The DNF (Did Not Finish) Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Goldfinch.

I finished it but I wish I hadn’t… that’s weeks of my life I’ll never get back. If ever a book were in need of an editor, The Goldfinch is it. I loved Tartt’s The Secret History and was really disappointed with this one.

[Anonymous]

I've had Isabel Wilkerson's Caste on my book shelf for a while now and was really looking forward to reading it.

I started it today, and am really not enjoying her sentence structure. I keep reading parts and immediately wanting to fix them for better flow. Same thing with some of the paragraphs. I enjoy reading for the subject but mostly I really enjoy well constructed writing. This is pushing towards a DNF for me and I'm disappointed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Goldfinch.

I finished it but I wish I hadn’t… that’s weeks of my life I’ll never get back. If ever a book were in need of an editor, The Goldfinch is it. I loved Tartt’s The Secret History and was really disappointed with this one.

+1. I wanted to put needles in my eyes around the third time they were going around Amsterdam's canals and Tartt kept reaching for new ways to describe the moon on the water. Also the really cliche'd characters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was the first novel I haven’t been able to finish in years. It was just so slow and drawn out.

I finished it - but I agree - oh my goodness, did it take a long time to wrap up.

I loved the writing of Addie LaRue, but kept thinking about how small her life was. There was a little mention of her possibly being a spy during WW2, but other than that, it seems just just wandered around France, England, and the US? If you had hundreds of years, wouldn't you have explored a bit more? Done some more things?

So. Many. More. Things.

Her life was SO SMALL.

The part that killed me was here she was hanging out with the literal devil, and she had zero curiosity about what HIS life was like, even. Infinite years to find out about infinite things, and she has not the remotest interest in ANYTHING other than the number of freckles on her cheek and how they look quite like a constellation.

I hated that book. Finished it, but hated it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was the first novel I haven’t been able to finish in years. It was just so slow and drawn out.

I finished it - but I agree - oh my goodness, did it take a long time to wrap up.

I loved the writing of Addie LaRue, but kept thinking about how small her life was. There was a little mention of her possibly being a spy during WW2, but other than that, it seems just just wandered around France, England, and the US? If you had hundreds of years, wouldn't you have explored a bit more? Done some more things?

So. Many. More. Things.

Her life was SO SMALL.

The part that killed me was here she was hanging out with the literal devil, and she had zero curiosity about what HIS life was like, even. Infinite years to find out about infinite things, and she has not the remotest interest in ANYTHING other than the number of freckles on her cheek and how they look quite like a constellation.

I hated that book. Finished it, but hated it.

^ I should add that I could imagine ennui being built into the story. Perhaps she attacks life with verve for the first two hundred years - then finds that no matter where she is, and what year it is, it's all sort of the same. She once wanted to know about the devil but even lost interest in that. Then she just takes to drinking coffee and counting freckles while complaining or something. But unless I missed it, there was no exploration of how mortality is what makes life interesting.

I think the Tilda Swinton vampire movie Only Lovers Left Alive gets into that more (if I am remembering right, I watched it a long time ago).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could not get through any of the BearTown. It was like a book I read in early middle school and the writing was very immature.

I agree with this one

I started it because my HS English teacher highly recommended it on Good Reads. It was awful.

[Anonymous]

I finished Never by Ken Follett and wish I hadn't. I usually love his books but this one was terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Little Fires Everywhere

Where the Crawdad Sings

I don’t finish books often but I seriously tried with these two. Huge mistake.

I liked both of these! 🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gentleman in Moscow. I tried three times!

I LOVED Gentleman in Moscow. But I did not like The Lincoln Highway at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can I be the first person here to say Infinite Jest!?

Because most people don't pick it up in the first place. - No way, no how. I read a paragraph and put it back down.

And I’ll say, because I don’t consider it a DNF, just “still at it”! Each time I restart I get further. And this is with the audiobook!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gentleman in Moscow. I tried three times!

I LOVED Gentleman in Moscow. But I did not like The Lincoln Highway at all.

I did not either. I hated the ending of Lincoln Highway!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had Isabel Wilkerson's Caste on my book shelf for a while now and was really looking forward to reading it.

I started it today, and am really not enjoying her sentence structure. I keep reading parts and immediately wanting to fix them for better flow. Same thing with some of the paragraphs. I enjoy reading for the subject but mostly I really enjoy well constructed writing. This is pushing towards a DNF for me and I'm disappointed!

Do you ever listen? I thought it was a great audiobook, although it made me so ANGRY for months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Little Fires Everywhere

Where the Crawdad Sings

I don’t finish books often but I seriously tried with these two. Huge mistake.

I liked both of these! 🤣

Same!! I enjoyed both, was sad when I turned the final page.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I finished Never by Ken Follett and wish I hadn't. I usually love his books but this one was terrible.

I found that one fascinating and very compelling. I loved his Clifton Chronicles too.

[Anonymous]

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Killers of The Flower Moon
Sing You Home
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

These are since June. Before that I’d maybe given up on one book in the prior five years? No idea what changed, if it was my selection process or just overall tolerance.