Over the past few weeks I've moved a couple of books onto the DNF pile.I thought I'd give them one last chance by talking about them here, to see if anyone can convince me to keep on with them.
First up is an Aussie book called Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw.
I've actually abandoned this book twice.
I decided to give it a second chance about a week ago, but after a few more chapters, I put it down again, I suspect for good this time.
I really enjoyed the writing and the atmosphere created by Henshaw. But I kept thinking, "what's the point?" And once you start thinking that, it's hard to move forward...unless some kind of point quickly presents itself.
It didn't.
A customer at work then told me that she also didn't think it had any point and she felt quite disappointed at the end.
My second DNF was The Dust that Falls from Dreams.I really wanted to love this book as I adored Captain Corelli's Mandolin from the very first word. But sadly, by about page 60, my enthusiasm flagged. And by pg 72 I had put it down with very grave doubts.
The multiple first person narrative was fine (although a little unnecessary). But once we moved into the war phase which included diary entries and letters, my frustration levels rose rapidly.
After reading Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man and Testament of Youth earlier on this year, I felt I had already covered this same ground in a far more authentic way via the experiences of people who had actually lived through WWI.
I wasn't learning anything new about WWI and the annoying diary entries made me lose interest in the main characters.
Can anyone convince me otherwise?
Have you abandoned a book recently?
Sorry to hear about The Dust that Falls from Dreams. I've seen one fairly positive review, but many more are less than glowing. Corelli's Mandolin is an all-time favorite, so I'm hesitating...
ReplyDeleteHave you read Birds Without Wings? I picked that up at a library book sale and will probably give that a try instead.
I haven't read BWW but it is one of my colleagues favourite books. He preferred it over CCM. I will give him the Dust to try for comparison.
DeleteSorry to hear about The Dust that Falls from Dreams as well. I loved Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Birds Without Wings and this was the first book of his for a while that piqued my interest considerably. But anyway...
ReplyDeleteI hate it when a book disappoints.
ReplyDeleteI dont like abandoning books but I put down The Race For Paris recently by Meg Waite Clayton. It probably had nothing to do with the book but I just couldn't click with it at the beginning. I will try again when the timing is better. I too liked Corellini's Mandolin so I'm glad you warned me about his new book. Sometimes it just happens! It's okay to let it go.
ReplyDeleteNormally I have no problems about abandoning a book that's not working for me - my TBR pile id too huge to hold such qualms! But both these books felt different. I had read so many good reviews about the first one, that I was wondering what I was missing, or concerned that I was approaching it with the wrong mindset or something.
DeleteThe Dust was simply one I wanted to really really like because of my attachment to CCM. I was hoping someone might tell me how wonderful it was once you push through the section I was in the middle of!