Stories are an outpouring of someone's creativity into words... and since we are all different, we are going to appreciate some aspects of other's creativity more than others.
For example: I LOVE CHARACTERS! I will struggle through a bad plot just to see what happens to the characters if they are portrayed well. It's not that other aspects of the book don't matter to me, I admire good worldbuilding and plots. What I am saying, is that a book I dislike may be enjoyable to someone else, and vice versa.
Anyway, drum roll please...........
- Robinson Crueso by Daniel Defoe
This one might be a bit of a surprise. It's a classic, light hearted desert Island story. But here are some of the things that bothered me:
I do not relate to Robinson. He is stuck up, arrogant, and racist, and he was written to appeal to elderly, white, racist men. I do understand that what was acceptable was very different in the 1700s, but it does not float in today's society.
Secondly... if the story was realistic... Crueso would have been dead before forty-eight hours where up.
Also... nobody is as stupid as Friday is, that is just more racism.
2. The Tripods trilogy and The Sword of the Spirits trilogy by John Christopher
I can hear the cries of protest starting already... Please hear me out!
John Christopher's writing is exquisite! His plot is genius, his world building mastermind, his characters relatable! I could not tear myself away from his books. I loved every page, nay, every word. But that made the disappointment deeper.
Christopher does not know how to write an ending.
It's not just that his endings are sad, they are unsatisfactory, leaving loose ends and character arcs uncompleted. They leave you in the middle of chaos, with no hope of anything but chaos.
I still recommend reading them.
3. Melanie Dickerson novels
I'm sorry all you Christian Romance fans out there... I just couldn't enjoy these books.
For a while, I thought I hated all romance novels, but after a bit of deliberation, I've decided that is not the case.
Romance is a plot device. It is quite tricky to make it the main plotline, though it has been well done.
Now here's my problem. I don't focus on plot. I love characters. And in Christian romances... especially Melanie Dickerson novels, I can't relate with the characters.
I am not exquisitely beautiful, with long golden locks smooth as silk, (despite living as a peasant in the medieval times, but don't get me started on that). Nor am I meek, docile, kind to a fault and helpless without a handsome prince (or baron, or duke). I am not "perfect" so I cannot relate to the main character of these stories. The guys are perfect too, so I can't even relate to them...
And since I'd rather see meaningful character development than a wedding... my interest is lost.
In summary, make your own decisions, and choose wisely. We all have a limit to how many books we can read in one lifetime. So if a book isn't for you, put it down and start another!
