What book have you read that wasn’t subjectively “bad” but you regrets reading all the same?

For me, Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. The book was engaging and it kept me on my toes, but I just with I hadn’t “poisoned my head” with all the graphic gore that was in there. I years later i still think about this and how I really wish I had never read it.

Question inspired by a comment /u/PrincessOfWales made in another thread :)

  • GlitteriestFluff@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    The Stand by Stephen King

    !All that reading of a VERY long book, and all the emotional investment… and then the ending was completely unrelated to anything that had gone before. As I often say about this book - they might as well have woken up and realised it was all a dream.!<

    • tyr0n3slothrop@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I love the Stand in spite of the ending. It’s more about the journey than the destination, or whatever.

      But yeah, the ending was super lame. Almost literal deus ex machina. King is known for struggling with ending his stories, and this one was the worst offender for me. I’ll never understand how a writer of his caliber could choose to end his epic tale with an conclusion that completely amateur.

      • jenorama_CA@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        The Stand was my first Stephen King. It was the extended rerelease and I read it when I was 15, I think and it super blew my mind as I hadn’t encountered an author that would make you love a character and then kill them. I agree with you about the endings, but for me,the worst offender is Under The Dome. He’s so good at characters, though.

        • jedi_master99@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          Under the Dome’s ending is infuriating! I loved that book so much, I absolutely devoured it, but after reaching the ending I was like “wat” and then I had a bad book hangover for like two weeks

      • Craftyprincess13@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        Yeah it was good but i don’t like the scene (i had the redo ver. From the 90s that added in stuff) that he has trashcan man more abused like seriously we get his life sucks leave him alone it was unnecessary and added nothing to it

    • ProbablyASithLord@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      It always staggers me when someone says The Stand is their favorite King book, or favorite book. I guess some people can separate the journey from the ending, but if the ending shits the bed I’m not going to just ignore that.

      • rliant1864@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        I would say it’s my favorite, but because the first half with the collapse is my favorite apocalypse novel ever written. It’s just that it comes in a compilation with the second half, an incredibly lame high school assignment fantasy story.

    • Skeet_fighter@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I maintain in terms of characters and story The Stand is one of King’s best (at least that I’ve read) but holy hell that man does not know how to end a book. I’ve read maybe 10-ish of his full novels, and I can recall maybe 3 that had satisfying endings?