Famous books I read and didn't think they deserve the reputation they have:
Life of Pi--it was okay, but everyone raved about it as a work of great spiritual insight. I'm still looking for the spirituality.
Jude the Obscure--my fellow grad students loved it, called it "Jude the Obscene." I found it well-written but rather boring. And it seemed unbelievable that a six year-old boy could hang his brother and sister and himself and leave a suicide note explaining why he did it.
Cold Mountain--struck me as a lot of overblown naturalism. Naturalism? That went out of style with Jack London.
The Old Gringo--started out fine but then in the last half he turns into a pornographic novel. Now I've got nothing against eroticism, but Fuentes ruins a perfectly good book with a lot of violent, clinical and (I think) unnecessary descriptions of people having sex. Too bad.
The worst novel I've ever read: A Hazard of New Fortunes by William Dean Howells. For God's sake, don't read it unless you're forced to. And if you're forced to, endure the torture bravely.
dwl
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