Have you ever found a book to be good, but too disturbing to continue? - Page 9

Istvan diVega · 09-27-2013, 10:16 AM

I don't think I've ever had a book "disturb" me and I'm not even sure what that means. I've been frightened by some, last time in my early teens I think, disgusted by a few, at times been made to think or re-think stuff and even occasionally moved to tears. But "disturb" me? No idea really...

BeccaPrice · 09-27-2013, 03:24 PM

Lord of the Flies. Heart of Darkness. Both were DNFs for me.

ottdmk · 09-27-2013, 04:59 PM

After the rape scene in Lord Foul's Bane I put it down and didn't go back to it for over five years.

sun surfer · 09-27-2013, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Lord of the Flies. Heart of Darkness. Both were DNFs for me.

Those are two of my favourite books!

poohbear_nc · 09-27-2013, 06:29 PM

Black Sunday by Thomas Harris --

Spoiler:

I had to stop ... and never went back

Although in Hannibal

Spoiler:

didn't bother me as much ....

~Kate · 09-27-2013, 06:41 PM

Swan Song by Robert McCammom - I had to take a break a few times and read something else to lighten up - like children's fairy tales. Good book, but it actually gave me nightmares.

re-kindled · 09-27-2013, 09:33 PM

The only book I've ever been truly disturbed by was Stephen King's IT -- the basic premise of the book, that a clown was murdering school children, was spine-chilling enough as it was. However, towards the end of the book, things escalated:

Spoiler:

While these three things didn't make me put down the book, the first two were almost enough to make me cry, and the last one made me feel disgusting for even reading it; I actually did put the book down for half an hour, at the end of the chapter, to wash my hands and watch some musical numbers to put it firmly out of my mind before picking the book back up.

calvin-c · 09-27-2013, 10:17 PM

Interesting that this started with How Few Remain. I enjoyed the book & several following but I quit reading the series because I found it disturbing-and I found it getting worse as the series continued.

It's not the only series I've stopped reading due to content-but the other one that comes to mind (Lincoln Rhyme) was because I found it too confusing.

Antoinekamel · 09-28-2013, 04:49 PM

When I read the of how Let's go play at the Adams' would end, the remaining half was disturbing, but I went to the final. As Pablo said about another book, extremely disturbing. I would not recommend it to anybody.

BadBilly · 09-28-2013, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_bike_kite

Don't you folks ever read the back covers to get an idea of what the books about? or do you just happen to find yourselves in the horror section by chance and then just grab the first book you see? Personally I can't stand outright horror so I never buy these types of books but after that, the only books I put down, are bad ones.

I never read the back covers, cover flaps, or online synopsis if at all possible. I've had more than one book ruined by such blurbs, when it reveals, for example, that a character dies. Not one that dies in the first ten minutes but 150 pages into the book. If I see something from an author I like, something that I've heard good things about, or something with a nice cover, I'll usually read the first paragraph or two and see how it grabs me. If it does, I'll read a page or two and decide. Since I don't buy books anymore, there's less risk, as I can easily return a library books or toss a bad Project Guttenburg choice. I'm sure I'm not the only one that avoids those blurbs.

BadBilly · 09-28-2013, 06:09 PM

No. I can't say that anything that was good put me off of it because of subject matter. I'll stop reading stuff I don't like, but that's usually about the quality of the storytelling. I tend to avoid things I don't think will appeal to me, given that my TBR list is already long enough.

I understand that American Psycho didn't appeal to everyone, but it is one of my favourite books. I think I've read it about four times now. It certainly does make me uncomfortable and it should. However, I don't know a better satire of the eighties. The movie is a travesty, though.

I was surprised to see someone say Heart of Darkness as well. I just finished it. It is a bit unrelenting, but it is fairly short. There's nothing particularly graphic in it, though it does expose the brutality of colonial exploitation.

While books aren't a problem, I will stop watching movies if they're too awful. Not just bad. If a movie seems exploitative and gratuitous, I don't feel like watching it. I don't like undue gore or sadism. One that really comes to mind is Charles Bronson's "The Evil That Men Do." The torture scenes seemed to be there for titillation rather than the purpose of the story.

wawasteele · 09-29-2013, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Lord of the Flies. Heart of Darkness. Both were DNFs for me.

Lord of the Flies was required reading when I was a freshman in High School, a long time ago.

Anyway, it was a the only time I can remember cheating in school. I just couldn't finish the book, it was too much for me. I still had to do a book report though. Soooooooooo, I read the covers, inside and out, and with the little bit of the book I had managed to read I did the report and received an "A"!

BadBilly · 09-29-2013, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wawasteele

Lord of the Flies was required reading when I was a freshman in High School, a long time ago.

Anyway, it was a the only time I can remember cheating in school. I just couldn't finish the book, it was too much for me. I still had to do a book report though. Soooooooooo, I read the covers, inside and out, and with the little bit of the book I had managed to read I did the report and received an "A"!

Which would seem to support what I'd said earlier about the blurbs revealing far too much about the book.

applesauce · 09-29-2013, 07:38 AM

No, never. The more disturbing and horrific the better. I tho never read anything that involves major cruelty to animals. i can hand the most horrific treatment of people, but not animals.

applesauce

elemenoP · 09-29-2013, 09:38 AM

Mostly I avoid books that I think are going to be too horrifying for me. However I can think of two times when I couldn't finish a book due to a combination of the horrors in the book and circumstances in my life. The first was when I was reading "Into Thin Air" and 9/11 happened. There aren't really any parallels, but I just couldn't stomach reading about tragedy anyway. I have always planned to finish reading it, but all these years later I haven't done it.

The second time, I was reading "Becoming Madame Mao" at the time my daughter was born. The book has really graphic descriptions of foot-binding. It was just too upsetting to think of someone doing that to their little daughter. That one I never plan to pick up again.

eP

09-27-2013, 06:29 PM	#125
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,487 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Black Sunday by Thomas Harris -- Spoiler: after the protagonist put a live kitten down the kitchen sink disposal I had to stop ... and never went back Although in Hannibal Spoiler: dining off the brains of a live dinner partner didn't bother me as much ....

09-27-2013, 09:33 PM	#127
re-kindled Nameless Being	The only book I've ever been truly disturbed by was Stephen King's IT -- the basic premise of the book, that a clown was murdering school children, was spine-chilling enough as it was. However, towards the end of the book, things escalated: Spoiler: Patrick Hockstetter started locking live puppies and kittens into a refrigerator; the same boy suffocated his baby brother because his baby brother spoiled his view of the world; Beverly Marsh, as an eleven-year-old, had intercourse with six other pre-teen boys inside a sewage tunnel. While these three things didn't make me put down the book, the first two were almost enough to make me cry, and the last one made me feel disgusting for even reading it; I actually did put the book down for half an hour, at the end of the chapter, to wash my hands and watch some musical numbers to put it firmly out of my mind before picking the book back up.

09-27-2013, 10:17 PM	#128
calvin-c Guru Posts: 787 Karma: 1575310 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Moon+ Pro	Interesting that this started with How Few Remain. I enjoyed the book & several following but I quit reading the series because I found it disturbing-and I found it getting worse as the series continued. It's not the only series I've stopped reading due to content-but the other one that comes to mind (Lincoln Rhyme) was because I found it too confusing. Last edited by calvin-c; 09-27-2013 at 10:19 PM.

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09-27-2013, 10:16 AM	#121
Istvan diVega Inharmonious Posts: 416 Karma: 2157616 Join Date: Jan 2013 Device: Sony PRS-950, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1	I don't think I've ever had a book "disturb" me and I'm not even sure what that means. I've been frightened by some, last time in my early teens I think, disgusted by a few, at times been made to think or re-think stuff and even occasionally moved to tears. But "disturb" me? No idea really...

09-27-2013, 03:24 PM	#122
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	Lord of the Flies. Heart of Darkness. Both were DNFs for me.

09-27-2013, 04:59 PM	#123
ottdmk Wizard Posts: 1,220 Karma: 3804496 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Libra 2, Lenovo Tab M10 FHD Plus, Lenovo Tab M9	After the rape scene in Lord Foul's Bane I put it down and didn't go back to it for over five years.

09-27-2013, 06:41 PM	#126
~Kate Connoisseur Posts: 85 Karma: 1087068 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tornado Alley, USA Device: Paperwhite 2, Fire HDX 8.9, Nexus 7 2013	Swan Song by Robert McCammom - I had to take a break a few times and read something else to lighten up - like children's fairy tales. Good book, but it actually gave me nightmares.

09-28-2013, 04:49 PM	#129
Antoinekamel Addict Posts: 278 Karma: 2511467 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: ABC W p2	When I read the of how Let's go play at the Adams' would end, the remaining half was disturbing, but I went to the final. As Pablo said about another book, extremely disturbing. I would not recommend it to anybody.

09-28-2013, 06:09 PM	#131
BadBilly Nodding at stupid things Posts: 209 Karma: 4097046 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Sony T1, OnePlus 6, Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, iPad Mini 2, PC	No. I can't say that anything that was good put me off of it because of subject matter. I'll stop reading stuff I don't like, but that's usually about the quality of the storytelling. I tend to avoid things I don't think will appeal to me, given that my TBR list is already long enough. I understand that American Psycho didn't appeal to everyone, but it is one of my favourite books. I think I've read it about four times now. It certainly does make me uncomfortable and it should. However, I don't know a better satire of the eighties. The movie is a travesty, though. I was surprised to see someone say Heart of Darkness as well. I just finished it. It is a bit unrelenting, but it is fairly short. There's nothing particularly graphic in it, though it does expose the brutality of colonial exploitation. While books aren't a problem, I will stop watching movies if they're too awful. Not just bad. If a movie seems exploitative and gratuitous, I don't feel like watching it. I don't like undue gore or sadism. One that really comes to mind is Charles Bronson's "The Evil That Men Do." The torture scenes seemed to be there for titillation rather than the purpose of the story.

09-29-2013, 07:38 AM	#134
applesauce Addict Posts: 387 Karma: 3553492 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle oasis	No, never. The more disturbing and horrific the better. I tho never read anything that involves major cruelty to animals. i can hand the most horrific treatment of people, but not animals. applesauce

09-29-2013, 09:38 AM	#135
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	Mostly I avoid books that I think are going to be too horrifying for me. However I can think of two times when I couldn't finish a book due to a combination of the horrors in the book and circumstances in my life. The first was when I was reading "Into Thin Air" and 9/11 happened. There aren't really any parallels, but I just couldn't stomach reading about tragedy anyway. I have always planned to finish reading it, but all these years later I haven't done it. The second time, I was reading "Becoming Madame Mao" at the time my daughter was born. The book has really graphic descriptions of foot-binding. It was just too upsetting to think of someone doing that to their little daughter. That one I never plan to pick up again. eP