The 10 Worst Books

[hidari]

I find that not liking a country's novelist as a whole a bit strange there are great novelist from many countires that I have read including< China, Iran, Japan, USA, UK, Ireland, Spain, Chile, Peru, Ivory Coast, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Turkey, Egypt, India, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, South Africa, Iceland and Armenia to name a few. Great writers everywhere I would have to say. Faulkner is a genius at writing... too bad you do not like him...

Originally Posted by Razi

Anything by William Faulkner, specially As I Lay Dying. Had to read it for my course work, what a punishment. I can't stand most English and American novelists (sorry folks) apart from George Eliot, Jane Austin, Henry Fielding, John Cowper Powys, Nabokov and more recent writers like DM Thomas, Rushdie, Walker Percy, John Kennedy Toole etc. I don't like Dickens, but then I was brought up on Russian and French novels which are, by far, superior. I admire English humor:Fielding, Swift (Irish) Wodehouse, Jerome K Jerome, Wilde (Irish) the list could be longer, but for serious novel, I choose to look elsewhere.

[hidari]

IF you cant stomach American Psycho I could understand. I read it twice..The descriptions are disgusting but very apt for the point the novelist is trying to make. The chapters on the Music that the protagonist likes are amazingly funny, Ellis makes one think that Huey Lewis and the News and Whitney Houston are on par with Duke Ellington and Mozart. Very funny chapters indeed-those pertaining to music that is-.


[ber) and told me they would distract me from my overheated misery. to be honest i only accepted them to be polite, but i was agreeably surprised.

also, "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis (although this is mainly because i am a delicate flower and couldn't stomach the graphic descriptions of violence ). another book which was assigned for a class. caveat, i am judging this book without having read it through : i tried, honestly, but when i got to the description (not very far in...) of the knife to the cornea my stomach turned over so strongly that i decided life was much too short to inflict any more of that on myself and told my prof that i would be out ill (never was an excuse so apt) for the discussion of that book.[/QUOTE]

[electristan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

BTW I failed to mention that "Rendezvous with Rama" is in preproduction to be filmed next year.

And it's directed by David Fincher. This is one film i really looking forward to see, but thats for another thread.

[beatonl]

I don't think I've got 10 of them - but let's see how we go

1) The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway: How many times can you use the single adjective "lovely" I wish someone had bought him a thesaurus

2) The Old Curiosity Shop - Dickens: some Dickens is great - I loved "A Tale of Two Cities" but (in the words of Wilde) I defy anyone to read of the death of Little Nell without crying - from laughter.

3) Any of the Piers Anthony where it's OK for a 60 year old man to have sex with a 14 year old girl - because she really wants to,

4) Satanic Verses - Rushdie: Again - I liked 'Midnight's Children" but I just found SV almost impossible to follow and I just didn't care enough

5) Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence: NewsFlash! Sensitive artistic son of rough miner has conflicted relationship with his mother that screws him up! Oh, and cornflowers are blue! I had to read this for school, so I choked it down in one sitting 'cause I knew if I put it down, I'd never be able to pick it up again.

6) Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown: It lost me at "The silhouette of the Albino" How on earth can one tell if someone is an albino from a freaking silhouette?

7) Lord of the Rings - Tolkein: I know they're great books, and many, many, many people love them but around the endless eleven council and Tom Bombadil I decided I *just didn't care*.

8) Madame Bovary - Flaubert. Newsflash!spoiled bored stupid woman screws up own life by making poor decisions! I'm probably being a little unreasonable including this one, because I read it in translation - and everyone says Flaubert's true genius was in his sentence construction.

9) Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare: Newsflash! Teenagers make stupid decisions ruled by their hormones! This play just fills me with the desire to grab the two of them and shake some sense into them.

But without question the absolute, unqualified worst book I have ever read is "The Castle of Eyes" by Penelope Love. The main character has amnesia, and is unnamed - and remains so for the *entire* book, for no readily apparent reason. The book opens with a prologue that chronologically takes place at the end of Chapter 12 (I think - it's been a while) so when you get to the end of chapter 12 there's a page saying "Here follow the events of the prologue"... I had to finish it because I was reviewing it for a magazine. But if paradise is some kind of Library - Then Hell is a library that only has that book.

Lindsay

[soilwork]

Originally Posted by Roy White

3. The last book in the Dark Tower series by S. King. And I've read almost everything King's written and loved it. The ending ticked me off so much after investing maybe 40 total hours in the Series lost in Mid world with Roland and company, completely enchanted by King's skill as a storyteller, then to get gypped when the Top of the tower DOESN'T HAVE GOD WAITING FOR HIM!!!! after setting it up over thousands of pages he goes back on the wheel of Ka. The most frustrating ending to a book in the history of the universe!

I am a huge Stephen King fan and I learned reading English books by reading his works since almost all of his works are hard to put down. However, I completely agree with your evaluation on the last book of the Dark Tower series. It was just painful to see what happens to Roland after all the sacrifices he made.

[astra]

Originally Posted by soilwork

It was just painful to see what happens to Roland after all the sacrifices he made.

Painful, but so bloody realistic! It explained so much, such as on numerous occasions Roland would "just know" why something should work this way and will not work any other way, he, himself, could not explain the source of the knowledge.
And retaining Alan's artifact (I intentionally don't name it) gives us hope....

[donovanh]

On the "Atlas Shrugged" nomination, I would agree that it's a bit windy, but I found it a very interesting and exciting book. I enjoyed it very much. Especially when you consider this info about the railways in the USA:

http://reddit.com/info/6hiig/comments/c03uxhj

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by beatonl

I don't think I've got 10 of them - but let's see how we go

1) The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway: How many times can you use the single adjective "lovely" I wish someone had bought him a thesaurus

2) The Old Curiosity Shop - Dickens: some Dickens is great - I loved "A Tale of Two Cities" but (in the words of Wilde) I defy anyone to read of the death of Little Nell without crying - from laughter.

3) Any of the Piers Anthony where it's OK for a 60 year old man to have sex with a 14 year old girl - because she really wants to,

4) Satanic Verses - Rushdie: Again - I liked 'Midnight's Children" but I just found SV almost impossible to follow and I just didn't care enough

5) Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence: NewsFlash! Sensitive artistic son of rough miner has conflicted relationship with his mother that screws him up! Oh, and cornflowers are blue! I had to read this for school, so I choked it down in one sitting 'cause I knew if I put it down, I'd never be able to pick it up again.

6) Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown: It lost me at "The silhouette of the Albino" How on earth can one tell if someone is an albino from a freaking silhouette?

7) Lord of the Rings - Tolkein: I know they're great books, and many, many, many people love them but around the endless eleven council and Tom Bombadil I decided I *just didn't care*.

8) Madame Bovary - Flaubert. Newsflash!spoiled bored stupid woman screws up own life by making poor decisions! I'm probably being a little unreasonable including this one, because I read it in translation - and everyone says Flaubert's true genius was in his sentence construction.

9) Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare: Newsflash! Teenagers make stupid decisions ruled by their hormones! This play just fills me with the desire to grab the two of them and shake some sense into them.

But without question the absolute, unqualified worst book I have ever read is "The Castle of Eyes" by Penelope Love. The main character has amnesia, and is unnamed - and remains so for the *entire* book, for no readily apparent reason. The book opens with a prologue that chronologically takes place at the end of Chapter 12 (I think - it's been a while) so when you get to the end of chapter 12 there's a page saying "Here follow the events of the prologue"... I had to finish it because I was reviewing it for a magazine. But if paradise is some kind of Library - Then Hell is a library that only has that book.

Lindsay

Hi, Lindsay:

Welcome to MobileRead, by the way.

I like your list, but mainly because I disagree on some of them.

I've decided to quote your entire list, as I think you have a good listing of comments for your titles and with much room for open interpretation to follow from the members here on MobilRead.

I'm a huge fan of Dickens' works and have (no exaggeration), about 25 books of critical studies on him. The criticism you mention about The Old Curiosity Shop has been one that has been argued [READ: critically analyzed since its publication] for years. AND YET, for all it's melodramatics the novel (for me) is saved by the sheer narrative drive found in the writing. Yes, Nell's impending death is written somewhat over the top, but the whole novel, I feel, is like that. The novel is somewhat like a dream/nightmare state.

So, although I disagree with your list, it's a great list of books and with some nice comments.

Thank you.


Don

[soilwork]

Originally Posted by astra

Painful, but so bloody realistic! It explained so much, such as on numerous occasions Roland would "just know" why something should work this way and will not work any other way, he, himself, could not explain the source of the knowledge.
And retaining Alan's artifact (I intentionally don't name it) gives us hope....

I agree it explains a lot but it is still painful nonetheless. I was going to re-read the whole Dark Tower series but I abandoned the plan after I finished the last volume. Maybe I should do it sometime later.

BTW, I think I know what artifact it is. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Roland have it in the first place, in 'Gunslinger'? (Hope this is not a spoiler for anyone).

[Roy White]

Dr Don! A huge Dickens fan? My word! Now you got me spoiling for A Tale Of Two Cities. But first i have to labor through Moria and chase the Orcs across Rohan and gasp as Denethor tries to burn his Son etc etc etc.. (There I go again with the spoilers) And I apologize for the spoiler about The Dark Tower. I loved the Dark Tower series by the way. King is a master in my Oh-So-Lame opinion! I re-read Salems Lot a few months ago and was enchanted by his descriptions of Autumn winds and leaves and the entire feeling of encroaching winter closing in on the doomed town of Jerusalems Lot.
I dont think he had the 'artifact' with him in the Gunslinger. I was left with the forlorn hope that one thing would change another and so on and he would finally escaape the wheel this time around. Soil I halfway wanted to begin the series again and ride the wheel with him all over like you said but the bummer of an ending.... (I re-read books quite a bit, does anyone else on this board? maybe thats a topic for another thread.)

Oh. You're right whoever pointed out that The Lost World isnt the book the kid traps the Velociraptor in the fridge, my bad. It just seemed like a weak and rehashed redundant attempt to gouge more money out of a pretty good book idea. (Cant blame him there. If I could I'd write a weak book if it would make me some jack!)

Oh yeah. The Davinci code... Yawn. I abandoned the book after about 75 pages.

[eumesmo]

Ayn Rand's philosophical ideas resume to advocating morality, education, perhaps the abolition of marriage, sexual freedom, and eternal conflict as the mode of human life. If you remove her from serious literature, and pair her with the likes of Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Dan Brown, then you might even call them very good novels. To be captivating to the semantically challenged certainly confers distinction, despite the deficiency in conferring meaning.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by eumesmo

Ayn Rand's philosophical ideas resume to advocating morality, education, perhaps the abolition of marriage, sexual freedom, and eternal conflict as the mode of human life. If you remove her from serious literature, and pair her with the likes of Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Dan Brown, then you might even call them very good novels. To be captivating to the semantically challenged certainly confers distinction, despite the deficiency in conferring meaning.

Would you mind repeating that in English?

[HappyMartin]

To be captivating to the semantically challenged certainly confers distinction, despite the deficiency in conferring meaning.

Have no idea what that means but it is such statements that keep me returning to this forum with a sense of happy anticipation.

[eumesmo]

I'm just highlighting the importance of semantics(knowing what the words mean) in the conveyance of thought. While a treatise in the defense of pride might seem ground breaking, and mind blowing in the current ethos, it is quite childish in the greater scheme of philosophical thought, where pride is the norm, and choosing to show or hide it a question of practicality as described by Machiavelli. Her novels might be seem like a defense on capitalism, but what she defends is conflict(as described by Nietzsche) and proper education, which is as Utopian as Marx's thought.

[Roy White]

Quote:
To be captivating to the semantically challenged certainly confers distinction, despite the deficiency in conferring meaning.

Have no idea what that means but it is such statements that keep me returning to this forum with a sense of happy anticipation.

I think it means... In a nutshell... "Ayn Rand ROX!"

I still dont know what the above post means or the reply either but I sure aint a mental giant. And please Eumesmo, I'm trying to be playful here. I'm not attacking you. I'm just going for a joke.