I don't like not finishing a book. I don't know if this is the result of good reading habits instilled at a young age or something peculiar to me. The same goes for movies - I must finish the story unless it is spectacularly bad or boring.
So it is with a heavy heart that I abandoned Rebel
by Bernard Cornwell. I had heard rave reviews about some of his other historical fictions but Rebel, a civil war story set in America lost any hold it had on me after 100 pages.Niggling idiosyncrasies
I wonder if it was one, or two of the small things that put me off. I small quirk of Cornwell's writing that got under my skin and began the rot of dissatisfaction.
The first thing that I noticed was Cornwell's habit of specifically naming places. It was as if he was pointing out that he had done his research, he could tell you want particular business was on that particular street, at that time in history. Perhaps I am being unfair, but the level of detail annoyed me and didn't, I think, contribute to the story.
Another niggle was his reference to "the Negro Teamster" why for the life of me he couldn't refer to him as the black teamster. The book was written in the late 1990's. Was Cornwell again trying to evoke a certain flavour?
In any case it was a thorn in my side.
Action then boredom
The book started well enough. The protagonist is caught be a mob and is about to be tarred and feathered. He is rescued in the nick of time but the reader is not. No, we are left to watch the rest of the story unfold, slowly.
Have you abandoned any books? What were the reasons?
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Rachel 89p · 755 weeks ago
There have been a few occasions I have given up though.. I have tried to read 'Jude the Obscure' by Hardy twice. Both times I lost interest to the point where I couldn't keep reading. This is a shame because I have a feeling that it is a good book, but there is a dull part that I just need to get over. I will try again, one more time, one day.
Another book I abandoned (with the intention of trying again later) was Lord Foul's Bane. The main character just spent so much time whinging about being a leper. Ok, I get it.. you have leprosy and it sucks but man up! Shut up! aarrggg lol It just irritated me.
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SB Wright 110p · 755 weeks ago
As for Lord fouls bane, it was another that I abandoned for much the same reason, couldn't stand the main character. :)
Marg · 755 weeks ago
I know there are plenty of people out there who say life is too short to read bad books, but the fact is I wouldn't have put it on my list to read if I didn't think there was something about them that I would like, and so it could be that it another 5, or 10, or 50 pages, the book will get better!
One that I did give up on is Carpentaria by Alexis Wright - so hard to read. Someone then said to me, oh it got much better once you got past that part! Grrrr!
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SB Wright 110p · 755 weeks ago
I have a lot of non-fiction books that are in my still being read maybe pile :) .
I was really looking forward to reading a modern take on the American Civil war after reading Crane's Red Badge of Courage, even this extra impetus didn't help though
@desertgirl_2 · 755 weeks ago
I hasten to add that Robinson's later works are far easier to read.
The other book I abandoned was Tim Winton's "Dirt Music" when it was first published in 2002. Couldn't get beyond the first couple of chapters. Did not appeal. Two years ago, having happily read "Breath", I tried "Dirt Music" again. This time? Well I loved it! I think this time around I was just ready to take in Winton's story of life in a small fishing village on the mid-West Australian coast.
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SB Wright 110p · 755 weeks ago
It was interesting that the negro teamster comment really got under my skin - doesn't sound nearly as bad as the book you are referencing though.