Books you wish you hadn't finished

MeSue · 03-03-2014, 07:33 PM

Inspired by the thread about books people don't finish (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=235118), let's talk about highly acclaimed books we finished but wish we hadn't.

Recent ones for me:
The Goldfinch
Winter's Tale
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Chaos Walking Trilogy
Life of Pi
Steve Jobs

Classics:
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Gatsby
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Dngrsone · 03-03-2014, 09:37 PM

You wish you didn't finish because you wanted the experience to last longer, or because it was dissapoint?

jgaiser · 03-03-2014, 10:05 PM

Don't finish books I don't like. Haven't had a book I wished I hadn't finished.

Ntsimp · 03-03-2014, 10:08 PM

The Last of the Mohicans
Kidnapped

I read both of these in eighth grade, when I was still naive. By high school I knew how to get away with skipping the worst books. But I wish I had wasted those hours on videogames or something.

Sydney's Mom · 03-03-2014, 10:21 PM

American Psycho. I thought it had to make sense at some point. It didn't.

Tell me someone refused to publish or stock a book, and it is like flies to honey. Boy, was I gullible.

Catlady · 03-03-2014, 11:37 PM

I can't think of even one book I regret finishing.

Cyberman tM · 03-04-2014, 12:23 AM

Wish I didn't finish would be a bit strong, but from the top of my head comes one book:

Solaris, Stanisław Lem

I don't really regret reading it, I regret having high hopes for it. I don't like it when authors string you along just to tell you "Nope, no explanation. I just pulled it out of thin air and didn't think it through." (My impression, not his words.)

eschwartz · 03-04-2014, 12:57 AM

Eragon, books three and four. If it comes to that, I should never have read the first one, as it practically obligated me to finish the series. It ended up being a paean to the gods of Deus Ex Machina, once it became clear the author had no idea what to do with the situation he created. Never create an antagonist too powerful to be defeated.

Gazella · 03-04-2014, 09:18 AM

The following books are books I finished but did not enjoy at all.

Frankenstein

Lord of the Flies

The Great Gatsby

The Things They Carried

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Looking for Alaska

Paper Towns

The Alchemist

Geralt · 03-04-2014, 09:29 AM

If I didn't finish it, I didn't like it. In that case my only wish is, I never started reading it.

tdonline · 03-04-2014, 09:50 AM

Angels and Demons

For some unfathomable reason, I thought reading AaD would make The DaVinci Code better. It didn't. It reinforced my view Dan Brown is a hack.

issybird · 03-04-2014, 09:57 AM

I see The Great Gatsby making a lot of loathed lists. One of my very favorite books of all time.

Dngrsone · 03-04-2014, 10:26 AM

I felt that Frankenstein was painfully inflated... I understand that it was the style at the time to wax into elaboration over every little detail, but it still felt to me like she was trying to get paid by the word; that the story would have worked better as a tersely-worder novella than as a full-blown book.

Some day, when I am long-retired, perhaps I should try to do a mashup between Mary Shelley and Earnest Hemingway: her story, his economy of words.

I think I would enjoy that.

tdonline · 03-04-2014, 10:40 AM

Seeing Frankenstein listed, it reminded me of how little I liked Bram Stoker's Dracula. Great story but surely that was not great literature?

sakura-panda · 03-04-2014, 10:43 AM

At the moment, An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. It was a cliffhanger, in the worst sort of way (to me) and I wish I had stopped a chapter or so back and waited for the next book (not yet released) before I actually finished it. I re-read it recently, forgot to stop before the ending, and got upset with it all over again.

Other than that one book (and that will remedy itself soon), I can't think of anything that I've finished and regretted. Sometimes I'm even happy that a book is behind me and that I don't ever have to read it again!

03-03-2014, 07:33 PM	#1
MeSue Geek in the Forest Posts: 399 Karma: 1077186 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: FL Device: iPad Air, iPhone 4s, Nexus 7	Books you wish you hadn't finished Inspired by the thread about books people don't finish (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=235118), let's talk about highly acclaimed books we finished but wish we hadn't. Recent ones for me: The Goldfinch Winter's Tale Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Chaos Walking Trilogy Life of Pi Steve Jobs Classics: The Grapes of Wrath The Great Gatsby Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

03-04-2014, 09:18 AM	#9
Gazella Wizard Posts: 1,694 Karma: 4601218 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: Kindle Oasis	The following books are books I finished but did not enjoy at all. Frankenstein Lord of the Flies The Great Gatsby The Things They Carried The Perks of Being a Wallflower Looking for Alaska Paper Towns The Alchemist Last edited by Gazella; 03-04-2014 at 09:28 AM. Reason: Added a book

03-04-2014, 10:26 AM	#13
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 felt that Frankenstein was painfully inflated... I understand that it was the style at the time to wax into elaboration over every little detail, but it still felt to me like she was trying to get paid by the word; that the story would have worked better as a tersely-worder novella than as a full-blown book. Some day, when I am long-retired, perhaps I should try to do a mashup between Mary Shelley and Earnest Hemingway: her story, his economy of words. I think I would enjoy that. Last edited by Dngrsone; 03-04-2014 at 11:10 AM.

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03-03-2014, 09:37 PM	#2
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	You wish you didn't finish because you wanted the experience to last longer, or because it was dissapoint?

03-03-2014, 10:05 PM	#3
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Don't finish books I don't like. Haven't had a book I wished I hadn't finished.

03-03-2014, 10:08 PM	#4
Ntsimp Zealot Posts: 149 Karma: 1215642 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Utah Device: iriver Story HD, Android	The Last of the Mohicans Kidnapped I read both of these in eighth grade, when I was still naive. By high school I knew how to get away with skipping the worst books. But I wish I had wasted those hours on videogames or something.

03-03-2014, 10:21 PM	#5
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	American Psycho. I thought it had to make sense at some point. It didn't. Tell me someone refused to publish or stock a book, and it is like flies to honey. Boy, was I gullible.

03-03-2014, 11:37 PM	#6
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I can't think of even one book I regret finishing.

03-04-2014, 12:23 AM	#7
Cyberman tM Evangelist Posts: 439 Karma: 2248782 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Austria Device: Inkbook Prime; Icarus Illumina;ImcoV6l;EB600;Kobo	Wish I didn't finish would be a bit strong, but from the top of my head comes one book: Solaris, Stanisław Lem I don't really regret reading it, I regret having high hopes for it. I don't like it when authors string you along just to tell you "Nope, no explanation. I just pulled it out of thin air and didn't think it through." (My impression, not his words.)

03-04-2014, 12:57 AM	#8
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Eragon, books three and four. If it comes to that, I should never have read the first one, as it practically obligated me to finish the series. It ended up being a paean to the gods of Deus Ex Machina, once it became clear the author had no idea what to do with the situation he created. Never create an antagonist too powerful to be defeated.

03-04-2014, 09:29 AM	#10
Geralt Witcher Posts: 933 Karma: 7321117 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Swamp. Slaying Drowners. Device: Kindle PW2	If I didn't finish it, I didn't like it. In that case my only wish is, I never started reading it.

03-04-2014, 09:50 AM	#11
tdonline Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 2644486 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: PW3, Nook Simple Touch	Angels and Demons For some unfathomable reason, I thought reading AaD would make The DaVinci Code better. It didn't. It reinforced my view Dan Brown is a hack.

03-04-2014, 09:57 AM	#12
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,238 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I see The Great Gatsby making a lot of loathed lists. One of my very favorite books of all time.

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03-04-2014, 10:40 AM	#14
tdonline Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 2644486 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: PW3, Nook Simple Touch	Seeing Frankenstein listed, it reminded me of how little I liked Bram Stoker's Dracula. Great story but surely that was not great literature?

03-04-2014, 10:43 AM	#15
sakura-panda Guru Posts: 923 Karma: 9558874 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southeast Michigan, USA Device: 2017 10.5" iPad Pro (Kobo, NOOK, Kindle, Google Play Books & Scribd)	At the moment, An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. It was a cliffhanger, in the worst sort of way (to me) and I wish I had stopped a chapter or so back and waited for the next book (not yet released) before I actually finished it. I re-read it recently, forgot to stop before the ending, and got upset with it all over again. Other than that one book (and that will remedy itself soon), I can't think of anything that I've finished and regretted. Sometimes I'm even happy that a book is behind me and that I don't ever have to read it again!