Someone please say that they agree with me in my belief that A Potrait of the Artist as a Young Man is an absolutely horrible book...
I agree....not the worst book I've ever read, but this book was so incredibly overrated to me. I felt like the only one who didn't like it, so it's nice to hear from others who weren't crazy about it either.
While not a favorite author, I do end up reading and consequently enjoying Michael Chritons novels, but 'Timeline' was SO written for the movies and just ended up sucking big time.
I didnt have to read that in HS luckily, my teacher was deciding between The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, she chose The Crucible, wasnt all that bad, it was alright.
"Push" is the worst book I've ever read. Bar none, not even close. God, schools make you read some crappy books. And people actually wonder why kids don't like to read anymore...
Ulysees by James Joyce. I think it must have been written to provide doctors with a way to understand the experience of aphasia. I had to have read the first page 15 times and I guess I never really did get through it... Like some modern art, I trust the experts who fawn over it, but in the back of my mind I wonder if it's all just a big joke the artist is playing on the critics. Oddly enough, I really like stuff by Thomas Pynchon, who is often described as Joyce-like.
I've read just about everything by the famous hermit JD Salinger. As I've grown older I've come to understand that people enjoy his stuff as a conceit. All of his stories center around perfect, brilliant to incredible, wonderful little children who have become less than average (or dead) through their interaction with the cruel, evil world. The stories all depict them at various points along the cruel path towards mediocrity, depression, and depravity. This theme appeals to people who quite a few people because they project themselves onto the protagonist. It gives them an excuse for why they aren't Nobel Laureate, or Fields Medal winners, but are simply ordinary. I’m sure that not everybody likes Salinger for this reason, but I’ve personally known a number of onerous individuals who liked JD Salinger for this very reason (though in every case I’m sure they wouldn’t admit it), and they were all self-indulgent prigs. So, I guess you could say I don’t like Catcher in the Rye either.
The most difficult book I have ever read was Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. It may not be the worst but I hardly enjoyed it.
Anybody ever try to read Finnegan's Wake? Good luck. It's supposed to be a classic. I couldn't read past the first page, so I wouldn't know.
First of all, I was an English major in college as well, and even though I don't like every literary book I've read, I have to defend Faulkner. At his best, he is memorizing. The ending of Absalom, Absalom is unbelievable, and though I don't understand it all, probably never will, I recognize how beautiful he wrote it. Also, I am surprised that, out of all the Faulkner novels, someone cited Light in August as I feel that it is one of the more clearly written books. One of the worst books that I have actually read would be Ulysses by James Joyce. I am not sure how anyone can read such stilted prose, line after line and nothing making much sense. Joyce is really not a writer's writer. He is more of an acedemic, and he writes for them. I would have to agree with one poster who cited Paradise Lost. Milton is long-winded and boring.
Jane Eyre was the book when I did the Academic Decathalon. I skipped it, and I think I still got the highest score on my team for that section. My team sucked.
there have been alot of very bad Dutch books. For some strange reason is a dutch literatue always about either an iodiot who can't handle the fact that he is Homosexual. or about some idiot who want to have sex with everybody. Dutch books are always about idiots with serious mental problems. Very anoying. one of the best dutch books was the discovery of heaven( de ontdekking van de hemel). that was an ok book and they made an international movie of it. the worst english written book that i read was "passage to india"terrible book.
The Op-Center books - but mainly because of mistaken expectations. I loved Tom Clancy's books when these came out - and then started to read an Op-Center expecting more of the same. mmm....not the same
Anybody ever read "Silas Marner" by George Eliot? I sure didn't but I had to for 10th grade English - which was my first introduction to cliff notes.
