I put down Gruen's Water for Elephants for the last time last week.
I was on page 159 of 331. It just wasn't worth it anymore.
I was barely reading it anyway, what with the swear words and the, well, inappropriateness. Call me a prude if you want.
I don't understand why books have to have that kind of crap in them! I would think that it is possible to write an interesting, historically sound story about a circus without being quite so blunt and detailed about the sexual side of things. Just my opinion, I guess.
This one caused quite a bit of buzz, and was on bestseller lists for a while, so I'm bummed about it being unreadable. I looked up the end on Wikipedia, so I at least know what happens.
Another potentially great story, ruined by sex. Shame.
Up next: Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. Anyone read it? I haven't started yet.
A book with a lot of media hype that I read and did not enjoy: "The Kite Runner."
ReplyDeleteLots of sadness, lots of pain, and no real positive character growth or outlook. Plus some homosexual rape.
Sad, sad story. Sometimes I wish I hadn't read it.
So thank you for this review. I think I'll pass on it too.
bummer. :(
ReplyDeleteI read it for a book club last year. Thankfully the girl that picked the book covered over all the "bad" parts with paper. Seriously...there was no way to read them. HOORAY.
ReplyDeleteBut even with that, the book wasn't that great. I wasn't sure what all the hype was about.
Exactly how I felt about reading Wicked. Such a horrible horrible book. I finally closed it and threw it in the trash, and it's rare that I don't finish a book I start, even if it's lame or uninteresting.
ReplyDeleteShirley: I didn't finish Wicked either. That book was such a disappointment!
ReplyDeleteI've read Wicked twice in the hopes that I'll understand it. Still no luck, although I love the musical soundtrack!
ReplyDeleteOh, and Katie, I read the wiki article on your book. Did you see that it was written for NaNoWriMo? I stand by my statement that no good can come out of telling everyone that they are good writers.
Thank you for saving my time. I have that on my bookshelf. I will go promptly remove it.
ReplyDeleteGood for you - tossing that book. Why didn't I think of that? I think I got caught up in the hype. You're not a prude. You have a great judgment.
ReplyDeleteKatie, do you know that we have a ward book club? I ready this book, too (not in ward bookclub). And it was bad. I wish I'd stopped reading it before the end. What a smart girl you are.
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