until I'd read it a third time. Now it is my favourite Jane Austen. It's not as witty or romantic as some of her other books but for me it is one of the most subtle, delightful comedies I've ever read.
Last edited by mona amon; 06-10-2013 at 12:07 AM.
Exit, pursued by a bear.
I have to vote for The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. I hated every single word. Its the only book I have ever thrown in the bin. And I have read Twilight.
To each his own then. I'll stick with mine. He attacked a lot of things in that book, but still I find his nihilism rather childish or cheap, at best.
I heard that Walter Scott's "Waverly" takes a while to get through.
I don't know why,but I felt so bored while reading ''The Beautiful and Damned'' by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
I tend to think of myself as a natural disaster.
If you really piss me off,naturally there be a disaster...
“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens is sooooo boooring. By comparison, “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville is a stay-up-at-night-page-turner
Don't go by what you hear and start listening to other people.
Last edited by mal4mac; 06-26-2013 at 12:07 PM.
I liked Emma a lot, although it was a bit more long-winded than her other novels, so perhaps not the Austen to start with. In defence of hawthorn, he did not equate Austen with Rand, just nominated them for "most boring book ever". Maybe he has an Austen blindspot? Perfect sight for Rand though
While it's not his best novel by a long shot, it improves upon the reread, as do the rest of his novels. I find that the characters become more interesting once you know the plot in its entirety.
This was my experience with Gatsby, but why does it improve on a reread? My first read was so long ago I couldn't remember the plot! But I did remember there wasn't much of a plot, so I read it slowly, trying to appreciate the subtleties... beauty of language, characterisation,... anything but plot. That worked! I didn't find it boring second time through.
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