Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 23:09     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
Anonymous wrote:Goldfinch, Overstory, My Brilliant Friend were all DNFs for me. Maybe they eventually became amazing but I just could not get into them after at least 100 pages (and over 200 for Overstory). Thought Man Named Ove was treacly crap. Station 11 was not bad but way overhyped. If the apocalypse ever comes I will definitely shoot any survivors doing Shakespeare in the park.


agree with all of these!
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 22:10     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
More hate for the Goldfinch. I finished it but only because I thought it had to get better. It didn’t. Also hated Northwoods. My book group was evenly divided between love and hate, no in between.

I liked Tom Lake.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 22:00     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
Meant to say “tragedy porn” above.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 22:00     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
A Little Life. The tragedy poem seemed deeply exploitative, I did not believe in Jude as a character, I didn’t believe in everyone’s adoration of Jude, I didn’t like the lack of female characters, and it was so disturbing and grotesque with assault after assault, rape after rape.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 19:11     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
Anonymous wrote:On the other hand, I loved Great Expectations. I love all Dickens especially David Copperfield. I also pretty much love all of Elizabeth Strout (I think I have read all her books) and Ann Patchett.


I love Dickens too. For some reason it's very "trendy" to bash GE.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 17:36     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
All the Light -- I was so caught up in the writing that I could not follow the story.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 17:27     Subject: Name a popular book you didn't like
Anonymous wrote:Goldfinch, Overstory, My Brilliant Friend were all DNFs for me. Maybe they eventually became amazing but I just could not get into them after at least 100 pages (and over 200 for Overstory). Thought Man Named Ove was treacly crap. Station 11 was not bad but way overhyped. If the apocalypse ever comes I will definitely shoot any survivors doing Shakespeare in the park.


Overstory was a DNF for me.

I'm loving My Brilliant Friend right now. I liked The Goldfinch, but can totally understand why it would be a DNF for people.