I’ve been having some good luck recently with reading and rereading classics I thought school had killed for me. It’s definitely a streak I hope continues but my friend and I were talking about the not a chance never again books which is just like what it sounds because sometimes once is enough.
The Great Gatsby is a perfect example because I don’t hate the book but I hate the characters so much… especially Daisy. Daisy’s got to be one of the worst characters going and the thought of reading about her again makes me see red. No way. Not going to happen.
James Joyce is like vomiting words everywhere. I remember that I liked Dubliners slightly more than Portrait (I hated that one so much that if someone told me I had a chance to meet Jason Momoa and all I’d have to do is reread Portrait I wouldn’t. Well there’s got to be footnotes right?)
I defeated the beast. I can appreciate this book for what it meant for my favorite genre but there’s no looking back. I admit that might be my real problem- I read this in college and expected to fly through it. It took me about a year and a half and was way more frustrating than I ever would have imagined.
Unpopular opinion: I prefer the films. They have Viggo and Sean and Ian and so much other goodness.
I’m not going to rule out more Hemingway overall (though maybe I should) but definitely no more Hemingway love stories- maybe I was wrong to go into it that way but I can recall there was a movie coming out (yep I looked it up a Sandra Bullock/Chris O’Donnell film called In Love and War.)
Both probably combined to kill the story plus I remember it being boring and whiny and not a good romance at all.
Hm, maybe I can’t blame assigned reading for everything as this is another one I read because a movie was coming out…
The Portrait of a Lady somewhat reminds me of Rebecca (which I read much more recently but will also never reread) poor decision making and awful people using each other and way too wordy. I think Henry James might be one for my James Joyce pile because I’ve also read Wings of the Dove and The Turn of the Screw and honestly found them both disappointing though I did like them a little better.
I went back and forth on including Romeo and Juliet on this list. I am reading and rereading Shakespeare’s plays and it won’t take me as long as some of these novels. But boy do those two frustrate me! So for now Romeo and Juliet is a maybe I’ll reread it one day 🙂 The rest are thanks once was enough.
Yeah, The Great Gatsby definitely falls under that category of acclaimed novels that really only needs to be read once. It does have themes that are reasonably timeless, but it doesn’t really benefit from a second reading. And you’re right – Daisy sucks. Granted, the point is that she was never worth the effort, but an annoying character is an annoying character regardless of how purposeful it may have been.
CLASSIC BOOKS ON A CLASSIC SITE, CHINA
Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
Thanks!
I love love love LoTR but they can be a little… ponderous, at times? Not sure if that’s the right word. And Gtreat gatsby I’ve never read, although I’d kinda like to just so I don’t feel like an uneducated heathen lol.
Ponderous is a great word! Gatsby’s not ponderous at least but I still say go for the movie version with Robert Redford they do a good job nailing the characters in that one 🙂
UGHH! I HATE Daisy TOO!! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 HATE HATE SOO MUCH FUCKING HATE FOR HER AND HER HUSBAND! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
And if I didnt know better, I’d have felt a bit offended for you not liking the books that much 🤣🤣🤣 BUT I TOTALLY GET IT! The books could use some HEAVY editing! I mean….it does get a boring at times! 😅😅 EEEEEKKKK! I never dared voice this out but here I am admitting it that WHILE I STILL ADORE THE BOOKS LIKE ANYTHING they still are in need of some editing!
AND ALTHOUGH I WOULDN’T SAY I PREFER THE MOVIES TO BOOKS I still ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM! 😭😭😍😍😍😍😍😍 THEY ARE PERFECTION!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
SUCH A GREAT POSTTT! I LOVED IT! ❤️❤️😍💕🌟💎💎
Thanks!
I was surprised by how much I hated Daisy. Like I saw the Redford movie first and hated her there but still… the book was just somehow even worse!
SAMMEEEE! Like the movie was…okay I wasnt her fan but she didnt seem THAT bad you know! BUT THE BOOK! UGH! THAT WITCH! 😡😡😡😡😡
Lists like this are always interesting! I haven’t read any of thoses.. but I have no intention on reading the lord of the ring 😂 In that case I do like the movies!! (First one is always a fave..then it comes erhh as it goes along) — but the books are so hellishly big, and all THREE of them!!
The Two Towers was always my fav of the three! Incredible battle and I loved the last march of the ents 🙂
Ah ! Honestly I just don’t recall watching it as much ahaha 😅 maybe twice tops
I wouldn’t mind re-reading The Count Of Monte Cristo, one of my absolute favourites.
I actually quite liked Daisy, one of the messiest female characters I’ve read, but there’s something about her selfish carelessness that I found myself rooting for.
I loved the LotR films, but the first book was just a drag… so much wandering about and not a lot happening.
I really didn’t like or understand the ending of The Portrait of a Lady, so much glorifying sacrificing personal happiness. It just didn’t gel well with me. It didn’t help that the characters just weren’t likeable enough and I felt there was more showing than telling, like the narrative was trying to force me to like the heroine and see how cool and brilliant she is, but there were no examples to base that belief on.
Bollywood has their own version of Romeo and Juliet called Ram Leela. As much as the actress is my favourite, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch the film, but the visuals are absolutely ridiculously on an insane level stunning.
Hm that might be worth a watch as much as much as Romeo and Juliet annoy me I like the sound of stunning visuals!