Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion

Have you ever bought a book because the reviews lauded the author's skill then cracked open the book to find that yes it is well-written, but you just plain do not like it!

This Much I Know by Wally Lamb---well-written but yuck.

The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński was a powerful read but certainly not what I'd call likable (actually, although I'm glad I read it, I'd choose root canal over a re-read).

The Shack

Elizabeth Kostova's book was exceptionally written and greatly researched, but the story just did not keep my interest. It's a shame, because i like a good historical fiction, but I just didn't get that from this book.

A book should be a treat, not a treatment!

All the time. Prose quality is very important to me, but story and character are right up there with it, and then there's this less tangible question of whether I want to spend a whole novel inside this person's head.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - read it in my Humanities class junior year of high school. It was beautifully written, but the storyline and themes didn't do anything for me. More recently, The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany was a gritty depiction of Egyptian culture, but it was incredibly depressing, despite being well-written even in translation.

Several of the books that we have chosen for the book group I belong to have been like that such as The White Tigerand The Roadwhich is also so depressing and not life affirming as all the blurb would have you believe!

I agree with Tara. The Shack is the worst book I've ever read in my entire life. I can't believe how it's gotten so many positive reviews. Where those people on crack?

It's really brilliantly written, and I include it in my favorite books, but it's just painful to read. I could never reread it.

I read The Historian a few years ago, but all I can remember about it is that I kept falling asleep when reading it!

A book I read recently that was beautifully written was The Tenderness of Wolves, but I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. It's an award-winner and I can see why, it has an interesting and unusual style, but it never really interested me as a story.

I think it's good to read books that are well-written, even if they're unlikable. They can be enjoyed just for the power of the writing. It's something I feel I should so more often.

I agree with The Historian! I also really disliked Cold Mountain -- it might have been well written, but I just didn't like it at all.

I felt the same way about Cold Mountain-I didn't even finish it.

Another book I thought was well-written but didn't like was The Mosquito Coast. I finished that one because it was so well-written and I liked the narrator but I hated his father.

That's pretty much how I feel about Memoirs of a Geisha.

I agree with Emma about The Road. I had a hard time finishing that one. I kept telling myself, "This book is supposed to be amazing." I'm sorry to hear bad things about Cold Mountain. I loved the movie, so I thought I would enjoy the book even more. Maybe I will get a library copy instead of buying the Nook book I was planning.

Moon wrote: "That's pretty much how I feel about Memoirs of a Geisha."

I rather enjoyed that book, simply because it was so different to read. There were however, characters I disliked, but it wasn't enough to put the book down.

The first book that springs to mind for me is House of Meetings by Martin Amis

Rita wrote: "The first book that springs to mind for me is House of Meetings by Martin Amis"
Superbly written, but it just didn't do it for me.

Valerie wrote: "The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - read it in my Humanities class junior year of high school. It was beautifully written, but the storyline and themes didn't do anything for me. More recent..."

I feel the same with God of small things

Also The Name of the Rose and House of Leaves.

I had to read God of Small Things for class and it was a major disappointment. So was Never Let me Go.