I tried to reread War and Peace recently and got bogged down a third of the way through. I loved it in high school. I think I read it just after seeing that version of the movie - which is fabulous.
*Byatt 
Yeah, I found that book disappointing also. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hated it (same with most of the other “disappointed by” books that I listed back in post #76), but it didn’t appeal to me. As I think I mentioned somewhere in another thread, I felt that the book was bloated and pretentious, with a tacked-on, feel-good ending.
Somebody had to go and remind me of Jude the Obscure. Thanks a lot! I really despised that one.
I just finished Run River by Joan Didion. Boring, confusing, and depressing. Maybe it’s not representative, because I know a lot of people love her work.
I also didn’t like the Berenstain Bears, because the father was so stupid.
If someone asked me my opinion and wanted to read just one Didion book, I’d recommend “Where I Was From” because I think it is fantastic on many levels. Of course, it is probably more interesting to read this mature evaluation of her homeland/birthplace after reading her much earlier writings on CA.
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I have no particular feelings about either the Berenstain Bears or Clifford - that big red dog. I detested Suess as a child, but enjoyed some of them as an adult reading them to my own kids.
Agree completely Psych about We Have to Talk about Kevin. It bugged me when I read it, but stayed with me for a long time and still does in some ways (Was watching the very disappointing interview with Dylan Kebold’s mom the other night and the book came back to me). I am still not sure I buy the premise of the book, but certainly thought provoking.
Imo, you have to read P&P disliking Darcy for nearly every once of it.
"Scipio Is she living with an italian Don who can “quench her raging desires”? "
I’ve never me him, but judging by the pictures of him on FB I’d say he’s an ordinary middle-aged Italian guy.
Reading this thread makes me think, does ANYONE like The Scarlet Letter? Of all the books listed here, there seems to be unanimous agreement about hating TSL.
I didn’t read TSL for school. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either.
Hi my name is mokusatsu and I like The Scarlet Letter.
The Ambassadors is the one everyone agrees on. 
I think “The Scarlet Letter” holds value as a historical artifact. The writing is stilted but the story, as an illustration of the times, is interesting. And to think that Dickens was about to blow all the other new breed of novelists out of the water…
We have a game that gives the first line of books, and you have to guess either the title or the author (you can get the year published as a hint). One of our rules of thumb is 'If it is a run-on sentence in the category of Pre-1900 Literature, guess Dickens". None of us are big Dickens fans.
One reoccuring thing I’ve seen in many books I’ve read in the past year or two are books that are well written and/or interesting for the first 2/3s of the book. Then things fall apart. Either the storyline gets ridiculous or unsatisfying like the author didn’t know how to wrap things up. Or the writing quality goes downhill, almost like it was written by someone else. Bored author, rushed editor, or both? It’s disappointing to get into a book and then to be let down.
Since a lot don’t like Dickens, and something about teaching came up, I want to add this. My demanding 9th grade teacher used Great Expectations as both lit and learning, some mystery, some sense of the adventure, the times, and the emotions. I don’t want to say he was dispassionate, but it was an academic experience. We got it. We all made it through what’s a very long book (and we weren’t snowflakes.) Most of us enjoyed it, to the end.
In contrast, that wacky 11th gr teacher so adored American lit and grittiness that she stood in front of us literally in ecstasy. The bar or challenge was to find the same emotional response to Cather or Crane. I know her adoration is a large part of what turned me off.
Donna L…I had the same experience with Dracula! when i was ten. I didn’t throw it out but I kept it in a closet at night, with a chair in front of the door…So Scary!! but what a fantastic book! makes Harry Potter look about as scary as magic tree house.
Katliamom… I love The Scarlet Letter! The burning in Dimmesdale’s chest…the stilted language matches their stilted society. I have to get it out again. good book for a dark and gloomy February north of the 45th parallel
Scarlet Letter, Grapes of Wrath, Julius Caesar, Gone Girl, Pope Joan (cure for insomnia and depressing as heck), Eat Pray Love (I would not travel anywhere with her and she is needy)
Oh yea, Casual Vacancy by Rowling was another neither H nor I enjoyed. We kept waiting for it to get better but it never did. Yuck.
At the time, I loved the Scarlet Letter. Because of my upbringing, I could relate to Hester Prynne.
@Doschicos, Ayn Rand was a pompous, self-important phony whose values are despicable to me. But I really liked The Fountainhead. 
It was very entertaining, even if it was neither philosophy nor literature.
I love Dickens, but not Great Expectations. Or David Copperfield, for that matter. But Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend are two of my absolute favorite books.