Books Loved by Critics Hated By You

[Randy M.]

Interesting. I found The End of the Affair sublime, like almost every novel Graham Greene wrote. Close to perfection in style and substance. He is one of the writers I would confess to trying to emulate (in style if not genre).

I make an error there. It was The Heart of the Matter not The End of the Affair, which I've not read.

 

[worldofmutes]

Basically any popfiction. Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, etc… though I haven’t given them a chance, they’re mostly erotic fantasy. And the covers are tawdry.

 

[KGeo777]

Hemingway bored me.
In Canada there was high praise for Margaret Laurence and I just want to vomit when I think of wasting my precious time having to read the Stone Angel and I forgot the other one. Awful dull.

 

[KiraAnn]

For Hitchhiker’s Guide, it’s amusing if I have smoked enough weed. Of course, my dog wagging his tail while looking at me is also amusing in that state.

More seriously, I find Alastair Reynolds and Ian Banks to be uninteresting.

 

[psikeyhackr]

More seriously, I find Alastair Reynolds and Ian Banks to be uninteresting.

I have tried 5 Ian Banks books. I finished Player of Games and Look to Windward but was thoroughly unimpressed.

 

[Rodders]

Looks like I have some new arch enemies.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Bots now programmed to recognize agents of
The Culture.

 

[saulfan]

Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom'

 

[Coops]

I could never grok Vonnegut, the out of sequence time hopping was too much for me.

 

[Stuart Suffel]

The Book Thief.

There. I've said it.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

This sounds like sacrilege, but I dislike Hemmingway and Fitzgerald.

 

[pogopossum]

I've always felt that there are two sacred texts in older SFF fandom: The Lord of the Rings and Hitchhiker's, and woe betide he who does not love them enough. I did read Hitchhiker's a long time ago, and I saw the TV show, but I remember it as being about as good as one of the weaker Monty Python sketches. I was always careful not to re-read it while I was writing the Space Captain Smith books, as I didn't want Douglas Adams' sense of humour to rub off onto what I was writing. Perhaps I ought to give it another go sometime.

LOTR was riveting when I first read it. . Of course I was 15 and it was 58 years ago. Almost flunked my private school finals as I stayed up all night reading it.
I have great affection for Hitchhikers, but I would suggest to Toby that if your first experience with it was the BBC Radio original version, your feelings would be different.

 

[pogopossum]

The above comment that LOTR and Hitrchikers are the sacred texts for SFF fandom do not quite ring true for me.

I would suggest that it is Dune.

I have nothing particularly against it, although I thought that Herbert's earlier stuff was better.
What I dislike is it's iconic status. Some nice ideas, but mixed with mystical claptrap, unscientific genetics and indulgent musings.
I am so old (How old?) that I first read it as a pre-teen when it came into my house in installments in the short lived oversize version of Analog, as part of my older brother's subscription.
Re-read it about twenty years later. Have been bemused by its following ever since.

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

The above comment that LOTR and Hitrchikers are the sacred texts for SFF fandom do not quite ring true for me.

I would suggest that it is Dune.

I have nothing particularly against it, although I thought that Herbert's earlier stuff was better.
What I dislike is it's iconic status. Some nice ideas, but mixed with mystical claptrap, unscientific genetics and indulgent musings.
I am so old (How old?) that I first read it as a pre-teen when it came into my house in installments in the short lived oversize version of Analog, as part of my older brother's subscription.
Re-read it about twenty years later. Have been bemused by its following ever since.

My reaction to "Dune" as a teenager was "eeeehhhh, it's OK, but SO much tedious padding between the interesting bits." It felt like a decent story stretched endlessly out to snoreworthy effect. Considering I loved LOTR, "Ulysses", "Gormenghast" and "War and Peace" at that age, that's saying something.

 

[Swank]

With the number of SF books some folks here don't like, I would love to see their two book recommended list!


I tried reading a Charles Stross book, and didn't find the waffling main character readable.

I finished a David Brin Uplift novel and found the characters to be childish.

The writing in Ada Palmer's Too Like the Lightning was solid, but so full of exposition about the social connections of the characters that it became a slog to get to the story.



Catcher In The Rye is a cute story and quick read. It's surprising how strongly negative are the feelings people attach to it.

 

[BAYLOR]

With the number of SF books some folks here don't like, I would love to see their two book recommended list!


I tried reading a Charles Stross book, and didn't find the waffling main character readable.

I finished a David Brin Uplift novel and found the characters to be childish.

The writing in Ada Palmer's Too Like the Lightning was solid, but so full of exposition about the social connections of the characters that it became a slog to get to the story.



Catcher In The Rye is a cute story and quick read. It's surprising how strongly negative are the feelings people attach to it.

In the case of Catcher in the Rye The main character Holden Caulfield, is neither likable nor sympathetic. So, the negativity towards this book is understandable.

 

[Swank]

In the case of Catcher in the Rye The main character Holden Caulfield, is neither likable nor sympathetic. So, the negativity towards this book is understandable.

I think he is funny and sympathetic, so the fact that i (and a lot of other people) like the book is understandable.

 

[Bick]

I think he is funny and sympathetic, so the fact that i (and a lot of other people) like the book is understandable.

Yeah, I liked it a good deal also; I don't really understand the antipathy towards it based on Holden's character. I actually liked the character.

 

[JunkMonkey]

In the case of Catcher in the Rye The main character Holden Caulfield, is neither likable nor sympathetic. So, the negativity towards this book is understandable.

I gave it to both my daughters and told them "read this before you are 16 because you'll hate the spoiled self-indulgent little w**ker when you're older." I also said the same to them about Lord of the Rings which I too loved at 16 (and have loathed ever since).

 

[Randy M.]

I'm starting to wonder if Catcher in the Rye isn't some sort of literary Rorschach test.