Books that everyone likes except you?

The Magus John Fowles. Utter pretentious tosh. Everyone else I knew, who read the book at the the same time as I, thought it was ahead of its time and deeply meaningful.

winterwhite

The Lord of the Rings.

I got through half of the trilogy but the battle scenes were so boring .....

grumppa

Wuthering Heights. Give me Anne Brontë any day.
Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light.

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall.
I really dislike her style of writing.

I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes, recommended by SisterIL. Could not get into it at all.

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez
I was told that the prose was beautiful but gave up after two chapters

The Hobbit
I loved The Hobbit but I was quite young when I read it.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I also found Heart Of Darkness hard going, I only finished it because it was the subject if an essay.

Amazing to see so many books listed that I have loved, loathed, or been bored by!
to me, reading is so personal that I can't follow anyone ese's taste. Happy to have recommendations, but they don't always speak to me.
I rarely recommend books for the same reason.

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. I started it twice but still couldn’t get into it.

NanKate

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. I started it twice but still couldn’t get into it.

I downloaded that on to my Kindle, not started it yet.

Everyone else seems to love it Calli so don’t be put off by me.

NanKate

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. I started it twice but still couldn’t get into it.

I almost gave it up several times but ploughed through to the end as so many people raved about it. Not me though.

I will try ?

(Soon)

Victoria Hislop books are a no for me, I've tried a couple for reading group but ended up skimming through.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Depressing.
For years I heard people going on about The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists so I bought it. Oh dear oh dear. I had no idea what it was about. Dreary, boring.

Anything by James Patterson. I am attracted by the idea of the stories but think they are so badly written. I know his books are very popular so maybe just not my cup of tea.
Similarly the Da Vinci code. Laborious.

I'm another one who doesn't care for Richard Osmans books and really dislike sci fi. I loved 'This is going to hurt' much of it was a lived experience. I have never earned to Victoria Hislop either. Favourite authors Anita Brookner, Carol Shields, Marion Keyes. I have enjoyed some Fan Browns. Loved Gone Girl didn't get on with Chocolat but read to the end.

Elizabeth27

The books by Richard Osman, a lot of people raved about them but i read 2 and found them slow going and rather silly.

I agree - a friend recommended his first book and I did try to persevere, thinking it would get better, but it was so badly written I had to give up!

aggie

I decided to read all Dickens ! But Pickwick Papers defeated me ! Think I read most of the rest and enjoyed them

... you rang? !

I've read all of Dickens - much of it twice.

But PPs defeated me too. I think you had to be there!

I enjoyed the illustrations though. Interestingly, Robert Seymour, after completing illustrations for the second monthly instalment, committed suicide. Robert Buss was hired for the third instalment, but Dickens didn't approve, so finally hired Hablot Knight Browne, who became known as "Phiz" and he and "Boz" became friends for 20+ years.

Nannagarra I agree about Maeve Binchy. Always seemed to go nowhere and be rather pointless.
My Nan didn’t like her books either.

I loved Atwood’s early work, but she’s far too clever for me now.

Worst book ever:
Bridget Flipping Jones’ Bloody Diary

The Day Of The Jackal, so boring at the start, but glad I persevered, well worth reading.

I wanted him to succeed!

NanKate

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. I started it twice but still couldn’t get into it.

I struggled with the first couple of chapters, then the characters and I suddenly clicked I really didn’t want it to end.

Anything by Donna Tart, Richard Osman's over hyped books.

I agree about James Patterson Cheesey however in our small voluntary library he is one of the most borrowed authors.

GrannyGravy13

NanKate

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. I started it twice but still couldn’t get into it.

I struggled with the first couple of chapters, then the characters and I suddenly clicked I really didn’t want it to end.

The same for me GrannyGravy. I wouldn’t mind seeing it made into a film.

Beechnut

GrannyGravy13

NanKate

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. I started it twice but still couldn’t get into it.

I struggled with the first couple of chapters, then the characters and I suddenly clicked I really didn’t want it to end.

The same for me GrannyGravy. I wouldn’t mind seeing it made into a film.

It has been made into a film, I think it’s released this summer, cannot wait,

Granmarderby10

The Catcher In The Rhye Irritating adolescent twerp

This was one of my O level English Literature set books. I enjoyed it at the time because I was a similar age to the protagonist but would not want to read it now for the very reason you have stated. On the other hand, Far From the Madding Crowd was also set for O level and it is a novel that can be read and enjoyed by all ages. A true classic.
In general, I do not particularly enjoy literature from the later nineteenth century as l find it verbose. I am with those who do not like the works of the Brontë sisters and as for Pickwick papers - I nearly lost the will to live there. I often enjoy the classics in film versions as you get the story without the padding. A more recent book that I did not enjoy but was popular here was A Terrible Kindness by Jo Wroe as I felt the protagonist was very self-indulgent.