Comments | strtmyorange: You're doing that on purpose!

strtmyorange

You're doing that on purpose!

Feb 11, 2007 21:50

I believe, nay, I'm pretty certain that I am the only individual that I know that intensely disliked Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work. It's one of a total of 3 books that I've never been able to finish since I first learned how to read. I couldn't force myself to get half-way through. I don't think I've been more annoyed by a writer and his ( Read more... )

books, authors

Comments 9

birdmaddgirl February 12 2007, 04:26:48 UTC

it's actually one of my 3 favorite books of all time. i'd be interested to know if you could be more specific about what turned you off about AHWOSG. i'd be better able to say if you'd enjoy something else of his if i knew what you disliked about that book.

x_hj_x February 12 2007, 04:47:04 UTC

When I read her post, I immediately thought, "ohhhh shit, two of my friends're gonna have a FIGHT."

Right now I'm happy not to have started reading it yet. Hooray for utter neutrality!

birdmaddgirl February 12 2007, 05:03:12 UTC

i'm actually not interested in convincing someone to like a book they don't like. J borrowed it from me for a year, read about 75 pages and never really got into it. of course, he's not the reader that helen is. but depending on what she disliked about AHWOSG, i may or may not recommend that she give some other eggers work a go.

x_hj_x February 12 2007, 05:50:52 UTC

Oh, I know. I was just struck by how the two friends I have that read the biggest, scariest books had polar opposite reactions to the same work. Funny how that can work.

Thread 7

You are so not the only individual you know. supernovaegg February 12 2007, 12:55:43 UTC

THANK YOU! The exact same thing happened to me. I got a bit further than halfway through, methinks, but I did not finish. I think I'm going to try to finish it, because it's as annoying not to have finished it as it was to read it, but I just got so bloody sick of how *clever* it was. I felt like the whole time he was telling me, "You can't possibly dislike this, because that means you just don't GET it." And I'm all for self-conscious writing/Brechtian alienation, but it felt to me pretty quickly that solely form and not at all content was propelling the piece.

And I'm incredibly curious about What Is the What, but I'm going to have a hard time starting it.

Re: You are so not the only individual you know. strtmyorange February 12 2007, 18:40:50 UTC

Thank goodness!!! I am not alone!!