As always, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Today's topic is Books I Almost Put Down - But Didn't.
I'm going to take that to mean - books I sloughed through.
1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
This book was rather boring. WAY too many nonfictional digressions on the history of whaling and the anatomy of a whale and the symbolism of whales etc.
2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
Here, there were a LOT of philosophical digressions - but that's just par for the course with Russian literature. However, I do not regret finishing this book. It was NOT a waste of time, and was a fantastic experience. And now I can say I read War and Peace cover to cover! (And wrote a pretty nice essay on it, too!)
3. Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant.
I know I ranted about this one before. I love Guy de Maupassant - he has an excellent way with words - but Bel Ami was just so unsatisfying for me. The reason I didn't put it down was because I had hope that he would end it well. He didn't.
(Oh, and I found the post where I ranted about it, by the way.)
4. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
I bet you didn't think you'd see this guy on this list, did you? I've sung my praises of Les Miz on here more than once, but that was after I'd read it for the second time.
See, the first time I read it, I was - twelve? thirteen? - and I did enjoy it. But there were far too many digressions for me to not have doubts, and I did consider putting it down. THANK GOD I DIDN'T. The second time I read it, I was ready for the digressions, and took them as they came. Some I read. Some I didn't. But I relished the story more because I wasn't freaking out about missing something just because I skipped some random section on the history and philosophy of slang.
Well, only four today, I guess. This one was a bit difficult for me. I guess I rarely finish books that I am considering putting down.
What about you? What books have you almost put down - but didn't?
Les Miserables was super hard to read! I forgot to put that on my list. I read the unabridged version of that and oh my it took me for forever! I did enjoy it though and I can say I read it now.
ReplyDeletehttp://youmeandacupofteablog.blogspot.com/2014/05/top-ten-books-i-almost-put-down-but.html
Yeah, there are definitely parts that drag, but I'm glad you like it now. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteLe Miz took me 2 years to finally finish for that reason. But I love it so much. I want to read Moby Dick, but haven't yet.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble with House of Mirth. I also kept putting down Bleak House up until the last quarter of the book, when I couldn't put it down.
Bleak House I actually did put down, along with Old Curiosity Shop. I saw the BBC version of Bleak House though, so I'm considering picking it back up.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
When you finish Bleak House you will have #5 for your list. :)
DeleteBingo! :)
DeleteWow! You read Les Miz when you were 12 or 13? Amazing! And I can see why it needs to be read more than once. This summer I am going to attempt War and Peace for the first time.
ReplyDeleteSome books I struggled through were Mrs. Dalloway, The Return of the Native, and Heart of Darkness. The first two were only painful in the beginning, but once I got through the first chapters, I ended up appreciating them. Heart of Darkness was not like either of those. That's another story!
Good luck with War and Peace!
DeleteAnd I haven't read any of those three you mention. I'll look into putting them on my list!
Thanks for stopping by!
Tough books and big ones too. I managed to finish Moby Dick and could appreciate what Melville was doing, but it took a lot of effort to read. I started War and Peace, but put it aside to read other things. It will be my main classic for the summer. I'm so determined to read it!
ReplyDeleteWar and Peace is really a fantastic book, though the second epilogue is a bit much. :) I hope you enjoy it!
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