How much of the article was AI? You should post a blip that it was partially AI if you’re going to use it so that people that don’t want to engage with AI in anyway know to skip.
The whole thing is written and formatted as though it was directly copy-pasted from a Claude response. Maybe the links are human, but that’s really about it.
I've never DNFed a book before. Never. I've read tons of garbage. I stopped Shipping News almost immediately and never looked back. Why is that? Why did it rub me the wrong way? Why are you the only one I've ever seen who didn't like it?
I really enjoyed cloud atlas. But I’m a huge David Mitchell fan and have read all his novels. Cloud atlas is him trying to create this crazy masterpiece. Bone Clocks is actually the masterpiece :)
Seriously guys, just get the audiobook. Lincoln in the Bardo is one of the best audiobooks I've ever heard, with multiple actors including David Sedaris and Don Cheadle (who is incredible in this). Same with Cloud Atlas with its multiple voices, as well as Knaussgard read by Eduardo Ballerini (the greatest audiobook reader who ever lived, and I'm prepared to get into a very short and reasonable Substack discussion over this, grrrr). Some audiobooks are much easier than the physical copy because they take that hard work out of it so that you can actually enjoy them- JR by William Gaddis and Ridley Walker by Russell Hoban are good examples.
There's nothing wrong with Dnfs, sometimes you can't get into something that others are raving about. I love Infinite Jest because I missed all of the 90s hype and read it cold because it just looked interesting. The audiobook experience of hearing someone else read adds new interpretations to my own reading.
Karen, thank you for this article. I haven't read any of these and am frankly not interested in books that are miserable or difficult for the sake of being miserable or difficult. Maybe I just have a 19th or 20th century brain. So thanks for permission to skip these works. 💖📚
I'm in the midst of War & Peace and totally loving it. No issues following anything. Anna Karenina I loved too. The Goldfinch though, couldn't finish. Couldn't cope with the kid's grief and closed the cover really early. Classics make me happy, The Count of Monte Cristo is my favourite.
I loved War and Peace! I also recently read "Bleak House," which I thoroughly enjoyed. I haven't read any of the contemporary novels listed, but maybe I'll consider trying one on your list.
This is such a wonderful post and topic! I finished The Goldfinch but did not enjoy it AT ALL. I actually wish I would've DNF'd, because I wasted time I can't get back and anything good about it was lost on me anyway. Thank you for creating a safe space to say that!
Having read all these I can say that anyone who says they loved ‘A Little Life’ is a total poseur. The Goldfinch was let down by an editor who should have cut a third of the book. I must say I just laughed at and not with Knausguard’ struggle, a little domestic tyrant. The really enjoyed Cloud Atlas because the author’s canon are a bit off the wall so you must go with it if you like that sort of thing.
A friend referred me to this post because we were debating The Goldfinch. (I DNFd about 2/3 through.) The post is spot on and had me rotfl. I did actually really like A Little Life but I definitely do not recommend it to other people. And I avoid “experimental” like the plague.
I finally finished The Goldfinch some time ago. I would have preferred more Hobie and less Boris. I suppose there is something Faustian in having a Steerforth/Boris character, if one finds that interesting.
Not sure. It just worked for me and kept me turning the pages. Maybe I just like “trauma porn”. It’s been a while but I’m guessing that I just kept hoping he’d get some kind of happy ending. But I wasn’t frustrated when he didn’t, just sad. Then again I hate stories where everything is wrapped up too neatly with a bow.
Whilst I do agree that “A Little Life” is conceptually ridiculous and an exercise in purposeless cruelty, I did finish it. Cloud Atlas I found pretty easy to read honestly. It encouraged me to read all David Mitchell’s other books. 2066 I agree is a bit disconnected and the “murders” section quite distressing, but also finished it.
This is such an amazing article. I loved some of these books, Cloud Atlas was a slog although in theory I should love it. Reading through the comments, it's so fresh to see how differently everyone relates and what is difficult to some is a fave for another. I love humans.
I loved Cloud Atlas, The Goldfinch and Lincoln in the Bardo (plus Luminaries and A Little Life are on my TBR pile). Two books that I tackled 3 times yet still couldn’t finish: The Historian and The Book Thief. I know people rave about them both but I simply couldn’t immerse myself in either of them - particularly The Historian. That book was particularly frustrating because it is exactly the kind of plot and subject matter that should reel me in. But it didn’t. Ugh.
Sigh, the Historian. I’ve also tried at least three times, as I’m a researcher and feel that I should love it but I haven’t made it past the first quarter.
I really was interested in this idea, but the pasted right out of AI writing really lost me. I guess I’ll put this Substack article on my DNF list.
But you left a comment! Glad it inspired you enough to do that ;)
It did indeed inspire me! :) I love reading original content, and hope providing honest reader feedback will encourage more of it.
How much of the article was AI? You should post a blip that it was partially AI if you’re going to use it so that people that don’t want to engage with AI in anyway know to skip.
The whole thing is written and formatted as though it was directly copy-pasted from a Claude response. Maybe the links are human, but that’s really about it.
I quit Shipping News 10 pages from the end.
I've never DNFed a book before. Never. I've read tons of garbage. I stopped Shipping News almost immediately and never looked back. Why is that? Why did it rub me the wrong way? Why are you the only one I've ever seen who didn't like it?
I love all Annie Proulx’s other books with a burning passion but I just could not even get halfway through the shipping news.
It was so long ago I don’t remember. But I think it was her writing style.
Why?
I couldn’t stand it anymore. I hated the writing style.
I really enjoyed cloud atlas. But I’m a huge David Mitchell fan and have read all his novels. Cloud atlas is him trying to create this crazy masterpiece. Bone Clocks is actually the masterpiece :)
The ending of Bone Clocks killed me. So powerful, melancholy.
Right? It’s one of the most powerful indictments of the darkness that underlies western civilization I think I have ever read.
Thank you for the top, I’ll have to check out Bone Clocks.
Seriously guys, just get the audiobook. Lincoln in the Bardo is one of the best audiobooks I've ever heard, with multiple actors including David Sedaris and Don Cheadle (who is incredible in this). Same with Cloud Atlas with its multiple voices, as well as Knaussgard read by Eduardo Ballerini (the greatest audiobook reader who ever lived, and I'm prepared to get into a very short and reasonable Substack discussion over this, grrrr). Some audiobooks are much easier than the physical copy because they take that hard work out of it so that you can actually enjoy them- JR by William Gaddis and Ridley Walker by Russell Hoban are good examples.
There's nothing wrong with Dnfs, sometimes you can't get into something that others are raving about. I love Infinite Jest because I missed all of the 90s hype and read it cold because it just looked interesting. The audiobook experience of hearing someone else read adds new interpretations to my own reading.
Lincoln as listen vs read was terrific.
Karen, thank you for this article. I haven't read any of these and am frankly not interested in books that are miserable or difficult for the sake of being miserable or difficult. Maybe I just have a 19th or 20th century brain. So thanks for permission to skip these works. 💖📚
Sometimes we just need to hear it, especially when there is a lot of hype on social media around them.
💯
I'm in the midst of War & Peace and totally loving it. No issues following anything. Anna Karenina I loved too. The Goldfinch though, couldn't finish. Couldn't cope with the kid's grief and closed the cover really early. Classics make me happy, The Count of Monte Cristo is my favourite.
I loved War and Peace! I also recently read "Bleak House," which I thoroughly enjoyed. I haven't read any of the contemporary novels listed, but maybe I'll consider trying one on your list.
I admire you for knowing when to fold ‘em!
Brilliant. Also want to take the opportunity to recommend the Cloud Atlas film adaptation, which I much preferred to the book.
I’ll have to check it out, thanks!
Cloud Atlas I gave up early. Knausgård and I are both Norwegian so I have leafed through parts of Vol 1.
I finished A Little Life, but was annoyed that 'the victim' was surrounded by wealth and a helpful doctor and still went to the dogs.
Right?!
Anything by Joyce Carol Oates. 10 pages and I need an SSRI
Ha!
This is such a wonderful post and topic! I finished The Goldfinch but did not enjoy it AT ALL. I actually wish I would've DNF'd, because I wasted time I can't get back and anything good about it was lost on me anyway. Thank you for creating a safe space to say that!
PS I did thoroughly love Cloud Atlas though lol
Fair! Thank you for sharing. This is truly a literary safe space to say all the things. ha!
Thank god my modern literature consists of Harry Potter 🤣
Ha!
Having read all these I can say that anyone who says they loved ‘A Little Life’ is a total poseur. The Goldfinch was let down by an editor who should have cut a third of the book. I must say I just laughed at and not with Knausguard’ struggle, a little domestic tyrant. The really enjoyed Cloud Atlas because the author’s canon are a bit off the wall so you must go with it if you like that sort of thing.
A friend referred me to this post because we were debating The Goldfinch. (I DNFd about 2/3 through.) The post is spot on and had me rotfl. I did actually really like A Little Life but I definitely do not recommend it to other people. And I avoid “experimental” like the plague.
I finally finished The Goldfinch some time ago. I would have preferred more Hobie and less Boris. I suppose there is something Faustian in having a Steerforth/Boris character, if one finds that interesting.
Ha! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m curious what did you like about A Little Life?
Not sure. It just worked for me and kept me turning the pages. Maybe I just like “trauma porn”. It’s been a while but I’m guessing that I just kept hoping he’d get some kind of happy ending. But I wasn’t frustrated when he didn’t, just sad. Then again I hate stories where everything is wrapped up too neatly with a bow.
Whilst I do agree that “A Little Life” is conceptually ridiculous and an exercise in purposeless cruelty, I did finish it. Cloud Atlas I found pretty easy to read honestly. It encouraged me to read all David Mitchell’s other books. 2066 I agree is a bit disconnected and the “murders” section quite distressing, but also finished it.
I applaud you for that!
This is such an amazing article. I loved some of these books, Cloud Atlas was a slog although in theory I should love it. Reading through the comments, it's so fresh to see how differently everyone relates and what is difficult to some is a fave for another. I love humans.
Yes! Appreciate your comment!
I loved Cloud Atlas, The Goldfinch and Lincoln in the Bardo (plus Luminaries and A Little Life are on my TBR pile). Two books that I tackled 3 times yet still couldn’t finish: The Historian and The Book Thief. I know people rave about them both but I simply couldn’t immerse myself in either of them - particularly The Historian. That book was particularly frustrating because it is exactly the kind of plot and subject matter that should reel me in. But it didn’t. Ugh.
I struggle with the Book Thief too!
Omg the relief of hearing this! It took me ages yet my Mum breezed through it (this is not the norm in our reading lives).
The book thief is one of my favorites!
Sigh, the Historian. I’ve also tried at least three times, as I’m a researcher and feel that I should love it but I haven’t made it past the first quarter.
Boom Thief is really great, (and I’m a reader that does not enjoy dense experimental prose).