The Worst Book You've Ever Read?

[bazarov]

Hemingway, E. - The Old Man and the Sea, perhaps I was too young when reading it (13-14 years old, for school), perhaps it was the matter of translation (I did not feel like getting the original, so I went with the flow and read it as the rest of my Literature class did in translation) or reading too quickly (I was a little slacker and read it in the morning the day it was due, if I recall well ), but that book left absolutely no impact on me whatsoever, even moreso, made me believe I would never touch anything written by Hemingway again (which I will be forced this year by school, hopefully I manage to find something in him now ).

I planned not to read Hemingway again after Fisherman's diary but I thought maybe I have judged him wrong, after all, I was only 13. So I took Farewell to Arms and...It didn't help! Sorry Ernest!

[drunkenKOALA]

El Zahir by Paolo Coelho
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
This Side of Paradise by F Scott Fitzgerald

Coelho seems to be pretty popular in this thread.

I have to defend Great Expectations though. I loved it.

[yewon]

The Idiot, Dostoyevsky

May I ask you why? As a student major in Russian language, I was really impressed by Dostoyevsky, and nowadays I'm studying some of his works.. so if somebody has different idea with me, maybe I could advance my thought.

to Dark Muse,

IMAO, <The great gatsby> describes "Americanness", or, the two faces of "American Dream".
So most Americans truly love this book, because they can FEEL something- something in their personal history, subconsciousness area, deeeeep down in their heart.
Through this book they can sympathize with Gatsby, or even FitzGerald.

sorry- I forgot to quote it.

[bluelightstar]

I love The Great Gatsby personally. But I could not stand Jane Eyre. It was ~400 pages of drivel.

[Dark Muse]

I rather enjoyed Jane Eyre, it is quite funny seeing the varrying tastes, and how someone people can hate a book that others loved, though I never really thought this thread would turn quite so agressive and people taking things so personaly if one does not like this or that author.

[Idril]

...though I never really thought this thread would turn quite so agressive and people taking things so personaly if one does not like this or that author.

I know, it's disappointing that people can't be more tolerant of other people's opinions, isn't it? After all, that's all it really is, an opinion. Every book speaks to people in different ways, everyone is looking for different things in the books they read, everybody is coming from their own place and brings with them their own baggage to every thing they read, thus making it an intensely personal experience. There's no reason to think we all have to have the same experience.

[Dark Muse]

Very well put and said

[Etienne]

I know, it's disappointing that people can't be more tolerant of other people's opinions, isn't it? After all, that's all it really is, an opinion. Every book speaks to people in different ways, everyone is looking for different things in the books they read, everybody is coming from their own place and brings with them their own baggage to every thing they read, thus making it an intensely personal experience. There's no reason to think we all have to have the same experience.

I don't know if you are referring to me, if so, then you should learn to take things with a lighter touch, perhaps. You bunch of serious men/women/monkeys.

I do think aesthetics are more than simply an opinion but I'm not pedantic about it, I was just joking really.

[bazarov]

Instead of calling other people monkeys you could be polite and respect others opinion. Your Voltaire had one really great quote about that.

[Dark Muse]

I do think aesthetics are more than simply an opinion but I'm not pedantic about it, I was just joking really.

I think that opinions are precisely what aesthetics is.

What might reach or touch one person one way, might reach and touch another person another way.

What one might find beautiful another could find completely ugly.

[Etienne]

Instead of calling other people monkeys you could be polite and respect others opinion. Your Voltaire had one really great quote about that.

My quote is the wrong one actually, I thought I had quoted a post above, but it pasted my previous copy (which was used in favorite quotes thread", but I wasn't calling anyone a monkey, I said men/women/monkey, if these people are not men or women, then they are or hermaphrodite or monkeys. So we could say that I only insulted hermaphrodites, but even they do have a dominant genre and can called either men or women. I mean what is this, it feels like you are just TRYING to be offended or paranoid one or the other...

And I do respect people's opinion, I'll repeat myself, takes things more lightly people you are so austere and oppressive! You're enough to an hobgoblin to suicide! (warning! I AM NOT BEING SERIOUS!)

"
I think that opinions are precisely what aesthetics is.

What might reach or touch one person one way, might reach and touch another person another way.

What one might find beautiful another could find completely ugly."

I think aesthetics have two facets, one that is absolute and the other subjective. That is in part what music, literature, architecture, painting "principles" are. But remember that I said I am not being pedantic about this and things I said in the topic were JOKES. Let me repeat JOKES. I thought this was pretty clear that I didn't seriously want to burn people through internet...

[*Classic*Charm*]

Steinbeck's The Red Pony. Oh good lord.

[Idril]

I don't know if you are referring to me, if so, then you should learn to take things with a lighter touch, perhaps. You bunch of serious men/women/monkeys.

I wasn't referring to you specifically, no. I have no idea what you even said about any books, I was just speaking generally. And I do take things with a lighter touch which was sort of my point.

[Black Flag]

I planned not to read Hemingway again after Fisherman's diary but I thought maybe I have judged him wrong, after all, I was only 13. So I took Farewell to Arms and...It didn't help! Sorry Ernest!

Nah. Start with The Sun Also Rises. If you don't like that, you're beyond help as far as liking Hemingway goes.
I got about a quarter-way through Lord Jim by Conrad and couldn't stomach another line leading to nowhere. It was so dry I could taste it. So THAT's probably the worst book I can think of trying.

I also hate D.H. Lawrence but for other reasons.

[Dark Muse]

Nah. Start with The Sun Also Rises. If you don't like that, you're beyond help as far as liking Hemingway goes.
I got about a quarter-way through Lord Jim by Conrad and couldn't stomach another line leading to nowhere. It was so dry I could taste it. So THAT's probably the worst book I can think of trying. .

I agree with you on both those points. I really enjoyed The Sun Also Rises, and I found not get myself to finnish Lord Jim either