classic books you didnt like

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80sFan

Just one more chapter...
Jul 14, 2015
2,997
16,167
Pennsylvania
Please don't hate me for this, but "The Stand". Yes, I consider it a "classic" but no matter how many times I've read it, I just don't get what the big deal is.

Also, all the Jane Austen stuff. I've tried reading and I end up falling asleep every time.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
Pretty much all Hemingway
All Herman Melville
I keep trying with William Faulkner, but I haven't learned to like him yet
Catcher In The Rye
On The Road
Most Salman Rushdie. Again, I keep trying, but it's like slogging through molasses.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
I'm with you there. But .... Is Rushdie a classic?? Noone told me......
I think his books, particularly The Satanic Verses, are considered modern classics. That one is the only one I've sort of enjoyed, and The Enchantress of Florence was okay, but I haven't had much luck with others. I really thought I'd like The Ground Beneath Her Feet, too, because it's about rock and roll. No dice. I've tried that one three times and abandoned it each time :(
 

Aericanwizard

Well-Known Member
Jun 15, 2011
218
306
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
For me, it varies on a book-by-book basis:

"The Count of Monte Cristo" is my favourite novel; I could never get into "The Three Musketeers".
I struggled with "A Tale of Two Cities", but love "Oliver Twist" and "A Christmas Carol".
I found "Moby Dick" very dry, ironically.
I've only read "Pride and Prejudice" by Austen. It wasn't bad. Same with "Jane Eyre".
I didn't like "Catcher in the Rye", "Slaughterhouse 5", or "Catch 22".
 

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
2,906
6,242
62
I'm seeing a lot of On the Road in here, and I would tend to agree that it is less of a literary endeavor than a cultural touchstone.

Hipsters weren't called hipsters back then, but if you've ever met one of those guys who sees "douchebags" everywhere he goes, but sees "irony" in the mirror . . . it's a safe bet he's got Kerouac somewhere in his loft.
 

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
2,906
6,242
62
Anybody in here ever read Silas Marner?

I have no idea what it is (except probably Victorian). What I do remember is that after my brother got done complaining over having to read about Holden Caulfield, he immediately started complaining about having to read Silas Marner.

I never had my brother's problems (not then, and certainly not later . . . poor guy). I liked Holden Caulfield. I had trouble picturing his world, but I recognized him well enough. And my second novel in freshman English was Great Expectations, which was also very good.

"Alright then, Pip. Play."

Huh?
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
6,946
25,119
65
dublin ireland
Anybody in here ever read Silas Marner?

I have no idea what it is (except probably Victorian). What I do remember is that after my brother got done complaining over having to read about Holden Caulfield, he immediately started complaining about having to read Silas Marner.

I never had my brother's problems (not then, and certainly not later . . . poor guy). I liked Holden Caulfield. I had trouble picturing his world, but I recognized him well enough. And my second novel in freshman English was Great Expectations, which was also very good.

"Alright then, Pip. Play."

Huh?
Love that book.
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
6,946
25,119
65
dublin ireland
Pretty much all Hemingway
All Herman Melville
I keep trying with William Faulkner, but I haven't learned to like him yet
Catcher In The Rye
On The Road
Most Salman Rushdie. Again, I keep trying, but it's like slogging through molasses.
Hemingway. Bunch of whiners. Faulkner aleays sounds like he was deliberately trying to be awkward. Catcher in the Rye, I think Caulfield knew when to disappear.