I was interested in what Emma was saying about Margaret Atwood in another thread, and Optimist saying she doen't think one should read a book as a 'penance' (though a million Christians and Muslims might disagree with you there, Sarah!).

I just wondered what was the last book you gave up on, what was said about it that made it so appealing in the first place, and why you gave it up.

For me, I recently quit Daphne Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn. I found it beautifully written (her descriptions are so evocative), but as a whole, somehow it just seemed to drag on a bit too much. I ditched it in favour of Joan Aitken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase which I have never read before, and which I now think is superb.

JB

I think the only book I've put aside never to return to is Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Couldn't bear it, particularly after the hype. I very nearly put down The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles during the skinning alive scene, which would have been a shame.

(I liked Jamaica Inn, though I was quite young when I read it and possibly more forgiving.)

Booker Shortlist, "The Accidental" by Ali Smith. I only got three or pages before giving up.

Colin M

Underworld by Don DeLillo. Persisted for a hundred and odd pages because of all the hype and them decided to stop pretending to myself: it bored me senseless.

smudger

Well, the last book I put aside was 'Chromosome Six' by Robin Cook.

In fact, I put it aside twice.

It was a charity shop job - bought one lunchtime when I finished one book and needed something quick to fill forty minutes. Never heard of the author before; but saw from the sleeve that he'd had more than ten other novels published, so thought 'People must be buying this guy for a reason'

Anyway - long story short: The concept was interesting (using GM animals for human transplants) but it suffered from the worst dialogue I have EVER read. The descriptive text was acceptable, if not good. However; as soon as a character opened their mouth: it was as though one person was speaking to themselves.

To provide an example. When was the last time you heard a hardened New York forensic pathologist exclaim 'Gosh!'. Then his assistant ten pages later. Then a scientist working in Equatorial New Guinea a few pages after that. Final straw was when a hardened NY mobster exclaimed 'Gosh!' when kidnapping someone.

Now I come to think of it, that was another problem with it that drove me mad. The punctuation (not that I'm exactly Lynn Truss). Almost every sentance was punctuated! With! An! Exclamation! Mark! Just reading it was giving me a headache.

Still, I'm not upset I read as far as I did (about half way). It showed me that novels don't always have to be world-class to get published and, perhaps more importantly, enjoyed by readers.

For me it was Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum, but I will go back to it because I think I may have been in a strange mood that day. (It's been languishing unread for over a month now....)

It's funny, a lot of people say that they couldn't get into Captain Corelli's Mandolin and that's why I put off reading it, but when I did, I was absolutely riveted. I guess it just goes to show you there really are all kinds of readers out there you just can't write for all readers so certainly shouldn't try to please everyone!

<Added>

Mmm I seem to be missing some punctuation - let's try a semi-colon between after 'there'.

Snap, ani - for me also, Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Since then, I've read and absolutely loved other books by Kate Atkinson - Case Histories, Emotionally Weird, Not the End of the World. It's just that first one I couldn't get into - the one everybody else was raving about.

Frances

To be fair to The Blind Assassin, I was reading it for a particular purpose - to see if it was the right book to study for my MPhil Critical Paper - but there's no denying I was a bit relieved to find myself let off the hook when I realised it wasn't. I'm missing the fantasy/sci fi gene, and though they were powerfully written, it was those sections that really made me feel I couldn't be bothered to struggle on. The real live Canadian parts were more compelling, but because I wasn't getting the fantasy sections, I knew I was missing some great connection.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is a terrific book for any age, as are its sequels. Aitken really is [the master (mistress?) storyteller.

But the last book I deliberately put aside (as opposed to got diverted from and never went back to) was Headlong by Michael Frayn. It ought to have been just my cup of tea, but I found it so arid, and I felt I was so much not getting potentially interesting stuff that I just couldn't plough on.

I used to belong to a reading group, and did read lots of books I'd never have bought left to myself, notably Touching the Void, and persevered with several I would probably have run out of steam for.

Emma

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

They were full of praise for it on Richard & Judy, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I didn't get very far, it's weird and not my sort of thing at all.

Kat

I've got my copy of Cloud Atlas on pause. It's put aside, but not completely out of reach.

Colin

My most recent example was Eragon by Christopher Paolini, which I was reading to my son. After the first chapter I said to him: 'What do you think so far' and he said: 'I hate it. Can we do something else?'. I thought: 'Oh, thank God.'
But I find it kind of wonderful that there is so much difference in opinion over certain books.
With Kate Atkinson, I loved BTSATM and felt she gradually went off the boil with the next two, then found form again with her latest.
Phillip Pulman's Northern Lights was one I seem to stand alone on - I swear I'm the only person on the planet who put it down after four chapters, hating it. Feel free to gasp in horror everyone - I'm getting used to it on that subject!

With Kate Atkinson, I loved BTSATM and felt she gradually went off the boil with the next two, then found form again with her latest.

I felt/feel the same re. Margaret Atwood - loved Surfacing and a couple of other early ones, then lost interest, but recently 'rediscovered' her via Alias Grace (loved it, strangely similar in its cleverness and weirdness to Sarah Waters's Affinity) and The Blind Assassin (didn't like that quite so much).

Philip Pulman's Northern Lights was one I seem to stand alone on - I swear I'm the only person on the planet who put it down after four chapters, hating it. Feel free to gasp in horror everyone - I'm getting used to it on that subject!

I don't like it much either. Give me Narnia every time!

F

No Caroline, you're not the only one over Northern Lights. I loved the whole sequence personally, but my best friend hates it and couldn't finish it despite my repeated encouragement.

I struggled through Eragon as well. I thought it started well, but was so clearly a rip off of every other fantasy book. I think Christopher Paolini, the fifteen year old author, had a 'leg up' by the fact his parents own a publishing company. Boo hiss!

JB

Ooh, I agree about "The Accidental" - I think getting 3 pages in is pretty good going, actually!

)

A
xxx

Snap on BTSATM - I started years ago (when it first came out) and couldn't get into it. Since then, I've read and loved Emotionally Weird and Case Histories, so will give it another go...

Also snap on Robin Cook. I read a couple (borrowed from my brother, I think) when I was a teen and enjoyed the fast plot/interesting medical-thriller ideas. However, I went to re-read one the other day in a fit of nostalgia and could not believe how bad the dialogue was.

I loved CCM first time, though, and haven't tried anything by Ali Smith. I keep picking them up in the library, scanning the first page and putting them back.

Something I put down yesterday was 'The Hitman Diaries' by Danny King. I picked it up in the library as some comedic light relief (and was swayed by a glowing commment from David Baddiel on the cover). It is snappily written and funny in places, but I found the main character so objectionable and unpleasant that I had to put it down after chapter two. Ho hum.

Oh, and The Picturegoers by David Lodge. I have read and enjoyed everything else by him, but somehow couldn't get past the first few chapters of this one (I think it is his first, so perhaps I should have read it first). Anyway, I couldn't tell you why I find it so tricky to perservere with, I guess it just doesn't 'grab' me.

JennyWren