My Brilliant Friend

[Anonymous]

I read this years ago and thought I would love it - sounds like just my kind of book. But I also hated it. I finished it, but did not continue with the series.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

I loved The Goldfinch and I loved My Brilliant Friend.

Same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

Did you try the subsequent books? They are worth it and move faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

Interesting. I loved The Goldfinch (have read it at least twice— love Donna Tartt) but I just could not even finish My Brilliant Friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

Interesting! I made 3/4 of the way through The Goldfinch, which is A LOT of reading. And I truly liked it, especially the Las Vegas piece. But when the story returned to NYC, something completely changed for me, and I was OUT. Like, completely. For whatever reason, I no longer cared at all about what happened to the characters. So I just put it down and DNF. Can't think of another book where I've gotten that far into it and then so completely lost interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

Did you try the subsequent books? They are worth it and move faster.

I haven't tried the series at all. Is it possible to just skip to the second book? So many people agree that it's better than the first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

Interesting! I made 3/4 of the way through The Goldfinch, which is A LOT of reading. And I truly liked it, especially the Las Vegas piece. But when the story returned to NYC, something completely changed for me, and I was OUT. Like, completely. For whatever reason, I no longer cared at all about what happened to the characters. So I just put it down and DNF. Can't think of another book where I've gotten that far into it and then so completely lost interest.

I had the same experience with The Goldfinch! I also could not get into My Brilliant Friend.

I am also an ambitious reader, so it is validating that so many others DNF and/hated My Brilliant Friend.

I also think it is weird/interesting that the author is a pseudonym...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

Did you try the subsequent books? They are worth it and move faster.

I haven't tried the series at all. Is it possible to just skip to the second book? So many people agree that it's better than the first.

No, the first book really sets the stage. The first book has a slow start, and the first time I tried to read it I gave up around page 50, only to pick it up years later, persevere and loved it and the rest of the series.

[Anonymous]

Surprised by this thread. I absolutely loved the books. I liked the background of social and political history as much as the psychology of the friendship and the characters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

Did you try the subsequent books? They are worth it and move faster.

I haven't tried the series at all. Is it possible to just skip to the second book? So many people agree that it's better than the first.

Yes, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

Did you try the subsequent books? They are worth it and move faster.

I haven't tried the series at all. Is it possible to just skip to the second book? So many people agree that it's better than the first.

Yes, of course.

I took a break between books1&2 and forgot who a lot of the minor characters were, and it didn’t matter.?My dh and I just started watching the tv adaptation and we started with season 2 because I thought he was more likely to be interested in it if it weren’t about little girls. He doesn’t have any context or know the backstories of the characters but figured out enough. He’s drawn in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

I loved The Goldfinch and I loved My Brilliant Friend.

Liked the goldfinch (loved? Eh) and hated my brilliant friend

Wicked!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

Did you try the subsequent books? They are worth it and move faster.

I haven't tried the series at all. Is it possible to just skip to the second book? So many people agree that it's better than the first.

No, the first book really sets the stage. The first book has a slow start, and the first time I tried to read it I gave up around page 50, only to pick it up years later, persevere and loved it and the rest of the series.

+1

You will appreciate the rest of the books a lot more. You cannot skip the first book.

[Anonymous]

I couldn't do it. Had a friend who read all those novels and adored them and I felt bad I couldn't get through the first one because she was so enthusiastic and wanted someone to talk about them with.

For me there was not enough plot and I found the main characters off-putting and hard to relate to.

[Anonymous]

I did not enjoy The Goldfinch overall, but feel some misplaced pride that I slogged through to the end.