What classic books do you not like/loathe

[Naga Viper]

Also, Escaped Cardinal, your avatar of Mr. B Natural there both amuses and terrifies me.

"Well, excuse me, sexless man-woman!"

"You've seen me do EVERYTHING?!?"

I think any residual fondness I might have for Great Expectations is couched in the fact that one of the English teachers at my school—who was in her late 60s at the time—basically looked like a real-life Havisham, both before and after the facelift. (The teacher's, not Havisham's.) Also, I kind of read a little too much into the relationship between Pip and Herbert, but I guess 14 was a little young for me to attempt writing Dickensian slash.

[freejoytoo]

I really enjoyed Great Expectations! I also quite liked Bleak House, other than Ada and Richard and that creepy romance between Esther and the guy whose name escapes me...the one who owns Bleak House!

[giraffe21]

I really don't enjoy reading "Little Women." For a start the plot isn't great. Also it's full of frustrating rules of being a woman, which get very repetitive and annoying. (I think that might have been more in the book "little women - good wives" though.)

[ElphabaGalinda]

Yes, this. I hate The Kite Runner. It's absolute bilge. I want to punch that book in the neck.

I don't like the Kite Runner either. It was required reading 11th grade Englsih it was my least favourite required reading. At least it wasn't hard, but I didn't enjoy it at all. I don't hate it enough to punch it, but I don't like it:)

[genericJname]

Great Expectations.

[Kitty]

The grade above me got so fed up with Moby Dick that my 10th grade teacher just gave us an outline and showed us some scenes from the movie. We all loved her for that though I don't see why we couldn't have just skipped it in the first place and read something else, maybe it was a state standard or something. I have no desire to actually read it.

My school was different in that only a few of the 'classics' were required reading, but we had to read a few on our own. Nobody chose Moby Dick, and the teachers loathed it as well. I love my high school English teachers, they were so honest :D

[Hane]

I haven't read through this thread, because I can guarantee that dozens of folks here loathe books that I love. I grew up on Alcott, Dickens, and many other 19th-century authors, and have a soft spot for them. When I was a kid (late '50s, early '60s), there wasn't nearly the vast variety of books for young readers that we can choose from today, so we were rather limited. Reading the often-dense prose of the 1800s helped me develop the ability to tease out meaning, and made reading contemporary stuff far easier.

That said, my daughter and I have agreed on the unifying theme of "Literary" Books We Hate: Anything with a bunch of goddamned men on a goddamned boat. Yes, we are looking at YOU, Moby Dick, Captains Courageous, Treasure Island, et al.

When I was in eighth grade (1965-66), I once asked my (otherwise phenomenal) English teacher why we had to read such male-oriented books (as in Captains Courageous and Treasure Island). His gag-worthy reply was, "Well, girls will read books that boys like, but boys won't read books that girls like." I had no rejoinder other than a feeble, "That's not fair," or something.

[Gizmola]

I absolutely fucking LOVE Atlas Shrugged but mainly because I think it's the most brilliant comedy in the history of the world. The writing is just so eye-rollingly bad, everything is black and white, no nuance. And nothing like taking an interesting premise and beating it to death with a stick. Subtlety, thy name is NOT Ayn Rand. I got a friend of mine at work to read it and we had our own little Atlas Shrugged book discussion every lunch hour. We just about peed ourselves laughing. I don't think I'll ever get through Galt's speech though. Guess I'll have to wait for part 2 of the movie...

Galt's speech?? AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! I was raised by an Objectivist father so I had read all of Rand by 8th grade. If you really want to fuck up a very quiet, shy, girl who is terrified of boys, give her The Fountainhead - that rape scene (I don't care if it was supposed to be "by engraved invitation" or not) screwed me up for years. But I digress. Galt's Speech - my father would pick out pieces of that drivel to read to me when I did something of which he didn't approve, to prove his point and to show me the errors of my ways. I hate that speech with the strength of a thousand suns.

Now that I'm grown up and can read Rand critically as literature it's horrid. She really can't do much but preach. Superficial character development, ridiculously extremes in "heroes" and "villains." She's just absolutely exhausting. Of course, I know several "Randbots" in real life and they are just like that: people are either producers or looters. OMG, I'm actually pissing myself off writing this.

Please, FJers, I love you deeply. You're all special snowflakes of awesome. Please stay away from Rand. Save yourself the grief and fury.

[JesusFightClub]

Gizmola, I quite understand your hatred. Galt's speech, aaaaaaargh. I actually read Rand's novels because I like 'em (although needless to say I thoroughly disagree with her politics) and even I have not made it all the way through that. I have to skip past it every time.

Once you get halfway in you realise that he's just repeating himself in slightly different words each time. Yeah, and it supposedly lasted an hour and a half. An hour and a half of the most hideous tedium known to man, during which time we are supposed to believe the US citizenry were listening transfixed to their radios. Aye, right! More likely they had all died of boredom.

[JesusFightClub]

When I was in eighth grade (1965-66), I once asked my (otherwise phenomenal) English teacher why we had to read such male-oriented books (as in Captains Courageous and Treasure Island). His gag-worthy reply was, "Well, girls will read books that boys like, but boys won't read books that girls like." I had no rejoinder other than a feeble, "That's not fair," or something.

Sadly true though. I remember well my Advanced English class. We were assigned a couple of Jane Austen novels. The boys complained vociferously. "Ah'm no gaun tae read a lassies' book". "Ken whit sir, that's sexist. Ye've gien us a book boys cannae read." They made a huge deal about just watching the films and not reading the book, that the main character in Mansfield Park was called Fanny, and that in their personal opinions the sketch of Jane Austen on the inside cover proved conclusively that she was a dog and they would not give her one even if they were desperate.

We were seventeen at the time. :roll:

[Hane]

Sadly true though. I remember well my Advanced English class. We were assigned a couple of Jane Austen novels. The boys complained vociferously. "Ah'm no gaun tae read a lassies' book". "Ken whit sir, that's sexist. Ye've gien us a book boys cannae read." They made a huge deal about just watching the films and not reading the book, that the main character in Mansfield Park was called Fanny, and that in their personal opinions the sketch of Jane Austen on the inside cover proved conclusively that she was a dog and they would not give her one even if they were desperate.

We were seventeen at the time. :roll:

:roll: indeed! Oddly enough, JFC, the "lassies" among us never saw fit to piss and moan about having to read a "boys'" book. I Blame the Patriarchy. Wonder what would have happened if we had...

[ilovetchotchkes]

I was an English Lit major so I've been forced to read a lot of them.

Anything by Faulkner. I know i'm a comma abuser big time but he makes me look like an amateur.

Dickens. Like, the stories themselves- the plot is great, the writing though, I just can't get through it.

And finally:

ANYTHING by Jane Austen. HATE HER. I don't CARE that they're satire, they bore me stupid.

OTOH, I loved The Grapes of Wrath which everyone else freaking hates....

[lizziesmom]

Wuthering Heights.

Shakespeare's collected works

[Buggaboo]

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Classic ghost story. I thought it was going to be a good, scary read. It's just atmosphere. You keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting.....and then nothing. Very frustrating read.

[Sinister Rouge]

I'm in my final year of an English lit BA, and I have to read Paradise Lost this semester, which I'm kind of dreading, especially after reading this thread, haha. I actually like Dickens, although I agree his books are a slog, and I ended up skimming the final 1/4 of Great Expectations because ADD. I love Hemingway, but can't do Austen or the Bronte sisters unless I absolutely have to. Ditto Chaucer and Shakespeare - not something I'd read for pleasure. A Separate Peace was one I had to read in high school but couldn't finish, it made me feel really uncomfortable and unsettled so I had to fake it. Same with Bridge to Terabithia, actually. I guess I'm not fond of dying children.

[Sinister Rouge]

Oops, on my phone and hit 'send' too soon. I was kind of "meh" about The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath - wtf was with that breast feeding scene? Totally fucked up novel. Than again, I was like 14 when I read it, so maybe it was a little more unnerving than it would have been had I read it as an adult. I'm a huge fan of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams though, and I can't get enough of children's lit in general, especially old fables and poetry. And O. Henry, because my dad used to read his stuff to us as kids. Is anyone else here a literal bibliophile? I'm not a book hoarder or anything, but I just don't get it when friends who read a lot invite me over and they don't have any books because they donate them or sell them. I mean, I love that people do that because I can then buy them and line the walls of my house with them (especially vintage or antique books, Some of my best reads have been 'trashy' vintage novels from obscure authors) but still. Books are super and everyone should have lots, end rant.

[Buggaboo]

Oops, on my phone and hit 'send' too soon. I was kind of "meh" about The Catcher in the Rye and The Grapes of Wrath - wtf was with that breast feeding scene? Totally fucked up novel. Than again, I was like 14 when I read it, so maybe it was a little more unnerving than it would have been had I read it as an adult. I'm a huge fan of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams though, and I can't get enough of children's lit in general, especially old fables and poetry. And O. Henry, because my dad used to read his stuff to us as kids. Is anyone else here a literal bibliophile? I'm not a book hoarder or anything, but I just don't get it when friends who read a lot invite me over and they don't have any books because they donate them or sell them. I mean, I love that people do that because I can then buy them and line the walls of my house with them (especially vintage or antique books, Some of my best reads have been 'trashy' vintage novels from obscure authors) but still. Books are super and everyone should have lots, end rant.

I think I qualify, to a degree. I love books, I love libraries. I love the smell of books and I'm hard pressed to ever give one away or throw it away unless I really disliked it. I also love antique books, especially if there are some nice old notes or comments here or there.

I do have a kindle. It took me a long time to get used to, because I like to turn the pages, smell the book, fell the weight, etc.. BUT someone gave me a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of free kindle books. Lots of classics, some F. Scott Fitzgerald, some King, all the Harry Potter books, 10 of the Sookie Stackhouse books, Richard Matheson, Douglas Preston, Ann Rice, the Twilight books (talk about meh, for me anyway) etc etc.. So that pushed me to use the kindle. Now I can't live without it. BUT if I really like something, I still buy it in book form after. I'm working on buying all the HP books in hardcover, for example, because they are so dear to me so it's important to have them in tangible form.

So I think we are kindred spirits to some degree there! ;)

[Buggaboo]

Oh, and Hemingway bores the hell out of me. I read Old Man and The Sea in high school and hated it. Hated it. Read some in college and had more of a luke warm reaction. Just re-read In Our Time within the past year and I got more of the nuance, etc. but it wasn't exactly an "I can't wait till the kids go to bed so I can curl up with it" kind of thing. Maybe it's me but I just don't get it with him.

[Sinister Rouge]

I think I qualify, to a degree. I love books, I love libraries. I love the smell of books and I'm hard pressed to ever give one away or throw it away unless I really disliked it. I also love antique books, especially if there are some nice old notes or comments here or there.

I do have a kindle. It took me a long time to get used to, because I like to turn the pages, smell the book, fell the weight, etc.. BUT someone gave me a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of free kindle books. Lots of classics, some F. Scott Fitzgerald, some King, all the Harry Potter books, 10 of the Sookie Stackhouse books, Richard Matheson, Douglas Preston, Ann Rice, the Twilight books (talk about meh, for me anyway) etc etc.. So that pushed me to use the kindle. Now I can't live without it. BUT if I really like something, I still buy it in book form after. I'm working on buying all the HP books in hardcover, for example, because they are so dear to me so it's important to have them in tangible form.

So I think we are kindred spirits to some degree there! ;)

I'm also working on my Harry Potter collection :) I just bought an almost complete set of A Series of Unfortunate Events at a yard sale and now I'm waiting impatiently for my kids to be old enough to read them together, lol.

[Buggaboo]

I'm also working on my Harry Potter collection :) I just bought an almost complete set of A Series of Unfortunate Events at a yard sale and now I'm waiting impatiently for my kids to be old enough to read them together, lol.

Oh yeah? I've never read the Unfortunate Events books, I was in my late 20's when they came out. I have a sister who is 15 years younger than I, maybe she has read them......I've heard they're very good though.......and sound like a great way to get your kids involved in reading!

[BookEater]

Is anyone else here a literal bibliophile? I'm not a book hoarder or anything, but I just don't get it when friends who read a lot invite me over and they don't have any books because they donate them or sell them. I mean, I love that people do that because I can then buy them and line the walls of my house with them (especially vintage or antique books, Some of my best reads have been 'trashy' vintage novels from obscure authors) but still. Books are super and everyone should have lots, end rant.

I am a literal honest-to-god bibliophile bordering on a book hoarder. I gave away over 3,000 books this year and still have at least that many. I added about 10 books this weekend. :doh: I would still have all my books if I could afford a bigger house, but alas, the space is not there.

Classics I loathe- Melville and Dickens

[Hisey]

What a wonderful thread. I am so happy to have the chance to share my loathing of certain famous books.

Books and authors I hate

Faulkner--too depressing and boring. The southern thing didn't resonate with me since I'm from the north

The Giver--Why the hell is this poorly written book so popular?

James Joyce--I had a college professor who loved him, assigned him constantly, but could never convince me that the man wasn't writing gibberish. In fact, I once read an article theorizing that some of Joyce's books were just mixed up drafts and were never meant to make any sense

The Great Gatsby--too many unappealing characters, there was nobody to like

Anything by Hemingway

The Catcher in the Rye--boring

The Tale of Despereaux--a little girl is repeatedly HIT in this story, till she goes deaf, and this is supposed to be FUNNY? I hate this book with a passion. My 8-year old is going to read it in school this year, and it makes me mad to expose her to such stupidity (especially since she is the sort of child who will laugh at it)

Marjorie Morningstar--Marjorie is just an empty "pretty-girl" shell of a character

On the other hand, I love Dickens, I think he is a genius, and although I was raised a Jew I am able to look past his anti-Semitism to see a really gifted writer. I didn't like Great Expectations, though, and in general I don't like his female characters (too one-sided)

I also love anything by John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Francis Hodgson Burnett (a childrens writer). Actually, I read more kids classics than adult classics

[Defrauding Errday]

I love to read and want to give some classics a try, but some of the ones we read in English class in middle and high school were terrible. The Pearl, which my brothers are about to read in school, was depressing and pointless (very Shoot the Shaggy Dog). Great Expectations went on forever. As I Lay Dying and A Farewell to Arms were the books I hated the most from my junior year American literature class (the teacher was a Debbie Downer and all but one book we read was depressing, so that wasn't my favorite class). My dad, a LOTR, read Silmarillion. It took him forever to finish because it was such a difficult read.

[Markie]

Books I didn't like:

Old Man and the Sea - only book I never read in high school English

Wuthering Heights - didn't like any of the characters overly much

The Stone Angel - Margaret Lawrence - Canadian author (strange at 17, but will go back and read it as an adult)

The Pearl - meh

The Great Gatsby - didn't care about any characters

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - disturbing as a 16 year old - may revisit to see what my opinion is now

A Tale of two Cities - boring

Frankenstein - surprisingly boring

Great Expectations - although the hall with the creepy wedding cake, etc. is haunting

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and all the Austen knock-offs) - waste of time and stupid * okay, not a classic!

[Claddagh]

I found "The Catcher in the Rye" to be boring. I only read it because we were tested on it each day and had multiple projects each class.

"The Great Gatsby" I also hated. I didn't care for any of the characters and found it hard to understand.

I read Shakespeare because it was required. Half the time I didn't understand what was being said.