I have a long work commute and normally listen to non-fiction audiobooks, but I've been trying to branch out with some fiction and have been wanting to listen to some classics. However, I have read some classics that turned out to be exceptionally boring and seemingly pointless books... Was wondering if anyone had some in mind they think are overrated. Care to share?
What books did you find to be pointless? I think most of the classics are that for a reason.
To Kill a Mockingbird was okay but everyone seemed to think it was some great insight on human nature when it was really just
Finished The Plague by Camus, and that was pretty dry and not so deep, but thought it was (and I liked the stranger!)
Kafka on The Shore by Murakami was pretty bad, but maybe the translation lost some of it. The 'dreamlike' tone didn't seem to work even though it was present.
I also think that the majority of the classics should be read and not listened to. They were penned in a specific medium and translate best to that . The points when you stop and think for a bit, reread a passage, or even just look at the form of a paragraph (ellipses, dashes, punctuation) are all lost in audiobook. These are quite important for fiction where the main question we should be asking is what is the author trying to do, and is he doing a good job at that.
Old Man and the Sea is vastly overrated.
agree on OldMan, but For Whom the Bell Tolls and Farewell to Arms are amazing, almost like it's a different writer.
I do not know about overrated, as many people prefer different ones.
I despise Steinbeck while most people worship him.
As for boring many translations do not capture the style. I recommend going to the bookstore and reading different translations yourself before you pick one.
/mu/tant runner wrote:Finished The Plague by Camus, and that was pretty dry and not so deep, but thought it was (and I liked the stranger!)
I loved that book! Which shows that taste is personal. Mind you, I read it in French, which may have made a difference. It's always hard to know how close to the original intent you get with even a great translation. I think it was Dostoevsky who learned Spanish for the sole purpose of reading Don Quixote in the original language. I wish I could commit like that...
I think the bible is pretty over-hyped piece of science fiction and has a pretty over-protective fan base.
Pretty much all that contemporary fiction we had to read in high school. Steinbeck? Yuck. Pretentious garbage.
Great Gatsby - I've never seen the genius of it.
Will disagree with others about the Old Man and the Sea. I think it is a beautiful story, but I'm a Hemingway fan.
"War and Peace" I found to be okay, but not in any sense a life-changer. Truly meh IMO.
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Have to agree with an earlier poster about the Bible. Tiny slices are valuable as literature, but vast stretches are just boring and/or self-contradictory, and it fails as historical fiction or science fiction: In either case, it's too far from reality (pi equals three? zombies?).
And evidently a whole lot of folks agree with me, because even among those who call it "the word of G-d," well over 90% have never read the entire thing. If you *really* thought it was the output of a being that had created a universe with more stars than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of Earth (true stat btw), wouldn't you want to read everything it had to say?
No disputing tastes wrote:"War and Peace" I found to be okay, but not in any sense a life-changer. Truly meh IMO.
Like with another poster about Camus' La Peste (The Plague), I mus disagree vehemently and call you out for poor taste or a bad upbringing. :-)
War and Peace is by FAR the best book I've ever read. Not even close...
Shakespeare is basically meandering unintelligible garbage. Never understood why the Brits seem to revere his work so much.
100 years of solitude. I even made the mistake of trying again because of the acclaim, years later, and still was underwhelmed.
Hard times by Charles Dickens
And war and peace by tolstoy is a masterpiece, a life tome!
brishen wrote:100 years of solitude. I even made the mistake of trying again because of the acclaim, years later, and still was underwhelmed.
Arghhhh, three strikes, this thread is out!
Bunch of literary heathens on here! I LOVED 100 years of solitude.
(in my family, my older sister and my parents read books I can't stomach, and vice versa; there's much better overlap between my tastes and those of my younger sister and brother)
In America, To Kill A Mockingbird is absolutely overrated. It’s not a bad book, it’s quite good in fact, but it has been taught in schools all over the country for far too long while there are alternatives that could be used. For teaching about race relations in America, it doesn’t make sense to continue using a book where the black characters barely have a voice. Kids would be better off reading Richard Wright or Toni Morrison for example.
The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Pride and Prejudice Austin
english classics wrote:
Shakespeare is basically meandering unintelligible garbage. Never understood why the Brits seem to revere his work so much.
Shakespeare is meant to be seen not read. Most of his plays aren't meant to offer deep insights but entertain.
Juice Springsteen wrote:
In America, To Kill A Mockingbird is absolutely overrated. It’s not a bad book, it’s quite good in fact, but it has been taught in schools all over the country for far too long while there are alternatives that could be used. For teaching about race relations in America, it doesn’t make sense to continue using a book where the black characters barely have a voice. Kids would be better off reading Richard Wright or Toni Morrison for example.
I'd argue that To Kill a Mockingbird is more about being a vocal ally and standing up for what's right, rather than just "race relations." It's a very specific part of race relations (and one that still needs to be addressed). It should be supplemented by books with black characters having voices, not replaced by them.
kingojamin wrote:
Great Gatsby - I've never seen the genius of it.
Will disagree with others about the Old Man and the Sea. I think it is a beautiful story, but I'm a Hemingway fan.
Same here. Not a fan of Gatsby and a big fan of Hemingway (and DiMaggio)