# What famous works of fiction, popular with readers and critics both, do you not care for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659 "2019-09-22T20:28:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659/161 "2019-10-02T03:45:58Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s a sweet story upon first reading. Upon second reading, however, you realize it’s about a severely dysfunctional relationship about a tree who loves a man who abuses that love and takes everything from the tree while giving nothing back, until there is nothing left to give (except a seat). This isn’t _The Happy Prince_ where the statue and bird give all to help the needy; the guy here is a selfish jerk. > > Is that the mitochondria one? All the sequels are lesser works compared to the first book. The mitochondrial one, yes. It felt like she’d been told to produce a new book with the same characters and some other scientificky background, and she just couldn’t come up with anything even vaguely interesting, let alone compelling. Oh well. I didn;t like _Many Waters_ either, but for different reasons, and it’s not nearly as bad as _Wind in the Door_. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659/162 "2019-10-02T05:14:20Z")
I have a strange aversion to Stephen King. I am not sure why. I read the first bit of _The Dome_ and found the writing style agreeable enough but I’ve never felt compelled to go back to that one or any others. For Harlan Ellison, I don’t know if would like his work or not but I don’t like his attitude and that keeps me from reading him. I am a big time Star Trek fan and I remember Ellison’s various lawsuits and shit talk about my favorite franchise. I think that is where this particular dislike grew from. I’m re-reading _Interview with the Vampire_ right now to see if it is as boring as I remember. It should be mentioned that in the third book in the Vampire Chronicles series, _Queen of the Damned_, Anne Rice has one of her characters read _Interview_ to bore herself to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659/163 "2019-10-02T14:21:09Z")
**Atlas Shrugged** , Ayn Rand. Or anything else by that intellectually stunted fool. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659/164 "2019-10-02T14:32:20Z")
**Moby Dick** - I’m sure Herman’s prose is positively angelic to some people, but not me. Couldn’t stand it. In his defense, European-types had only been writing novels for 250 years or so, so maybe he was just the victim of a young, poorly-defined craft. The whole **Narnia** series would’ve been fine if Lewis hadn’t hidden Jesus all over the place. And by “hidden” I mean “grinding in my face”. **Wrinkle in Time** was okay, but it never really stood apart from other children’s books I’ve read. Certainly not an author I would recommend to anyone I like. **Giving Tree** is a wonderful exposition of a dysfunctional relationship between a narcissist and a passive aggressive. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659/165 "2019-10-02T16:04:36Z")
“A Wrinkle In Time” . was VERY big with my friends when I was in 8th or 9th grade. (we read it on our own time, not for class, passed it around) This was back in the 60’s and we really didn’t have much in science fiction or fantasy to choose from (our local library had one short shelf of those books, with a little ‘spaceship’ sticker on the spine). I was so-so about WiT. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659/166 "2019-10-02T23:03:46Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > [Well, if _you_ had to write a novel–reality-TV-show style–in front of a bank-holiday crowd, it would probably suck, too!](http://www.wepsite.de/Novel%20Writing.mp3) Well, you need to find a copy of Hardy’s first version, where it was just ‘a doodle in the upper right corner… and he’s signed his name under it.’ (Everyone, listen to that M. Python audio… fits the attitude of this thread) > [@salinqmind](#): > > “A Wrinkle In Time” . was VERY big with my friends when I was in 8th or 9th grade. (we read it on our own time, not for class, passed it around)… I really think part of enjoying a book is not _having_ to read it. I hated Great Expectorations and all the other books that were required, but if a kid passed me a book and I put it inside my math book and read it during class\*, that changed everything. \*That’s what happened with Lord of the Rings and Bored of the Rings (fell out of my chair snorting, math teacher thought I was having a seizure). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-works-of-fiction-popular-with-readers-and-critics-both-do-you-not-care-for/840659.md?page=8)