What is your ‘Marmite’ book? That book which you disliked but others loved!
What is your ‘Marmite’ book?
That book which you disliked
but others loved!
159 Answers
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What is your ‘Marmite’ book?
That book which you disliked
but others loved!
Gone Girl…Before I go to sleep and any Jack Reacher
I think Gone Girl is THE Marmite book!
Jack Reacher for me too – could only manage about 3 chapters
@Sue I’ve tried more than three of the books…they are basically all the same…
50 shades
Yes Gone Girl
Ragdoll by Daniel Cole.
It was ok, but I have no desire to read the next book
Me too Susan. It’s a shame because I was enjoying it then towards the end it lost me ☹ from the reviews, some people loved it. Defo a marmite book.
Also titled the perfect nanny. Big disappointment, was expecting a crime novel, more a character study .
I loved this. I don’t think it’s ever been marketed as a crime novel though?
@Anne the headline the baby is dead it only took a few seconds on the cover pretty much sells it as crime
@Melanie I don’t agree. I never once thought of it as a crime novel, or saw it marketed as that
Well the fact it’s based on a true crime surely means it’s being marketed as a crime novel
@Melanie but is it being marketed as that? It certainly wasn’t classed as a crime novel in the PR that I received
Well before I bought it all I saw was based on a true crime in the information so I assumed and I’m sure I’m not the only person to make that assumption but you know what they say about assuming so maybe I’m the ass lol x
The Girl in The ice
50 shades
Gone girl and fifty shades
Also The Ice Twins
Strange book.
Very. But I read a book about twins after that and it was excellent. The Twin Game by VC Chambers
Gone Girl.
Girl On A Train ?
Gone Girl worse than watching paint dry
Life of Pi. Absolutely couldn’t get what the fuss was all about.
Couldn’t get into that book or the film of it!
Girl on the train, 50 shades of gray
The Girl on the Train
Gone Girl, for me. Although I did appreciate how well it was written.
Great constructive criticism
You see I LOVED GG but felt it was a little over-written, especially compared to her previous works
I am pilgrim. Hated it.
Loved it
Sorry but mine is Pursuit of Ordinary I really tried but it was not for me.
The History the Mr Polly. Lawks-a-mercy unlikeable protagonist and sod all happens
Haha I had this for my o level. I hated it but just downloaded it to see if I really did hate it that much or if my tastes have changed now I am much older. The other was 39 steps.
Any Jo Nesbo and any Tony Parsons-just don’t do it for me
Most of the Scandinavian crime books a lot of people rave about, too much hard work working out how to pronounce names, towns and streets
I have a problem with them too. If I can’t pronounce the names of characters and places I can’t concentrate on the actual book. Though I did enjoy the Stieg Larsson series
I find them very slow going too.
I just glide over those unpronouncable names ?
There’s so many fantastic uk crime writers, no need to go overseas!?
@Val oh, but you’d miss some fabulous books & authors if you did that
A man called Ove
(Didn’t dislike just didn’t hold my attention)
Gone Girl
Girl on a train
The Time Traveller’s Wife
The Minaturist
Gone Girl, Fifty Shades.
Fifty Shades of Grey. Snap @Louise!
Girl on a train
Vampire diaries x
“The natural way of things.”
The Slap, Gone Girl, One Day and the one I’m currently reading Still Life which everyone on the online book club is raving about but 130 pages in it still hasn’t grabbed me!
The Slap just made me want to slap everyone in it
Did they make a mini-series based on that book?
Me Before You- Thought the ending should have happened at the begining and saved us all a lot of bother
The Girl on the train. Couldn’t even finish it.
Gone girl!
Gone Girl, so predictable.
I actually read a title two years before Gone Girl was published called Captured. The entire plot was exactly the same. The online difference was the area of the US it was based in.
*only
Do you remember the author, Louise? I’d be interested in reading that.
It’ll be listed in my downloads from my old Kindle. I’ll take a gander on Amazon later and let you know.
Thanks!
Save Me
The Reaper by Steven Dunne . I just didn’t like DI Brooks
Just goes to show @Sarah we have a lot of books in common that we both loved, yet I love this series
I might try again one day @Susan . I even apologised when I posted that I didn’t like it
@Sarah, you shouldn’t apologise. There are too many other books to read
The most recent one The Woman in the Window
Also, books by B A Paris
The latest was disappointing so I thing I will be giving future books a miss
I didn’t like any of them. I felt the writing was very one dimensional inauthentic and immature.
Ove, what was all the fuss about ?
Tell Me No Lies – really was not for me but most people seem to have loved it.
There’s two with the same name. Which one did you dislike?
Lisa Hall’s (sorry)
I thought it was mediocre. But I loved her first, Between You And Me.
too many
Don’t you think that sometimes people enthuse about books because they think it’s expected.
I agree. I give my honest opinion when someone asks about a book but the amount of people who will say great book is fishy to me. It’s like follow the leader
Totally
I find it weird how people assume others are lying or mistaken if they like books and that negative reviews are somehow more honest. Shrug
@Lucy I totally agree. So many times I see people write things like “ignore the hype” or “don’t believe the good reviews”, as though anyone with a differing view must be a liar
European and American friends say this seems to be a British thing. We seem to be an automatically suspicious nation! I have to agree tbh
Behind her Eyes – I wouldn’t say I disliked it, the ending was too far fetched imo x
I felt cheated @Audrey, because I like to fathom the ending. I. Usually wrong but this one was off the scale
A man called Ove
Girl on the train
I am just going to start this, shall I not bother?
I liked it a lot. The main protag is a bit unlikable but that’s what I dug about it. I don’t have to like or sympathize with the protag to enjoy the ride.
But I also loved Gone Girl. lol Those two books seem to be the most unliked by commenters.
@Hilary it is good but I was expecting it to be better because of all the hype. It’s worth reading.
Thank you everyone think I will give it a go.
Harold Fry
Loved Harold Fry too ?
I hated it
50 shades it’s terrible.
The girl on the train
BA Paris Behind Closed Doors
I liked this book.
That was a ridiculous story.
LOVED that one
The girl with the dragon tattoo
I found this book hard to read, it was too descriptive but overall story was great.
I didn’t get all the fuss over Eleanor Oliphant… She’s never seen fine.
Lord of the Rings
Gone Girl
Unravelling oliver, hated it
the wind in the willows
The handmaids Tale…no beginning or end to the story just the middle
I also dislike this book very strongly but had to study it at A-level :/
*makes mental note to avoid Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train*
Just shows you how different everyone is – I loved both of those!!
I hated them both too!
@Debbie I have only seen t heir films. Gone Girl film was…”meh” with crap ending. “Girl On a ….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”
To be fair, GG is extremely well-written. I just hated the characters.
@Debbie Therefore I would say not “extremely well written” for you. Surely being able to relate to and like the characters should be important to the story!?
Hmm. No, I disagree with that. I can appreciate the style and quality of the writing, while hating the actual story!
Whereas Girl on the Train didn’t even have that redeeming feature, IMO.
@Debbie I guess it is like appreciating how clean the windows are but being less than impressed at the smell, since it was vinegar that was used to get t hem so shiny!
Can’t choose between Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.
@Colin deservedly named imho ?. If there was ever a case of hype over substance they must surely be it!
Oh I agree indeed, don’t mistake my mention for sympathy! I work opposite to hype and tend to steer clear of most things that are all frenzied up at first, let the mellow out, and then the HONEST opinions start coming out.
@Colin really??? So, the only ‘honest ‘ opinions are the later ones? How incredibly insulting to anyone who is an early reviewer, and quite frankly, quite ignorant
WOW….chill the hell out. I am nolt ignorant just because we disagree. And you’ll find there is a hell of a lot of difference between whose reviews are ;pushed and used more in early marketing.
This post was a general chat, with humour: get off your high horse.
@Colin I’m quite enjoying my morning canter on my high horse, and am so very chilled out.
You claim that the ‘honest’ opinions come later; therefore you are implying that early reviews are ‘dishonest’.
I do disagree, and I do find that incredibly offensive.
Only I can say how I feel.
A Cold Killing by Luke Delaney. Thought it very average while others raved about it
I liked that one ?
Girl on a Train
Lee Child, couldn’t get away with his books.
I do read him, but I think that he is overrated.
Gone girl. Girl on a train.
Gone girl
Looking at the comments Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train aren’t marmite books, everyone hated them!
Betsy Freeman Reavley exception rather than the rule ?
I enjoyed the Girl on the train…
It got a bit far fetched towards the end, but I did like unreliable narrative. On the whole, I enjoyed it for what it was.
@Alexina diversity is a blessing ? (you have a lovely name btw)
yes, and thank you… kindly named after my Granny.. it makes good discussion on why we might like a book others don’t.
Not everyone. Both hugely successful and massive sellers, so are bound to create lots of debate
@Anne I was seduced by the hype and the popularity. Sometimes it’s better to be an individual ?
@Martin I’m always individual. I detest the word ‘hype’; it’s marketing. It’s a marketers job to seduce you into buying a book. Every single book published will garner mixed reviews.
I loved them both!
@Anne I disagree slightly. Hype is generated by good marketing. I didn’t read the reviews before I bought them. I make up my own mind. And in my mind they were poor.
@Martin yes, exactly. Marketing = hype. I’m sure you’ve also read highly marketed books that you’ve enjoyed? There is nothing wrong in being seduced by marketing, it’s the way of the world and some you’ll like, and some will disappoint
@Anne yes indeed. Dragon Tattoo I enjoyed ?
Anna Karenina. I drowned in a sea of Russian surnames.
I agree that and war and peace are awful- you should read dostoyevsky instead he’s my fave Russian author
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Thought it was very badly written but millions loved it…
Yup, I’m one of those millions
The Martian. I just found the narrator completely unrealistically jovial and annoying. Had to stop reading it!
Girl on a Train, I still don’t understand the hype over it!
Childhood’s End
I could never get into the De Vinci code. I have been wary ever since of books that everyone raves about.
The crow girl and anything by Jo Nesbo.
Gone Girl!