BellaOnline Forums Books and Music Literary Fiction The most boring classic novel?

LoL Amy -- that was always my issue with Twilight, too. I tried explaining that to a friend who is a huge fan, and she cited it as romantic... and okay because he looks like he's a teenager.

Still creepy!!

Debra, I used to blog... One day I posted a picture of a man celebrating his 100th birthday... "This is what a 100 year old man looks like, without the whole undead thing going on. Imagine him in your history class!! What a hottie!!" I wrote.

I apparently am not THAT much of a romantic. :-)

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. Although this female won some award for this book, I was yawning throughout the first chapter. I still haven't got around to finishing it!

A book recommendation from a fictional character � that's interesting, Gillian; I should start a forum topic on that.

I haven't read Anne Radcliffe, but she sure influence a lot of more famous writers: Austen and Poe, the Bront�s, the Romantics. Did you like her books?



Yes, I've heard this about this book. I usually avoid award winners or read them only after the furor has died down. I don't think I'll give Loss a try, though.

It's great to see so many responses to this thread so far! A dozen titles have been mentioned, but the majority of those were nixed by readers who enjoyed them So here are the ones that were seconded so far:

Tender is the Night
Lord of the Rings
Silmarillion

I should probably list Tolkien just once, poor guy � he really did create a world unto itself. Jilly, I don't think we need to try harder to be interested in classics that bore us; they just aren't perfect no matter how well they've stood the test of time. There are so many books whose idea or gist is better than the actual thing � Ulysses, anyone?

And speaking of Twilight, what about Lolita? It's not so much boring � though I haven't read it and don't plan to � as it's baffling to me how much acclaim it gets. The girl is twelve! Shudder.

LoL Amy - No worries, getting creeped out by the thought of a 100+ year old man and a high school girl doesn't negate your status as a romantic! It is a very Lolita type of thing... we see on the news stories about adults charged with inappropriate behavior toward those who are essentially kids, and I'm not sure it's all that great of an idea to idolize that relationship in a teen romance novel... vampire or no. My fanatical Twilight friend insists that it's okay because he's physically a teenager... but that totally doesn't matter! If that were true, teenagers who looked over 21 should be able to drink legally, right?

But back on subject, I totally agree that there are so many books out there whose storyline is amazing, but they suffer from a poor or dry telling. Or a telling that is so dated it fails to reach us any more. As much as I want to get through the Illiad -- I know it's full of adventure and intrigue and all the things I love in a book -- I just can't do it! Tolkien is a perfect example. I loved the movies, love the characters, the whole idea of the journey and the friendships that see them through... but I hit a battle scene and it's gone. Or Tom Bombadil.

I really liked Lolita, the reason being because the way he talks about this girl is complete OBSESSION. It's amazing how the characters words are so possessed by this girl.

I found the original film brilliant - I think it would be in my top 100 movies. The thing is, if you know the book - Lolita is the one doing all the using, she knows this guy is twisted and messed up. I don't know the name of the girl in the original movie, but she did a great performance, and it's so satirical, it's funny too.

It is twisted that book however - you can imagine how a peadophile would think the thoughts he has. Still, it's a very powerful book - for so many reasons.

Iliad � yes. So that's #3 (or 4?) on the list. The Odyssey is much better, especially the Robert Fagles translation, which is in non-rhyming verse and contemporary English. I especially like the audio version read by Ian McKellen.

Steven, I've just read your Twilight article and really enjoyed it. It's such a shame that Bella is such a beloved character, especially now that Kristen Stewart embodies her. I guess my response to Lolita runs along the same lines � there are precious few female characters in literature, so to have a sexually precocious nymphet occupy one of the top spots really grates on my nerves. And then there's Bella � good grief! where are the Harry Potters for the girls?

I've heard and read about the power of Nabokov's writing, but knowing that he wrote several stories featuring an adolescent girl traveling with her middle-aged sexual partner (of which Lolita is just one), well � I would just as soon read a boring classic novel.

There's a whole other interesting topic of discussion -- non-cliche, original female characters that are good role models!