An article by Alistair Harper in The Guardian‘s book blog asks: “Do you avoid difficult reads, or seek them out? Which tomes are worth the pain, and which are best left on the shelf?”
I would answer that David Copperfield, Les Miserables, Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, War and Peace, Moby Dick, Le Morte D’Arthur, and The Lord of the Rings are all worth the time and effort, but if it’s too much effort after the first 200 pages or so, then I guess any one of those is just not for you. Try something else.
After having dipped into all of the following authors, I will leave them on the shelf and off my reading list for the duration: James Joyce, Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Mann, E.M. Forster. I also find Steinbeck and a lot of other twentieth century classics not difficult so much as just . . . boring.
I’ve never read Proust, and I don’t know that I’ll get around to it. I read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, which won the Man Booker Prize last year, but I didn’t really care for it and found myself skimming about midway through.
I’m reading The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt right now, and I’m not sure. The odd punctuation is annoying me, and I’d like for the pace to pick up a bit.
What about you? Which classic or noted authors do you find worth the work? Which “difficult books” have you tried and found wanting? For which difficult books do you find that persistence pays dividends? Which ones have you given up before finishing?
I agree that there are just some books that are too boring to get through, at least when you are reading for “fun”!
Susan Wise Bauer had a great article on how to read, especially how to read difficult books. You can get to it here:
http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/Stop-cleaning-the-kitchen.html
I’m reading “Anna Karenina” right now . . . and yep, it is an EFFORT. 🙂 I’m up to page 333 now, though, so I think I’m going to make it through.
When I read War and Peace, I was almost astounded to realize it wasn’t a classic just because it was a fat book by a Russian author, but because it was actually a *very good book.* I never could read EM Forster, and then I listened to Elizabeth Klett read Howard’s End (at Librivox), and I was hooked–I’m in the middle of A Room With A View right now.
But Hemingway and James Joyce? I’ve tried them, and I found them–yes, boring. I don’t mind plunging into a book that is difficult if I think I’m going to get something worthwhile from it, but please don’t bore me. 🙂 I’m nibbling around the edges of Sartor Resartus by Carlyle, which I think I want to read. I don’t think it’s always a question of “too hard for me,”but more a matter of whether a given book is right fit for the reader at a given moment. I’m pretty sure I’m never going to plow through Ulysses, but who knows? Maybe someday it will be the book that meets a need for me. I can’t quite picture it, though…
Steinbeck boring??? Have you tried Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday, Tortilla Flat or Travels with Charley?
I just finished Anna Karenina and it took work. I found it very boring in places. And while I’m glad I managed to finish it, I won’t be seeking out War and Peace any time soon.
I’ve read The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, The Moon Is Down, The Grapes of Wrath, and Cannery Row, most of those because I was assigned them in one class or another. Maybe I was too young when I read them. I admittedly haven’t read any Steinbeck in a long time because his books just left a bad taste in my mouth.
On the other hand, I love Anna Karenina and War and Peace, although I haven’t re-read them either.
I have never been able to read Dickens although I love movies adapted from his books. I have never finished any Hemingway book I started. I tried Anna Karenina and couldn’t get very far. Middlemarch is a book that was hard to get through at times, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
I STILL haven’t finished Les Miserables, not because I don’t think it’s good or worth it, but because at this point in my life I don’t have the concentration or stamina (or reading time, truthfully) to finish such a tome.
I’m with you on Steinbeck–I don’t get him.
I’ve been trying diligently to read more good literature. I just finished “Jane Eyre” and found that a challenging read for me but well worth the effort. I was listening to the first book in the Tolkien trilogy on audio but have switched to reading the book instead. My verdict is still out on that one but I loved The Hobbit.
Samantha
Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are worth it. What I loved about War and Peace was that, even though the book is long, the chapters are (mostly) short and nearly always engaging. I enjoyed the book so much, and it never felt like a chore until that long last chapter.
I think Thomas Hardy’s novels are worth it, particularly Tess and Jude, but I realize many people will disagree with me on that!
I decided to read The Three Musketeers several years back, since it’s a classic and all … and loved it! Went on to read the next two. Not the easiest reading, but worth the struggle.
I’ll have to take your word for it regarding Moby Dick. I’ve tried to read it numerous times and never got past the first 100 pages. I’ve never enjoyed any Melville I’ve tried to read.
I do agree with you on Joyce Carol Oates, though. Never could figure out why she was so well-regarded. I feel the same way about Annie Proulx and Don Delillo, two other modern writers are are considered “classic,” whatever that means. Maybe one of these days I’ll see the light.
It’s a fine line between “difficult” and “boring”! 😉
I agree completely!
What a great discussion, Sherry; it makes me want to hang out with you and those who comment.
Like Nina, I think Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are worth it. Anna K and the Brothers K are on my short list of truly great works. They require good timing and the right frame of mind. I have several books by both which I will need to discipline myself to read…they just aren’t the first ones to pick up when you are trolling for the next read. I also want to read through Shakespeare’s work before I die…
Ditto Nina: Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx (I always get her confused with Annie Dillard) and I don’t know about Don Delillo.
But I want to change your mind, Sherry, about Steinbeck. Please, please, please consider reading Travels with Charley. It’s 224 pages. Good stuff. Here was my take on Steinbeck three years ago: http://magistramater.xanga.com/617428684/stuck-on-steinbeck/
Proust is waiting for me on my shelf. I’m ambivalent. But I’ve read too many sweet quotes that make me want to give it a try. At least.
And James Joyce? No thanks. I sat in on a grad class on Joyce at Harvard one night and that was *enough* Joyce for a lifetime. Quite enough, so.
My current read, The Lost Heart of Asia, by Colin Thubron is difficult because the area where he travels is soooo obscure. There is nothing familiar. But the writing propels me.
How about James Fenimore Cooper? I wanted to like him, I did, but I just couldn’t muster a desire to read one page more.
It is ever so much more fun to partake in book talk than to iron shirts. But we’re leaving on a trip tomorrow and my husband has to wear button ups. 😉
Oh, I came back to say that East of Eden was another compelling Steinbeck.
I like this question. I’ve tried Anna Karenina and couldn’t get through it. I also started A Tale of Two Cities, and it very nearly put me off Dickens as I found it difficult. BUT I read and loved Great Expectations.
Michael Ondaatje’s English Patient put me to sleep. I feel a bit guilty that I hated it given it’s a prize winner, but still….don’t know what all the fuss is about.
I think Count of Monte Cristo and Middlemarch are “difficult” because they are so long, but they are enjoyable reads once you determine to finish them.
This is timely as I just signed up for a read-a-long of The Brothers Karamazov, a book I’m sure I would never be able to read on my own.
And I recently read “Everything Is Illuminated,” which I found to be a very difficult read. If it hadn’t been for the broken English comic relief, I think I would have quit. In the end, I’m not sure it was worth it.