Would this put you off?

mum2three

GrannyGravy13

mum2three

Not really no, but I can't help wondering why you are asking. Have you discovered something unsavoury about a particular author.
J.K. Rowling is obviously not an animal lover, judging by her books, but it doesn't stop me admiring her talent or her opinions.
One thing I do wonder about is....do the authors of murder mysteries enjoy wring about the actual act of killing someone? I used to enjoy Wilbur Smith but he seems to enjoy thinking up the most horrible ways to kill people.

J K Rowling has dogs and a cat.

What on earth made you think she isn’t an animal lover?

Her Harry Potter books include abuse of animals....a spider being tortured, rats being turned into goblets. Surely no-one with a love of animals would even consider such things, especially in a story aimed at children.

Dearie me, it's a fantasy series about wizards! There are plenty of classic children's fiction which contains far worse - have you read some of the original fairy tales, for instance? As a horse-made child, I sobbed my heart out over Black Beauty. What about the Goosebumps series, or Horrible Histories?

It depends. If it were a living writer, some dubious celebrity, then I wouldn’t bother to read anything they published but writers of work considered classical and/or challenging I have and do read. Often, their beliefs were of the time, issues that are considered unpalatable now (and arguably unpalatably then) but neverthless informed their work - work which is stufied and discussed many years later.

I count Dicken’s Great Expectations as one of my favourite novels and have read it many times knowing as I do that Dickens had some unpalatable beliefs on many issues, including the Australian penal colonies - considered too soft, uncomfortable that convicts who had been transported to Australia, prospered in later life. Hence, Pip’s repulsion at discovering that his real benefactor was Magwitch.

mum2three

Not really no, but I can't help wondering why you are asking. Have you discovered something unsavoury about a particular author.
J.K. Rowling is obviously not an animal lover, judging by her books, but it doesn't stop me admiring her talent or her opinions.
One thing I do wonder about is....do the authors of murder mysteries enjoy wring about the actual act of killing someone? I used to enjoy Wilbur Smith but he seems to enjoy thinking up the most horrible ways to kill people.

I am asking because the subject was once again brought to my mind following the recent controversy regarding author Neil Gaiman whose book Good Omens and the subsequent TV show are among my favourites. I found myself asking myself, should I be put off by the situation? And why was I not?
I had similar questions when I discovered the allegations leveled at Marion Zimmer Bradley who for me wrote the best version of the Arturian legend.

Similar story with me. We have 5 limited edition prints by Rolf Harris. When he was imprisoned, we put one of them, Tessa through the Blue Gums, in our attic because it depicted a wary girl. Unfortunately, I love some of his other works so they remain on show. We're hoping they may be worth something in a few years time, otherwise we've lost a lot of money!

Would not change my opinion of anything I'd read but if it was something really dreadful then I wouldn't buy anymore by the author.

Enid Blyton was a business woman of her time and a lot of these women had nannies to look after their children. If you read or listen to her daughters opinions one said she had an awful childhood and the other says that she had a lovely childhood. I have three daughters and one of them considers she had a bad childhood but the other two disagree. It's all in perception.

I heard one author dissing another’s writings, even though she later supported her and that put me off reading any of the first author’s books, though to be fair, the only one of hers I tried was on my DNF pile.

"Hate the sin, love the sinner"
However objectionable the misdemeanour, I would read the books if I liked them
Not to do so would feel like turning my back on the author's children

yes, I struggle to read books by anyone who votes Tory because its such a selfish way of life, but not books that are very old as they didn't have the info we have

I used to read the books of a certain female author then she got into politics and I really didn't agree with things she did. So now I don't read her books and don't put any money into her greedy pockets.

One of my favourite authors has been accused of some dodgy things but innocent until proven guilty my Mum used to say! Will not stop me rereading his books which I have a shelf full of. Will be keeping them too!

To begin with, books stand by themselves - you don't even have to know the author's name in order to appreciate his/her work. Many of the greatest writers have been personally flawed to the point where you wouldn't want them at your tea-table eating your custard creams alongside your granny. Makes no difference to the work (Dickens is a prime example; there are many more).

My son has read a lot of Neil Gaiman's books I know he loves "American Gods". I do remember in his teens "The Lost Prophets" were a favourite group and then the lead singer was imprisoned for unspeakable crimes and my son said at the time, he felt awful for liking them, but like many others who followed them, no one knew not even his band mates.

"I struggle to read a book by anyone who votes Tory" oh that's funny, I expect Mao's little red book would do though, at least he wasn't a Tory even if he did kill around 50 million or so.

If I think too much about the misconduct allegations made about certain celebrities including those found guilty e.g Harvey Weinstein, I would have to cut myself off from movies he produced. That would include the Lord of the Rings series, Shakespeare in Love, The Wings of a Dove, Good Will Hunting, the Cider House Rules, Chocolat, The Shipping News and many others.

I’m inclined to salve my conscience by telling myself that there are many people involved in the making of a movie and a TV series and even a book - if you read the lists of credits and acknowledgements.

I stopped taking the magazine The Oldie because they put a "jokey " cartoon on the cover of J Saville (obnoxious man). But on the other hand my book group chose Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance and although I dislike his politics, I read the book and realised what a terrible background he grew up in, and in spite of it has managed to achieve great things. I'm afraid I still don't like him though, although I know I shouldn't really say that about someone I have never met.

spabbygirl

yes, I struggle to read books by anyone who votes Tory because its such a selfish way of life, but not books that are very old as they didn't have the info we have

I don't know how a single author I read votes. If I've ever read how they vote it's been so irrelevant I've forgotten. To condemn all Tory voters seems a bit extreme, are they really the very worst people imaginable? I voted Labour so no personal axe to grind.

I haven't read anything, which is unsavoury about any of the authors that I read.
Perhaps, it would affect me.
I don't know.
I certainly have a knee jerk reaction to some actors on TV.

Richard Wagner was another horrible man whose works are loved by many, not by me though. The historical context is also very difficult.

I enjoyed Ant Middleton books (SAS Who Dares Wins) until I read that he assaulted /injured two police officers…

Can’t look at him in the same light or with the same respect any more.
(being ex military myself)

It depends on the offence.

Marmin What is wrong about playing tennis naked?

JamesandJon33

Marmin What is wrong about playing tennis naked?

I think it must be very freeing..

mum2three

Not really no, but I can't help wondering why you are asking. Have you discovered something unsavoury about a particular author.
J.K. Rowling is obviously not an animal lover, judging by her books, but it doesn't stop me admiring her talent or her opinions.
One thing I do wonder about is....do the authors of murder mysteries enjoy wring about the actual act of killing someone? I used to enjoy Wilbur Smith but he seems to enjoy thinking up the most horrible ways to kill people.

I don’t think the fact that J K Rowling shows some of her characters abusing animals means that she would do the same herself, or that she doesn’t care about animal abuse.

Thank you so much all of you, I have enjoyed reading your responses to my query and a lot of you seem to be thinking the same way I am, which is good, perhaps I am not strange after all

I was considerably upset when I found out that Doris Lessing had abandoned her three-year-old son and six-month-old daughter in order to ‘build socialism’.

It didn’t make me think less of her books that I had already read, and I don’t think it stopped me reading any more of her books. It did certainly give her ideas, including her political ideas, less credibility with me.

I still can’t understand how she could do that.