Have you ever struggled desperately with a book that you were determined to love? Did you give up, or battle on? If you gave up, have you regretted it? Have you tried again, or do you intend to? Or did you carry on, and half way through discover that you really do like the book after all?!
I'm currently reading The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. I've been meaning to read this book for a very long time, but my TBR pile is so disgustingly big, I've only just gotten around to it. I'll admit, that within the first 3 or 4 chapters, I was very ready to give up. It wasn't that I disliked the book or the characters. I was simply finding it boring. Auel has obviously done her research and her descriptions of the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon people and their way of life is genuinely astounding. I just really didn't want or need a 3 page description of harvesting a plant, or curing leather into a sling. I felt that it detracted from my enjoyment of the story, and prevented me from becoming involved with the characters and their plight. (Or so I thought.)
I was disappointed. This book has been recommended to me by several people, and the editorial reviews were quite frankly gushing! I perserved, something I tend to do with books and which is perhaps sometimes my failing (as pointed out my Nick Hornby in his Polysyllabic Spree). Was there any real need for me to carry on? If I am not enjoying a book, would it not simply be better to put it down and pick up another, perhaps returning to the disagreeable book at a later time and/or place? In this case I carried on, and to my great pleasure found myself becoming more and more involved. I am now 400 pages in and really enjoying it. Perhaps not to the extend of reading the rest of the series (though that may depend on the ending of this book!), but certainly enough that I am very glad to have continued reading! I may not like the ending..I still have almost 200 pages left to go (!), but the journey has seemed worth it. Auel's detailed descriptions of prehistoric man, and the world (s)he live in, is fascinating and though not what I usually expect from my fictional reading...educational. I'll get back to you when I'm done!
Another pleasant surprise these past few days is that I am being relieved at our next port call in sunny Darwin. Yay, I get to go home! By the time I'm back, I will have probably missed the bluebells, and the fabulous Living Crafts Festival at Hatfield House (an annual tradition of mine and highly recommended), but at least I get to snuggle my cat, catch up with my best friend who I haven't seen in person for a disgusting amount of time (sorry hun!) and visit my favourite local bookshop where I can spend all the money I've earned these last 8 weeks on books that you wicked little bookpeople have recommended to me. I hope you all feel guilty. Yes, you.
Meanwhile...Melody is giving away three books at her Reading Corner: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, Little Face by Sophie Hannah and From Black Rooms by Stephen Woodworth. Pop a comment in if you are interested!
8 comments:
I used to work for the agent who represents Auel's works. Frankly I could never get into Clan of the Cave Bear, despite all the good things that people have to say about the series (and despite ow well the books sell). I may pick it up again at some point again, but I've got other things to read first.
I think it was the historical aspect of the books that lent an appeal to me. I put them off for a long time, but then when I finally read them, I quite enjoyed them. And Ice Age, the movie, came out aobut hte same time, so I was immersed in prehistoric time, and it was neat to see the overlap of ideas.
But, Hornby rules in most things, and you shouldn't read a book if you aren't enjoying it.
thanks for stopping by my site
I always feel a little bad when I can't get into a book that was recommended to me, but sometimes there's just no helping it. And I have more trouble than I should putting books I'm not enjoying aside.
yay for going home! Can't wait to hear which books you'll get!
I loved this series when I read it but I was an impressionable teenager at the time! She does get a bit long-winded in her descriptions sometimes but like you said, she's obviously done her research and it was all quite fascinating.
Have fun book shopping when you get home!
I have avoided her books, something just puts me off somehow. I think I have a copy of the first one somewhere, but am in no hurry at all to read it. Will be interested to see what your thoughts are by the end.
I do try and keep going with books I don't like, they sometimes change along the way like you have found with this one and it is worth seeing just in case! Maybe I should be more disciminating.
Yay for coming back and catching up, am really looking forward to it. I am not planning on doing much work in my last two weeks so feel free to come visit. If not I will come up when I start my new job in June. Going to see a man about a car soon hopefully...
I haven't read her books, but I do understand what you mean when some books just couldn't suck us in or worse, boring and/or seems to drag. Usually I try to read a bit more, but if the pace remains the same, most likely I'll give it up. I'll be disappointed, but then I don't want to waste my time in reading it further either.
It is a tricky decision to make sometimes, as I have been surprised by books that I haven't been enjoying. I have only ever really given up on two books: The English Patient and Moby Dick, both of which I'm sure I will attempt again in the future! I find that I am more impatient now, perhaps because I have less time to read and so somehow expect more from the authors whose work I am reading!
I've got this book on my Mt. TBR, too. But I'm with you on how frustrating it can be to figure out whether it's worth continuing to read a book that just isn't grabbing you despite its many good reviews. I did the same thing with Caleb Carr's The Alienist - a book I'd really only heard good things about. I didn't finish it (and didn't regret it!), and find that my monstrous TBR pile often severely limits my patience with books I don't love. I mean, if I'm not liking this book I'm reading why should I keep going with it while that rest of the masses languish unread? ;-)
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