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What's the worst book you've ever read
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leighvtwersky
 03 Jul 2009, 16:11 #63517 Reply To Post
Quote: sulcus, Friday, 3 Jul 2009 00:05
If you want superficial treatments of big themes, try Martin Amis' "Time's Arrow", or rather don't. It is trite.


thanks for the warning...I might take a look one day, although I've never read anything of Martin Amis's
sulcus
 03 Jul 2009, 16:24 #63520 Reply To Post
Quote: leighvtwersky, Friday, 3 Jul 2009 16:11
Quote: sulcus, Friday, 3 Jul 2009 00:05
If you want superficial treatments of big themes, try Martin Amis' "Time's Arrow", or rather don't. It is trite.


thanks for the warning...I might take a look one day, although I've never read anything of Martin Amis's


My advice - keep it that way.

I'm wracking my brains to think of a good fictional treatment of the Holocaust. Primo Levi is supposedly very good. But this modest slew of novels such as "Stiped Pyjamas" don't do it for me.

Art Spiegleman's graphic novel "Maus" is a good take on it, if you can get your head round it being line drawings.
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
David Powell
 03 Jul 2009, 17:27 #63526 Reply To Post
Quote: fudgefase, Wednesday, 10 Jun 2009 22:21
"....find it hard to believe that the writer had somehow missed all the publicity when The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail was admitted to be a fraud - in The Da Vinci Code he's quoting it as (sorry) gospel."

And yet Dan Brown won his case when the authors of HB&HG tried to sue him for stealing their idea.....
I confess, I thought they wouldn't have even had to go to court on that one!


I am sorry to be so late to this thread.

I am sorry to be so cynical.

My wife says that 30 years in the car trade has been bad for me.

However, I did notice at the time that both books were published by the same publisher, and it occurred to me that for the amount of money spent on lawyers they got better publicity than 3 years worth of conventional advertising.

And I noticed that, at the time, both books were vying for no. 1 place in the best-sellers list.

My wife has seen me writing this and sent back to read Enid Blyton,

Oh, and apart from a self-published book called 'Never a Winner' the Da Vinci Code also ranks high on my list of bad books, but it IS a list labelled 'Bad Books Un-Finished'
This post was last edited by David Powell, 03 Jul 2009, 17:30
sulcus
 03 Jul 2009, 17:44 #63528 Reply To Post
You can never be too cynical about any of the following:

commerce
lawyers
promotion
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
LawsonBlacklock
 04 Jul 2009, 12:34 #63584 Reply To Post
A great book about the holocaust... 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman. A children's book, but the most poignant study of the total loss of human life I've ever read. Please, please, please read this!

As for the books that nearly broke me... 'English Passengers' and 'Kane and Abel'. In fact, 'Kane and Abel' was torturous... it was as if Lord Archer had sat on a typewriter and a novel fell out of his backside. I'm a speed reader but that one was hellish.
sulcus
 04 Jul 2009, 18:59 #63618 Reply To Post
Quote: LawsonBlacklock, Saturday, 4 Jul 2009 12:34
A great book about the holocaust... 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman. A children's book, but the most poignant study of the total loss of human life I've ever read. Please, please, please read this!

As for the books that nearly broke me... 'English Passengers' and 'Kane and Abel'. In fact, 'Kane and Abel' was torturous... it was as if Lord Archer had sat on a typewriter and a novel fell out of his backside. I'm a speed reader but that one was hellish.


Yes I'd heard of the Gelitzman book. I think my sons might have read it at school. I must ask them.


Who wrote "English passengers" ? I've not heard of it.
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
leighvtwersky
 05 Jul 2009, 13:01 #63652 Reply To Post
Quote: sulcus, Saturday, 4 Jul 2009 18:59
Quote: LawsonBlacklock, Saturday, 4 Jul 2009 12:34
A great book about the holocaust... 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman. A children's book, but the most poignant study of the total loss of human life I've ever read. Please, please, please read this!

As for the books that nearly broke me... 'English Passengers' and 'Kane and Abel'. In fact, 'Kane and Abel' was torturous... it was as if Lord Archer had sat on a typewriter and a novel fell out of his backside. I'm a speed reader but that one was hellish.


Yes I'd heard of the Gelitzman book. I think my sons might have read it at school. I must ask them.


Who wrote "English passengers" ? I've not heard of it.


At the risk of being screamed down for getting it wrong I think it may be michael ondaatje - or am i getting mixed up with the english patient??:omg:
sulcus
 05 Jul 2009, 13:25 #63654 Reply To Post
Quote: leighvtwersky, Sunday, 5 Jul 2009 13:01
Quote: sulcus, Saturday, 4 Jul 2009 18:59
Quote: LawsonBlacklock, Saturday, 4 Jul 2009 12:34
A great book about the holocaust... 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman. A children's book, but the most poignant study of the total loss of human life I've ever read. Please, please, please read this!

As for the books that nearly broke me... 'English Passengers' and 'Kane and Abel'. In fact, 'Kane and Abel' was torturous... it was as if Lord Archer had sat on a typewriter and a novel fell out of his backside. I'm a speed reader but that one was hellish.


Yes I'd heard of the Gelitzman book. I think my sons might have read it at school. I must ask them.


Who wrote "English passengers" ? I've not heard of it.


At the risk of being screamed down for getting it wrong I think it may be michael ondaatje - or am i getting mixed up with the english patient??:omg:


Ah that rings a bell. Thanks Leigh. On the basis of the ringing endorsement, I'll probably give said novel a miss.
"A,B&E", "Not In My Name" and "52FF" (flash fiction anthology) all available on Amazon Kindle

"How a psychopath makes sweet love. I can get you ringside. Royal box even."
LawsonBlacklock
 05 Jul 2009, 18:30 #63676 Reply To Post
English passengers was by Matthew Kneale, Michael Ondaatje wrote the English Patient. English passengers is a disjointed mulitple viewpoint book that is long and dull... but then, it one the Whitbread award and was nominated for the Booker and Miles Franklin awards, so what do I know? I'm obviously missing something...
Carole
 06 Jul 2009, 16:00 #63764 Reply To Post
There was definitely something missing there in The English Patient as well (book and film)
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