At what point do you give up on a book?

[MomofSeven]

I'm trying to make my way through The Grapes of Wrath. I've never read it before and studying the dustbowl with my dc has piqued my interest. So I'm about 100 pages into it and although it holds my interest, I'm really kind of disgusted by it. It's not just the cussing (which I'm sure is mild compared to many modern novels), but the people just seem so carnal. So far there's not a single likable character to sympathize with. Each time I read a few chapters I feel "icky". Am I supposed to feel this way? I'd love to hear from someone who's read this book and suvived.

[WTMindy]

but I think if it is making you feel icky, you should stop reading it. I have a really hard time not finishing books that I have started. I just finished a book that I wish I had stopped, so my advice is to call it quits. :D

[Moira in MA]

The Grapes of Wrath is one of those books that I'm glad I've read but was certainly not a pleasant read. You have to decide whether it is worth it to you to read it. If you want to have something by John Steinbeck in your 'read' pile there are other shorter books.

 

That being said the 'Book Lust' lady, Nancy Pearl, has wonderful formula for how much of a book you should read before you choose to abandon it. She calls it "the rule of fifty" -- if you are under 50, give every book about 50 pages before you commit to reading it; if you are over fifty, subtract your age from 100 and read that many pages before deciding to commit. This means that at 100, you get to judge a book by its cover!

 

Sounds to me that you've read enough to make your own decision.

 

Enjoy being in control.

[Storm Bay]

Oh, how I hate that book. I read it in high school, get this, on my own volition because I'd heard it was a classic. I read the entire book, waiting for things to get better. I'll never read that book again if I can avoid it. If this is your second time, I'd say stop and read something you've never read before or reread something you enjoy. There is only so much reading time to go around.

[PinkInTheBlue]

I read that one in high school as well. I can say it wasn't a favorite but better than Red Badge of Courage. It was depressing and negative. I do remember that.

 

I give myself half the book to choose. I can only remember a couple of books I've actually given up on at that point. My most recent was Emma. I'm going to give it another try after I see the movie (completely backwards for me) and hope that watching the movie with endear me to the characters because I just really didn't care. :)

 

I don't give up easily on books but I am willing to admit defeat if I just must.

[Kris]

Sorry -- I read it in high school and remember the story, but don't really remember any particular reaction to it.

 

A teacher once told me to give a book 50 pages of my time. If I didn't like it by then, give up. It's worked so far.

 

There are so many great books out there to read, I just feel like I'm wasting time with one that isn't engaging.

 

Looking at the bright side, if you persevere because of the reasons you have for reading it, you can be darn proud of yourself when you get to the last page!

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

The Grapes of Wrath is one of those books that I'm glad I've read but was certainly not a pleasant read. You have to decide whether it is worth it to you to read it. If you want to have something by John Steinbeck in your 'read' pile there are other shorter books.

 

That being said the 'Book Lust' lady, Nancy Pearl, has wonderful formula for how much of a book you should read before you choose to abandon it. She calls it "the rule of fifty" -- if you are under 50, give every book about 50 pages before you commit to reading it; if you are over fifty, subtract your age from 100 and read that many pages before deciding to commit. This means that at 100, you get to judge a book by its cover!

 

Sounds to me that you've read enough to make your own decision.

 

Enjoy being in control.

 

I wish I had heard it sooner. I have waded through so many "classics" with disgust or boredom. And I did not feel enriched when it was all over. IMO, life is too short, unless you feel the need to finish this book for some particular reason, move on.

 

I've done this with a few Russian novels in the last couple of years. Now I am very cautious about picking one up to start with. Just in the last month I have given up on 3 different books as not worth my time or something that can be put off, maybe indefinitely. That is because there are other things that I would rather do, other books that I would rather read, and I can. :)

[Elinor Everywhere]

I give a book 100 pages. If I don't at least tolerate it by then, forget it! The only book I've read all the way through that I *despised* was Don Quixote. I really disliked it--it reminded me of the slapstick-y humor in "Pirates of Penzance", which I also detested. But for some stubborn reason I gritted my teeth and finished it, but I've since decided life is too short and there are too many really good books for that to happen again!

[Mama Anna]

I had to read Grapes of Wrath in high school and hated it from the point where (and I can still remember this almost 15 years later!) the poor tortoise/turtle is toiling through the dust to the conclusion in California where the depressing progession finally ends. Of course, I wasn't set to like it much anyway because I was never able to forgive Steinbeck for The Red Pony, horse-lover that I am. My advice would be to let it go now. Who knows? Maybe someday each of us will have a better understanding for all the "classic" stuff in it. Then we can appreciate it as it deserves . . . (Ouch! I apologize to anyone who loves Steinbeck - I hadn't realized how strong my opinion was . . . !)

 

Oh, and if you're not fond of Steinbeck, approach Faulkner with care, IMHO.

 

May your next book be more hopeful!

Mama Anna

[PrairieAir]

Well, this is probably my second favorite book. I read it for the first time about 5 or 6 years ago. I would have read it again, but there have been other books I want to get to first. I do plan to read it again sometime soon. I know not everyone likes the same books I do, though. Maybe you're a Hemingway fan:rolleyes:

 

Is it the sexual stuff that bothers you? I'm guessing that "randy" Preacher Casy in particular disturbs you, and I can understand why. People don't usually like to think of a preacher behaving the way he does or having those kinds of carnal thoughts. I think this is just a part of human nature, though. Preachers (I won't say men of God because all are not) are human and fallible like the rest of us. I think we've seen quite a lot of evidence of that in our day;)

 

JessicaRush said that The Grapes of Wrath is negative and depressing. True, there are plenty of negative and depressing things that happen in the book. There's a reason they call this period in our history The Great Depression! It was not a happy time! If you are a sensitive person, you may want to have a box of Kleenex handy and a room all to yourself while you read. I know I needed both. However, the overall message of the book--especially if you stick it out to the end--is one of hope and perseverance and the ability of the human spirit to prevail through times of great trouble. It is really quite inspiring given the right perspective.

 

One of the things I love about John Steinbeck's writing is his ability to create very real characters. In writing these characters' stories, he did not gloss over their sin and their ugliness, nor did he glorify it. He simply presented characters that were believable because they reflect the good and the bad that is in all of us. He didn't try to make everything pretty. He didn't talk down to his characters or condemn them for their faults either. He didn't over moralize. In reading his works, I've gained a greater understanding and a compassion for all sorts of people. If his writing hasn't changed the way I look at people and situations, it has at least clarified my thinking and perspective.

 

I have gone back and tried books I didn't like the first time or tried looking at a book from a fresh perspective and the results have been mixed. I still don't like The Catcher in the Rye, but I do like it better and have a little more compassion for Holden Caufield. I still don't like Ernest Hemingway, but he's not quite as terrible as he once was. I gave The Red Badge of Courage a second chance and found quite a lot I like about it. In fact, though the style and subject matter were a little hard to get used to, I think it really is a great book.

 

Someone here (Regina maybe?) gave me fresh perspective on The Winter of Our Discontent, a Steinbeck I thought I didn't much care for:eek: I found it negative and depressing and completely without hope. (I think hope is a very big theme in his books.) That was an eye opener! It even gave tremendous insight to some people and situations in my life. I now count it as a favorite.

 

I say give the book a chance, but try altering your perspective. If that doesn't work, there's no law that says you must read and enjoy every book that is deemed a classic. There are so many books you can spend your time reading. Find what you like and read that.

[Daisy]

I hate to say it but I don't like ANY of Steinbeck's books. I know, I know...GASP. I just don't. You could read this one instead. It's a great little book..

 

Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp

[PrairieAir]

I had to read Grapes of Wrath in high school and hated it from the point where (and I can still remember this almost 15 years later!) the poor tortoise/turtle is toiling through the dust to the conclusion in California where the depressing progession finally ends. Of course, I wasn't set to like it much anyway because I was never able to forgive Steinbeck for The Red Pony, horse-lover that I am. My advice would be to let it go now. Who knows? Maybe someday each of us will have a better understanding for all the "classic" stuff in it. Then we can appreciate it as it deserves . . . (Ouch! I apologize to anyone who loves Steinbeck - I hadn't realized how strong my opinion was . . . !)

 

Oh, and if you're not fond of Steinbeck, approach Faulkner with care, IMHO.

 

May your next book be more hopeful!

Mama Anna

 

You know, when I started reading TGoW, I thought, "WTF is up with this turtle crossing the road?" If it was any other writer, I may have quit then. Later, as I read the rest of the book, I thought back to that turtle and what a wonderful metaphor Steinbeck had created in that opening chapter. He gave readers a taste of the rest of what would happen to the book's human characters and even a rough idea of the outcome.

 

I love horses, and I love The Red Pony. I don't think I would have appreciated it as an 11-year-old, horse crazy girl. I haven't recommended it to my girls for that reason. What I loved about the story is the rich detail of the land and the look into the characters' lives. These characters, if I remember correctly, are more of a rough sketch and not quite as fully developed as most of his others. I think the mother and father are especially rough and less developed. Maybe that had a purpose though. The focus really is on the boy and his thoughts and feelings, on his perspective of events. I think the mother and father's more vague, "fuzzy" characters say something about the family relationships at that point in the boy's life where he is really between childhood and becoming an adult. I don't know. Now I've got to go read it again:D

[PrairieAir]

I hate to say it but I don't like ANY of Steinbeck's books. I know, I know...GASP. I just don't. You could read this one instead. It's a great little book..

 

Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp

 

Oh no you didn't!

 

I guess you haven't been fully assimilated yet, eh Daisy? Resistance is futile you know;)

[Storm Bay]

JessicaRush said that The Grapes of Wrath is negative and depressing. True, there are plenty of negative and depressing things that happen in the book. There's a reason they call this period in our history The Great Depression! One of the things I love about John Steinbeck's writing is his ability to create very real characters. In writing these characters' stories, he did not gloss over their sin and their ugliness, nor did he glorify it. He simply presented characters that were believable because they reflect the good and the bad that is in all of us. He didn't try to make everything pretty. He didn't talk down to his characters or condemn them for their faults either. He didn't over moralize. In reading his works, I've gained a greater understanding and a compassion for all sorts of people. If his writing hasn't changed the way I look at people and situations, it has at least clarified my thinking and perspective.

 

I I say give the book a chance, but try altering your perspective. If that doesn't work, there's no law that says you must read and enjoy every book that is deemed a classic. There are so many books you can spend your time reading. Find what you like and read that.

 

I only quoted part to save space, but I want to say that you've ALMOST talked me into reading this book again. Perhaps this is a book where I need a guide to read first. Normally I eschew things like that, but you've got me thinking. Of course, I have to admit that I've never liked Steinback, but I read all those books in high school because my parents had them in their mega book collection. Perhaps I might see it differently. But right now I have a list of other books to get to; perhaps we'll tackle this in high school if one of my kids takes a real passion for literature--I won't require this book if they're doing literature because it's part of a good education because they can't read them all in high school anyway:).

[Jenny in Atl]

I give a book at least 100 pages. I just gave up on William Gibson's Spook Country. It was rated as one of the best thrillers of 07. I just could not get into it not matter how hard I tried. It's funny, I remember the movie (Henry Fonda) much better than the bk; shows the age I read it I guess.

[Storm Bay]

I wish I had heard it sooner. I have waded through so many "classics" with disgust or boredom. And I did not feel enriched when it was all over. IMO, life is too short, unless you feel the need to finish this book for some particular reason, move on.

 

I've done this with a few Russian novels in the last couple of years. Now I am very cautious about picking one up to start with. Just in the last month I have given up on 3 different books as not worth my time or something that can be put off, maybe indefinitely. That is because there are other things that I would rather do, other books that I would rather read, and I can. :)

 

Interesting that it's Russian novels. My grandmother, who was trilingual, said that Russian novels really need to be read in Russian because they don't tranlsate well (my paraphrase--she said this over 25 years ago). Now I'm sure there are plenty of English speakers who've enjoyed them in English, but I thought that was an interesting observation. Her first language was German, her second Russian, her third English. She was fluent in all 3 (and I'm grappling with one;))

[Jodi-FL]

If I assign my kids a chapter that they really, really don't like after 3 chapters, I don't make them read it. I figure there are enough other options.

 

For myself, if I find it really slow, whatever, I make jump to a farther chapter to see if it gets any more interesting, or I'll just keep plugging on (like the summer I took "The Poisonwood Bible" to the beach and couldn't get into it, but it was theh only book I had, so I kept plugging along, and finally about 1/3 of the way through I couldn't put it down, I got so into it).

 

There's lots of books out there---put it away and come back to it another time if you want.

[Storm Bay]

Oh no you didn't!

 

I guess you haven't been fully assimilated yet, eh Daisy? Resistance is futile you know;)

 

 

I read several of his books, and I'm still not sure why, because I don't really remember liking them. However, the only one I had strong feelings against was The Grapes of Wrath. I read some Hemingway, too. I just read, and read, and read. Classics, because my parents had them, literature, scifi, romance, all kinds of books. I wouldn't read just anything, but I certainly seemed to feel I had to finish every book I started back then. Not so now.

[Eleni]

I looooooove Grapes of Wrath. It did make me feel icky...like The Jungle did, but I couldnt put it down, I read it in 2 days. :o After that I went on a Steinbeck binge and read all he wrote in a 2 week period....I...uh...dont recommend it. :eek:

 

I have a hard time NOT reading a book...even ones that drive me batty trying to read....ones that I get in arguments with (that amuses dh to NO end to hear me arguing with a book) and ones that make me physically ill and give me nightmares...(American Psycho...it went in the trash after I finish it)

 

I have a book problem.

[ravengal]

I tried reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" a few months ago because it has been so widely praised on blogs I read. I didn't like Kingsolver's writing style at all. Her cleverly-phrased preaching grated my nerves.