| Over-rated books 20:41 - Aug 20 with 11515 views | Logman |
OK, so we've done under-rated books, over and under-rated players, films and food. That just leaves over-rated books.
Not the most exciting of threads (not expecting more than one page) but if it saves me 3 months of tedium trying to unravel a storyline in 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez then it will make my daily commute a lot less painstaking.
Another nominee for the trash can, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. The first few chapters promise a magical mystery tour but then it just seems to turn into the equivalent of a journey on the Central Line, with engineering works.
Any other literary works to be given the Satanic Verses Treatment ? |  | | |  |
| Over-rated books on 18:46 - Aug 21 with 1624 views | BlackCrowe |
Shantaram, vaguely entertaining but the author is such a self-preening @rse. The Beach was a load of old shite too. |  |
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| Over-rated books on 18:57 - Aug 21 with 1593 views | Hoopstar |
I picked up Shantaram when I was 19 and stoned wandering around India and thought it was the best thing ever written. Tried to read it again fifteen years later and came to the conclusion I was mistaken. |  | | |
| Over-rated books on 19:02 - Aug 21 with 1571 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Over-rated books on 18:07 - Aug 21 by Gus_iom |
'Grapes of Wrath' inspired the revolutionary fervour in me. |
True, me too. Orwell as well.
But Steinbeck never wrote in an overblown manner. Words were words. 'Grapes of Wrath' was underplayed, if anything. And all the moreeffective for it. The only time I thought he spilled into opinions, and then only slightly, was 'Travels with Charley', and then as an old man maybe he thought it was ok to opine. |  |
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| Over-rated books on 22:03 - Aug 21 with 1337 views | colinallcars |
| Over-rated books on 13:51 - Aug 21 by loftboy |
The bible or any other religious crap designed to keep the poor in line. |
You're not George Gershwin in disguise are you ?
The things that you're liable
To read in the bible,
It ain't necessarily so… |  | | |
| Over-rated books on 22:10 - Aug 21 with 1315 views | lightwaterhoop |
| Over-rated books on 19:02 - Aug 21 by BrianMcCarthy |
True, me too. Orwell as well.
But Steinbeck never wrote in an overblown manner. Words were words. 'Grapes of Wrath' was underplayed, if anything. And all the moreeffective for it. The only time I thought he spilled into opinions, and then only slightly, was 'Travels with Charley', and then as an old man maybe he thought it was ok to opine. |
East of Eden was his masterpiece i read it when i was very young and it knocked me out then.I'm a bit scared to reread it TBH in case it disappoints me.But as this post is about overrated books can i go for anything by William Faulkner.I tried a couple of them as he is highly rated in some circles but gave up each time. | | | |
| Over-rated books on 22:42 - Aug 21 with 1231 views | Phildo |
I love a lot of the books mentioned above but I nominate DH Lawrence and Hilary Mantel for room 101. |  | | |
| Over-rated books on 23:16 - Aug 21 with 1168 views | 222gers |
| Over-rated books on 22:03 - Aug 21 by colinallcars |
You're not George Gershwin in disguise are you ?
The things that you're liable
To read in the bible,
It ain't necessarily so… |
They that have truth as their shield and buckler shall know the Lord
They that seeketh not the Lord shall know but the dust from his valance
That Johnny Rotten knew a thing or two. |  | | |
| Over-rated books on 07:46 - Aug 22 with 1046 views | Hoopstar |
My contribution is almost every last novel written about the upper classes in 18th to early 19th century - with the exception of Jane Austen. Her novels are not for me, but I can concede their importance and do like them as a riposte to the rubbish sensibility novels of her time.
Books like Bridehead Revisited and Daniel Deronda have always left me utterly cold. | | | |
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| Over-rated books on 13:06 - Aug 22 with 876 views | Sonofpugwash |
Anything by Shakespeare. |  |
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| Over-rated books on 13:17 - Aug 22 with 834 views | dmm |
| Over-rated books on 13:06 - Aug 22 by Sonofpugwash |
Anything by Shakespeare. |
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| Over-rated books on 14:39 - Aug 22 with 701 views | dandaqpr |
Swallows and Amazons . I tried to read it to my then , seven year old daughter. We called it “ the book that never ends “ unless you understood nautical terms, it was tedious and bamboozling . | | | |
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