Anonymous
Post 12/08/2025 11:03     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Understory. I tried twice.


Any chance you actually mean The Overstory? Because a huge +1 to not being able to finish that one! I loved the beginning and then it fell off a cliff. I kept seeing it on best seller lists and wondered if anyone who bought it actually made it to the end.


The collection of short stories in the first part of the Overstory was magnificent. The second part that pulled it all together—meh!


I finished the Overstory and have absolutely no idea what the point was. It was terrible.
Anonymous
Post 12/08/2025 09:56     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Women.
Demon copperhead.


OP here. I loved Demon Copperhead, but if you don't like trauma p0rn, I get why it wouldn't grab you. It's a fine line. How many bad things can happen to one guy?

Still working on Poisonwood.


I almost gave up on Demon Copperhead because it was just too many bad things. I powered through and was glad I did.
Anonymous
Post 12/08/2025 09:38     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:Beloved by Toni Morrison. I’ve tried twice and can’t get past chapter 3.


Watch the movie and then decide if you want to go back and read the book.
Anonymous
Post 12/08/2025 09:37     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Women.
Demon copperhead.


OP here. I loved Demon Copperhead, but if you don't like trauma p0rn, I get why it wouldn't grab you. It's a fine line. How many bad things can happen to one guy?

Still working on Poisonwood.


I completely agree with this assessment of Demon Copperhead. I ultimately did not finish it so I would suggest you leave it.
Anonymous
Post 12/08/2025 08:33     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:Re: Barbara Kingsolver books...

Demon Copperhead is among my top 5 favorite books. I loved everything about it.

I craved her writing after and read Poisonwood Bible, but it was definitely lacking for me. I know that it's a classic, but it didn't compare to Demon and I didn't connect to the story in the same way. I finished it, but had to muscle through.

I find Ann Patchett similar- the books of hers I love, I LOVE (Bel Canto, State of Wonder, Patron Saint of Liars). But there are a handful of others that I find very boring and disappointing (Commonwealth, Tom Lake).


Interesting re Ann Patchett. I’ve only read the Dutch House, and found it soo boring, but perhaps it’s not reflective of her better books.
Anonymous
Post 12/08/2025 08:28     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I cannot get through “The Sound and the Fury.” I think if I were required to read and discuss it for a class, I’d do okay, but on my own, other books call to me.

I’ve read exactly one part. I’m already vaguely aware of Faulkner and this story/characters/themes (from other works, essays I’ve read, the fantastic forward which I enjoyed more than the book itself!). I feel like I should read it but don’t particularly care for it. Should I continue?


I tried reading it, in the days before the internet, and had to go to Barnes and Noble to peruse the Cliffs Notes on the book. I had no idea of what was going on.

Some books are better read for school.


This is a really good point. For instance, I had no idea about the Crucible being allegory for McCarthyism. So I guess you read a book for itself and enjoy it, but if there's more to it, I'd rather have it pointed out to me that this is a "classroom" book so that I can hunt up reddit threads on what I should get out of it.
Anonymous
Post 12/07/2025 19:29     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I cannot get through “The Sound and the Fury.” I think if I were required to read and discuss it for a class, I’d do okay, but on my own, other books call to me.

I’ve read exactly one part. I’m already vaguely aware of Faulkner and this story/characters/themes (from other works, essays I’ve read, the fantastic forward which I enjoyed more than the book itself!). I feel like I should read it but don’t particularly care for it. Should I continue?


I tried reading it, in the days before the internet, and had to go to Barnes and Noble to peruse the Cliffs Notes on the book. I had no idea of what was going on.

Some books are better read for school.


+1. That’s a sufficiently challenging book that it may not necessarily be the best fit if you’ve got a lot going on in life. No shame in back-burnering it for later IMO
Anonymous
Post 12/07/2025 19:28     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Tender is the Night - Fitzgerald

- Have had trouble getting into it, but I love Gatsby.

This book is definitely not as good as Gatsby. I'm glad I read it but I felt that he paid close attention to writing beautiful sentences to the detriment of the story, but the story is also sad and depressing without any levity or letup. And when you compare it to his first novel, This Side of Paradise (also not as good as Gatsby), which is youthful and insouciant, it is such a sad sign of how his life went. It is likely something of the story of Zelda's hospitalization. His stories are very good, especially the early ones, but even the late Pat Hobby stories are worth reading, which are funny and light.


Well said. Tender is the Night is actually one of my favorite Fitzeralds-- if only because of his gorgeous sentences. I was drawn in by the intrigue of the backstory and current state of Dick and Nicole as it unfolds through glimpses.

My DNF is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I love literature and sci-fi and this was just too stupid AND complex for me. It's like, pick one. I think I left off after some church/cathedral scene.
Anonymous
Post 12/07/2025 19:18     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Understory. I tried twice.


Any chance you actually mean The Overstory? Because a huge +1 to not being able to finish that one! I loved the beginning and then it fell off a cliff. I kept seeing it on best seller lists and wondered if anyone who bought it actually made it to the end.


The Overstory is still sitting on my shelf. The person who gave it to me thought it was the best read of that year, and I don’t dispute that— I just cannot get into it.


The first half +\- of the Overstory was one of my best reads of the year but then the rest was like a different book.

So I guess if you can’t get into the first part you should definitely move on.
Anonymous
Post 12/07/2025 19:11     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
I gave up on Long Island Compromise. I found the writing annoying.
Anonymous
Post 12/07/2025 15:25     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Re: Barbara Kingsolver books...

Demon Copperhead is among my top 5 favorite books. I loved everything about it.

I craved her writing after and read Poisonwood Bible, but it was definitely lacking for me. I know that it's a classic, but it didn't compare to Demon and I didn't connect to the story in the same way. I finished it, but had to muscle through.

I find Ann Patchett similar- the books of hers I love, I LOVE (Bel Canto, State of Wonder, Patron Saint of Liars). But there are a handful of others that I find very boring and disappointing (Commonwealth, Tom Lake).
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 21:56     Subject: Re:The “Should I finish this book?” thread
The Moor's Last Sigh --Salman Rushdie

Only Rushdie book I have ever tried. Read almost all of it but it's been sitting by my bed for months with the last 100 pages or so unread.
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 21:53     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:If I can’t get into a book, I often wonder if I should stick it out or abandon ship. I trust DCUM more than Goodreads or Amazon. Let’s post our partially finished books end courage each other to finish them (or not).

My current unfinished reads are:

Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner (and I’ve loved all her books)

Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver

Stoner, John Williams


Poisonwood Bible was worth it. I kind of enjoy her other books but they're a bit to fey for me.

Apparently it is not true there are no bees to pollinate western-style crops in Africa, which I recall being presented as a fact (the missionary dad is going to show the locals how to grow vegetable as if he was in Iowa)

I enjoyed the bit about how the missionary dad freaks out the mothers because he wants to take the children to the river to be baptized, when they see a guy who intends to feed their offspring to the crocodiles.
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 16:21     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:The Women.
Demon copperhead.


OP here. I loved Demon Copperhead, but if you don't like trauma p0rn, I get why it wouldn't grab you. It's a fine line. How many bad things can happen to one guy?

Still working on Poisonwood.
Anonymous
Post 11/17/2025 11:23     Subject: The “Should I finish this book?” thread
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Understory. I tried twice.


Any chance you actually mean The Overstory? Because a huge +1 to not being able to finish that one! I loved the beginning and then it fell off a cliff. I kept seeing it on best seller lists and wondered if anyone who bought it actually made it to the end.


The Overstory is still sitting on my shelf. The person who gave it to me thought it was the best read of that year, and I don’t dispute that— I just cannot get into it.