Books that Disappointed, Books that Surprised

[Hobgoblin]

Ever pick up a few books that sounded really promising or got great reviews but you just couldnt finish it? Or one that you picked up for no reason but really liked? Here's mine:

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susan Clarke
A book about magicians in 1800's England fighting Napoleon? Sounds great! Its. So. Dry. It goes on forever about the choice of drapes a friend of the main magician chooses for the man's new London home.

The Road
It won the freakin Pulitzer! And its about the end of the world! How could I not like it? I never bought it but when I thumbed through it at the store the ultra sparse prose gave me a headache.

13 Moons
Another historical drama. A long, tedious story about a white man who negotiates land for his adoptive Native American tribe in Oklahoma. Lots of legal work. Lots of snoozing.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
I actually laughed out loud at this book. Like Jonathan Strange, its a very British book but this one is entertaining. I love the characters and thier mannerisms and how they have a million little difficulties that vex them to no end as they try to bring about (or prevent, as the case may be) the end of the world.

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart
A book about the son of one of the richest men in Russia, who hates his life and tries to flee to Belgium. He ends up in the poor, violent Middle Eastern nation of Absurdistan, where life is even worse than in Russia. Not bad for a book I picked up on a whim at the airport to shorten a long trip. Its funny and poignant at the same time. Very appropriate for our time.

 

[adhokk7]

Ever pick up a few books that sounded really promising or got great reviews but you just couldnt finish it? Or one that you picked up for no reason but really liked? Here's mine:

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susan Clarke
A book about magicians in 1800's England fighting Napoleon? Sounds great! Its. So. Dry. It goes on forever about the choice of drapes a friend of the main magician chooses for the man's new London home.


Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
I actually laughed out loud at this book. Like Jonathan Strange, its a very British book but this one is entertaining. I love the characters and thier mannerisms and how they have a million little difficulties that vex them to no end as they try to bring about (or prevent, as the case may be) the end of the world.

These are on my list of disappointing books. To me, they were both based on entertaining ideas, but they failed in execution. JS&MN could have (and I argue, should have) been about 300 pages shorter and would have been much more effective. With Good Omens, as with a lot of Gaiman's prose, it was a case of (in my opinion) Gaiman being too smug or thinking that he was so very clever that he didn't actually need to write the story well. (I am, aside from Good Omens, completely unfamiliar with Pratchett's work, so I'm addressing only Gaiman here.)
I think Clarke clearly has a gift for storytelling, as do both Gaiman and Pratchett, but these books just didn't do it for me.

 

[Hobgoblin]

These are on my list of disappointing books. To me, they were both based on entertaining ideas, but they failed in execution. JS&MN could have (and I argue, should have) been about 300 pages shorter and would have been much more effective. With Good Omens, as with a lot of Gaiman's prose, it was a case of (in my opinion) Gaiman being too smug or thinking that he was so very clever that he didn't actually need to write the story well. (I am, aside from Good Omens, completely unfamiliar with Pratchett's work, so I'm addressing only Gaiman here.)
I think Clarke clearly has a gift for storytelling, as do both Gaiman and Pratchett, but these books just didn't do it for me.

Thats the way I felt about American Gods. It felt like a long winding trip to nowhere. Granted, I didnt finish it either but it was a lot of Wednesday pulling scheme after scheme trying to show how clever he was. As you said, it was a good idea that failed in execution. Gods from the Old World fighting for their place among the New Gods of America? Could have been very interesting.

 

[Mutagen]

I was very disappointed with the Watchmen Graphic Novel.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I was very disappointed with the Watchmen Graphic Novel.

Wow, I'm not the only person in the world that read Watchmen and said "Meh." I'm told that its better the second time around and that I'll get more out of it but I'm in no hurry to read it again.

 

[Mutagen]

Wow, I'm not the only person in the world that read Watchmen and said "Meh." I'm told that its better the second time around and that I'll get more out of it but I'm in no hurry to read it again.

I saw the movie and enjoyed the compromising aspects of good and evil. I like the characters and some of the ideas are fun, but it is not the best thing I have ever read. I'm also not rushing to reread the book again.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I saw the movie and enjoyed the compromising aspects of good and evil. I like the characters and some of the ideas are fun, but it is not the best thing I have ever read. I'm also not rushing to reread the book again.

I thought the movie was a rare case of the movie improving on the book. Long as the movie was, it was streamlined compared to the novel. It was much more concise without the Black Freighter, the mini bios/news articles, the news stand man and the psychologist's wife. I also much prefer the "framed" nuclear war over the bizarre space squid attack on New York. I'm sure there was a reason for the squid but I didnt bother reading Ozymandias's speech at the end to the businessmen. For the smartest man in the world, he sure doesnt know when to shut up.

 

[VampElvis]

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
I don't think I even made it halfway through.

The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
Maybe it's a zeitgeist kind of thing but I really didn't see what the big deal was.

 

[ComicChick]

i didn't really like The Catcher in the Rye either

as for one that surprised me:
Wide Sargasso Sea by - jean rhys
it's supposed to be a prequel to Jane Eyre (which i was supposed to read twice in high school but could never finish) and i actually really enjoyed it a lot. i think i've read it 2 or 3 times between junior year and graduation

 

[Spider-Who?]

Cross Country by James Patterson

If you arent familiar with it, Cross Country is the latest in a long line of books about Alex Cross, a DC detective. The latest book sees him going to Africa to avenge the death of his college sweetheart, who was killed for uncovering plots that have to do with the very real and very dangerous gangs in Africa.

I've loved every other book about Alex Cross. (Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider) were turned into films in the 90s). He was always characterized very well, and his attempts at romance (and the tragic downfall of them) were always staples in the books. In the most recent books, Alex finally gets "the one" - a female detective who is his equal in the field. The author spends a great deal of time in the last few books (and the beginning of Cross Country) solidifing their love, but then, completely out of character, when Alex goes to Africa, he immediatly hooks up with a new woman, cheating on the "love of his life".

There is no rhyme or reason for his actions, and really no consequence. It appeared as if the author felt he needed to have an ongoing, active romance in this story, and since Cross' love was in another country, he just threw in a sordid affair.

This part really bugged me. Cross shows no remorse in his betrayel, and even comes up with lame excuses for why its okay. His gf back in the states never finds out, so there is no character driven end to the events.

Poor writing and sloppy character work in this book.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Cross Country by James Patterson

If you arent familiar with it, Cross Country is the latest in a long line of books about Alex Cross, a DC detective. The latest book sees him going to Africa to avenge the death of his college sweetheart, who was killed for uncovering plots that have to do with the very real and very dangerous gangs in Africa.

I've loved every other book about Alex Cross. (Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider) were turned into films in the 90s). He was always characterized very well, and his attempts at romance (and the tragic downfall of them) were always staples in the books. In the most recent books, Alex finally gets "the one" - a female detective who is his equal in the field. The author spends a great deal of time in the last few books (and the beginning of Cross Country) solidifing their love, but then, completely out of character, when Alex goes to Africa, he immediatly hooks up with a new woman, cheating on the "love of his life".

There is no rhyme or reason for his actions, and really no consequence. It appeared as if the author felt he needed to have an ongoing, active romance in this story, and since Cross' love was in another country, he just threw in a sordid affair.

This part really bugged me. Cross shows no remorse in his betrayel, and even comes up with lame excuses for why its okay. His gf back in the states never finds out, so there is no character driven end to the events.

Poor writing and sloppy character work in this book.

I read Along Came a Spider in high school and enjoyed it. Oddly, I tried to re-read it a few months ago and couldnt get into it. Anyway, maybe the affair will play a part in a future book. Maybe the African gf will come looking for Cross and kill his wife.

 

[Spider-Who?]

I read Along Came a Spider in high school and enjoyed it. Oddly, I tried to re-read it a few months ago and couldnt get into it. Anyway, maybe the affair will play a part in a future book. Maybe the African gf will come looking for Cross and kill his wife.

Spoiler

She gets killed near the end of the book.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Never mind.

 

[Spider-Who?]

haha, yeah, see? I think Patterson lost his groove on this one.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

A book that disappointed - Devil in the White City
I live in Chicago and kept seeing so many people reading the book and heard so many great reviews, finally picked it up and the book sucked, big time. 2/3 of it is just a how to manual on putting together a World's Fair in the early 1900's, not very interesting at all. The part about the serial killer was good and interesting, but also had nothing to do with the World's Fair, other than he took one of his victims there once. It's like two completely different stories that have no connection to each other at all and the interesting story didn't even have a proper ending. The author just stops writing about the serial killer at one point and never comes back to him.

A book the surprised - The Harry Potter series
Picked up the first book a few months before the movie was released, thought what the hell. Sure it's a kid's book and will probably suck, but was reading a lot of Tom Clancy at the time and needed something different. The first book really surprised me and hooked me almost immediately, went out and bought books 2 and 3 and asked to borrow book 4 and eagerly anticipated books 5-7. Just felt the characters and the world jumped off the page, the writing gives you just enough information to see things in your mind's eye without going overboard like Lord of the Rings (good, but a very difficult read)

 

[Spider-Who?]

Oh, another dissappointment is a book called "Orcs". ...Or "Orc". I forget which. I decieded to pick it up cause the cover design caught my eye. Its about, as the title suggests, Orcs, seeing the world from their perspective as opposed to them always being the dimwitted enemy in other fantasy stories.

On one hand wasn't too bad - good action; intersting, if not a bit cliche characters. But they were portrayed in a very human (and United States Militaristic) way, despite the very anti-human sentiment going on. It was also pretty anti-christian, without saying outright.

But the worst part of the book was how in the end, it turns out that

Spoiler

every fantasy creature (orcs, dwarves, griphons, mermaids, etc) are all actually from different dimensions, and they were all taken from their own worlds and tossed into the Human's world by an evil wizard.

Lame.

 

[Bonovox]

A few years ago I had to read "Darkness at Noon" by Arthur Koestler for one of my classes. I had a feeling I would hate it. The professor picked dry, terrible books like "The Trial of Socrates" that we had to read during the semester, and they were all agonizing reads. Then I read this, and was blown out of the water. It is a very political book, criticizing communism and how communist countries used to wipe out political prisoners, but it was one of the quickest reads I ever picked up.

 

[ross2287]

Wasn't impressed with "The Great Gatsby" or anything by Hemingway.

Was totally surprised that I loved "The Grapes of Wrath" as much as I did.

 

[Mutagen]

I thought the movie was a rare case of the movie improving on the book. Long as the movie was, it was streamlined compared to the novel. It was much more concise without the Black Freighter, the mini bios/news articles, the news stand man and the psychologist's wife. I also much prefer the "framed" nuclear war over the bizarre space squid attack on New York. I'm sure there was a reason for the squid but I didnt bother reading Ozymandias's speech at the end to the businessmen. For the smartest man in the world, he sure doesnt know when to shut up.

I pretty much agree.

 

[Bonovox]

Wasn't impressed with "The Great Gatsby" or anything by Hemingway.

I think F. Scott Fitzgerald was drunk when he wrote "The Great Gatsby." It seemed like he tried too hard to insert symbolism throughout the book, and didn't try to make any of the characters likeable or relatable. Granted, the characters didn't have to be likeable, but there was nothing remotely interesting about any of them. In fact, the only excitement I got from the book was all the death and mayhem towards the end. Characters that bad deserved to die.

 

[ComicChick]

I think F. Scott Fitzgerald was drunk when he wrote "The Great Gatsby." It seemed like he tried too hard to insert symbolism throughout the book, and didn't try to make any of the characters likeable or relatable. Granted, the characters didn't have to be likeable, but there was nothing remotely interesting about any of them. In fact, the only excitement I got from the book was all the death and mayhem towards the end. Characters that bad deserved to die.

the only imager/symbolism i remember was Owl Eyes?
and that in the library none of his books were cut. they were all for show cuz none of the book pages had been cut open, which means they were never read

 

[Nirvana]

I picked up a book called The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel a year ago and it sat on my shelf for months before I finally picked it up. It was incredibly impressive.

 

[Sentinel X]

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
I don't think I even made it halfway through.

The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
Maybe it's a zeitgeist kind of thing but I really didn't see what the big deal was.

I LOVE that book...it is probably one of my top 10 books of all time. I like it because the man character thinks/acts so much like me so to me it was interesting.


Disappointed:

- Harry Potter & the Chamber of secrets - Im not a big fan of the Harry Potter series but I felt this book was pretty dull and bland. AND I'd like to add Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone...It was fun but after hearing all these kids saying it was "the best book ever!" I was pretty disappointed

- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - First off, I thought this was about an ACTUAL invisible man...silly me . I read the book and it was good but I was disappointed with the ending and felt that the book could have gotten to the point a lot faster. Its still a good book though but not as amazing as everyone says.

Surprised:

- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - I really liked this book. It was a good romance and Im the king of guy who would never approach a romance.

- Red Dragon by Thomas Harris - I read this after watching Silence of the Lambs and was pleasantly surprised. Its a very good thriller and the story could've made a great film that might have stood up next to silence of the lambs. Its really one of the scariest books ever.

- The Time Machine by H.G Wells - The movie sucked so I didn't think the book would be much better but I was wrong....it is way better than the film. Its a really good read...and its very short probably about 100 pages.

- Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson - I loved the Strange case of Dr.Jekyl and Mr.Hyde and thought I'd like this too but not as much as Jekyl and Hyde....and I found out that its just as good! Its hard to chose which is Stevenson's best work: Treasure Island or Jekyl & Hyde

 

[Victarion]

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini surprised and disappointed me.

It surprised me in that now I actually like Eldest, because even though info-dumps were gratuitious, I got the sense that things were heading somewhere.

It disappointed me because there was a plot drop by a Ra'zac at the beginning, then nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, for like 200-400 pages give or take a few, and then

Spoiler

We find out Galbatorix has dragon heart horcruxes

. That in the tags could've led to a decent story where things are moving along, at least.

 

[hammy]

Disappointed by Harry Potter, Twilight, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, My Antonia.

Surprised by Mutiny on the Bounty.