Books People Can't Finish - Page 3

bookaho!ic · 03-03-2014, 07:23 AM

i gave up with the Casual Vacancy and also on the prequel to wicked - lifes too short

Dngrsone · 03-03-2014, 08:01 AM

I never did finish Catch-22. I read the first paragraph of The Brothers Karamazov, I think it was, but that was it.

I have read LOTR dozens of times, just did Moby Dick last year, read the Millenium series, which starts with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and enjoyed it, and now finishing what thas been published so far of A Song of Ice and Fire.

Atlas Shrugged was okay, though a bit over the top. I have no interest in Fifty Shades of fandom.

silverraven · 03-03-2014, 08:09 AM

Totally off topic here, but I have noticed that when anyone mentions reading a book by Fyodor Dostoevsky it is always The Brothers Karamazov. We read Crime and Punishment in High School, and I remember enjoying it. That was many years ago, and I couldn't tell you what it was about right off hand, but I do remember enjoying it and reading ahead of the class to find out what was going to happen. Am I missing something by not having read The Brothers Karamazov? Is it better than Crime and Punishment?
S

DrNefario · 03-03-2014, 08:48 AM

I gave up on The Two Towers the first time I attempted LotR. I went back and tried again a year later, and made it through the whole thing. To this day I still feel that Fellowship is the best of the books (and also the best of the films).

I can see that a lot of those books are very long. I'm not sure if that's the problem with Dragon Tattoo. It does also include some fairly unpleasant and graphic scenes which aren't really paid off until the (much less good) sequels.

I didn't have a problem with War and Peace - I read a fairly friendly translation with anglicised names, and I skimmed some of the essay sections - and I can't really see why anyone would start Catch-22 without knowing what they were getting in to.

Gazella · 03-03-2014, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

didn't have a problem with War and Peace - I read a fairly friendly translation with anglicised names, and I skimmed some of the essay sections.

Which one?

Ken.Hagdal · 03-03-2014, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkomar

I'm surprised that "Catch-22" is on the list. Now Heller's "Something Happened" being on the list wouldn't surprise me. I had a friend in grad school who polled fellow grad students and never found anyone who actually finished that book after starting it. Apparently nothing ever happens in the book that anyone could notice.

I recently watched a few reviews of Catch 22 on YT. The novel tends to elicit polarized reactions, between those who, like me, can't get enough of it (I've only read it twice due to my TBR pile), and the blank stares and "What the... ????". To each their own.

DrNefario · 03-03-2014, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazella

Which one?

Possibly Louise & Aylmer Maude. It was the Wordsworth Classics edition, quite a long time ago.

HarryT · 03-03-2014, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Possibly Louise & Aylmer Maude. It was the Wordsworth Classics edition, quite a long time ago.

Yes, that's by far the most commonly-encountered English translation of W&P.

LovesMacs · 03-03-2014, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazella

Which one?

Maybe this was the translation by Aylmer and Louise Maude. This particular translation uses names like "Andrew" and "Peter" instead of "Andrei" and "Pyotr".

I haven't been able to finish James Joyce's Ulysses. I've tried a couple of times and was barely able to even begin.

Catlady · 03-03-2014, 10:35 AM

How can anyone abandon Catch-22? I'm amazed.

tdonline · 03-03-2014, 11:18 AM

I wasn't thrilled with Girl with the Dragon Tattoo initially but kept with it. About 2/3 of the way through the second book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read the third but let's just say if you finish the second, it's really difficult to not read the third. You just want to know.

That pretty much summarizes the Millenium Trilogy. It's not great literature and there were a couple of major things that stuck in my craw, but you want to know what happens. I have zero interest in rereading the books.

dublincheri · 03-03-2014, 01:06 PM

I've finished some of them although I skim a lot when I get bored. The exception is Ulysses - I consider James Joyce entirely unreadable. I would be in the LOTR fans camp and have them in both print and e-versions.

HarryT · 03-03-2014, 01:17 PM

"Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is a good read, but I find the rest of Joyce's work very heavy going.

Katsunami · 03-03-2014, 01:21 PM

Some books being on that list I can understand, either because I know they're heavy stuff, or because people might find them badly written or boring.

On the one hand I'm surprised to see LotR on that list: it's not a boring book (to me, at least), it's very well written, and it's an easy read (for me). On the other hand, it IS a novel 1200 pages long, and I can understand that people who are not "trained" for that, are not ready for such a long story.

And, you've got the people who are not into reading fantasy and still try to read LotR because they "should read it", or because they saw the movies and thought to just have a go at the book. These people will invariably fail to finish it.

I keep re-re-re-re-re-reading it, including the appendices. (So, sue me

)

Katsunami · 03-03-2014, 01:26 PM

PS: I think a lot of abandoned books are the ones in the "I must read this book because every educated person thinks I should have read it"-category. If you start out reading a book because of that reason only, there's a huge chance you'll fail to finish it.

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03-03-2014, 07:23 AM	#31
bookaho!ic Evangelist Posts: 463 Karma: 5575734 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: UK Device: kobo Aura H20 2nd Ed	i gave up with the Casual Vacancy and also on the prequel to wicked - lifes too short

03-03-2014, 08:01 AM	#32
Dngrsone Almost legible Posts: 1,457 Karma: 4611110 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: In a high desert, CA Device: Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Tab A (2017), Likebook P78	I never did finish Catch-22. I read the first paragraph of The Brothers Karamazov, I think it was, but that was it. I have read LOTR dozens of times, just did Moby Dick last year, read the Millenium series, which starts with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and enjoyed it, and now finishing what thas been published so far of A Song of Ice and Fire. Atlas Shrugged was okay, though a bit over the top. I have no interest in Fifty Shades of fandom.

03-03-2014, 08:09 AM	#33
silverraven Guru Posts: 967 Karma: 3438612 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle 4NTB x 4	Totally off topic here, but I have noticed that when anyone mentions reading a book by Fyodor Dostoevsky it is always The Brothers Karamazov. We read Crime and Punishment in High School, and I remember enjoying it. That was many years ago, and I couldn't tell you what it was about right off hand, but I do remember enjoying it and reading ahead of the class to find out what was going to happen. Am I missing something by not having read The Brothers Karamazov? Is it better than Crime and Punishment? S

03-03-2014, 08:48 AM	#34
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I gave up on The Two Towers the first time I attempted LotR. I went back and tried again a year later, and made it through the whole thing. To this day I still feel that Fellowship is the best of the books (and also the best of the films). I can see that a lot of those books are very long. I'm not sure if that's the problem with Dragon Tattoo. It does also include some fairly unpleasant and graphic scenes which aren't really paid off until the (much less good) sequels. I didn't have a problem with War and Peace - I read a fairly friendly translation with anglicised names, and I skimmed some of the essay sections - and I can't really see why anyone would start Catch-22 without knowing what they were getting in to.

03-03-2014, 10:35 AM	#40
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	How can anyone abandon Catch-22? I'm amazed.

03-03-2014, 11:18 AM	#41
tdonline Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 2644486 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: PW3, Nook Simple Touch	I wasn't thrilled with Girl with the Dragon Tattoo initially but kept with it. About 2/3 of the way through the second book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read the third but let's just say if you finish the second, it's really difficult to not read the third. You just want to know. That pretty much summarizes the Millenium Trilogy. It's not great literature and there were a couple of major things that stuck in my craw, but you want to know what happens. I have zero interest in rereading the books.

03-03-2014, 01:06 PM	#42
dublincheri Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 2700000 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: New England (for now) Device: Kindle Oasis 3, new Basic 2022	I've finished some of them although I skim a lot when I get bored. The exception is Ulysses - I consider James Joyce entirely unreadable. I would be in the LOTR fans camp and have them in both print and e-versions.

03-03-2014, 01:17 PM	#43
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	"Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is a good read, but I find the rest of Joyce's work very heavy going.

03-03-2014, 01:21 PM	#44
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	Some books being on that list I can understand, either because I know they're heavy stuff, or because people might find them badly written or boring. On the one hand I'm surprised to see LotR on that list: it's not a boring book (to me, at least), it's very well written, and it's an easy read (for me). On the other hand, it IS a novel 1200 pages long, and I can understand that people who are not "trained" for that, are not ready for such a long story. And, you've got the people who are not into reading fantasy and still try to read LotR because they "should read it", or because they saw the movies and thought to just have a go at the book. These people will invariably fail to finish it. I keep re-re-re-re-re-reading it, including the appendices. (So, sue me )

03-03-2014, 01:26 PM	#45
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	PS: I think a lot of abandoned books are the ones in the "I must read this book because every educated person thinks I should have read it"-category. If you start out reading a book because of that reason only, there's a huge chance you'll fail to finish it.

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