Life has its little disappointments. I’m not talking about the big ones like cancer, bush-fires, flood, earthquakes, heart attacks, war, terrorism and divorce. I mean the little ones: the hamburger not looking like the ones in the ads; getting caught in the wrong traffic light cycle and getting red lights all the way home… That sort of thing.
For example, I’ve been taking Caltrate Plus for over two years now and, unlike the woman in the advertisement, I’m still utterly crap at playing tennis. Mind you, I was also rather pathetic at it before I started taking the supplement but there was a faint element of hope.
One of the things that irritates me is when an author lets me down. A few years ago one of my sisters gave me a novel for Christmas. It was written by a well-known Aussie author, who has won awards for her work. I’d read one of her books before and had enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this one. But, instead of the literary feast I’d expected, the experience was like chewing on cardboard. Her characters were one-dimensional and boring. I had to urge myself to care enough about the heroine (I think she was the heroine) to keep reading. Pandering to my masochistic tendencies I read it all the way through. (May my eyes forgive me.) The ending was contrived and…well…ho-hum. What a waste of time and paper. I even thought, “Some trees gave their life for this?”
Usually I treasure books and keep them until the silver fish have moved in and turned them into apartment blocks. This one went into the bin. I couldn’t even bring myself to pass it on to someone else. I was so thoroughly disappointed with it that I haven’t been able to gird my loins to read anything else by said author. I expect that one day I’ll admit that we all have our off days and I’ll give her another go but it’s going to take some time yet.
The thing is, I expect she’d admit that wasn’t one of her finer efforts. I suspect the publisher still took it because, with the name on the front cover, they were guaranteed to still sell and sell well. And in the meantime a new writer, trying to get a toe in the door, missed an opportunity. It’s disappointing. It’s irritating. It’s disheartening.
That’s my gripe for the week. What about you? Ever felt let down by a book or movie? For me, Ishtar has a permanent place in the Hall of Infamy. Up until that movie I thought it was impossible for Dustin Hoffman to do anything less than wonderful. I guess we all have our moments.
I hope you have a great week. May you catch all the green lights; may the hamburgers be delicious; may you excel in your chosen sport and may every book you read be magical.
Okay there are two books that fell well short. The first Snow falling on Cedars was raved about by many critiques and friends. For the old boy and I it was instant snooze material. The second book was the last instalment in the George R R Martin series. For years ( well before the tv series) we hung out for our Christmas fix. Martin had excuse after excuse such as death threats as to why the book wasn’t ready. Finally it was published and I am going to admit it was so bad I never finished it. Disappointment indeed. So I understand your sadness when a book fails to deliver.
I feel your pain, Dee. I admit I wasn’t deeply enamoured of Snow Falling on Cedars, either. Isn’t it fascinating how someone else can read a book you find dull and you yawn and they think, “Gosh! This’d make a fabulous movie.” The complexity of the human psyche is endlessly fascinating.
Some books do leave one flat, all the expectations that were there when you purchased it are slowly dashed.
My last two books are perfect bookends. (Sorry, but it is mostly American history for me.) The first was ‘James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights’, something that matches my interests perfectly and was a stunningly rich archive of useful information to me. Sadly, the author was dull as dust and I only made it through it by putting myself on a literary forced march. I did come away much better versed about our US Constitution.
Right on the heels of the first, I picked up one that had been given to me but one that I thought would go nowhere quick, the historical figure just wasn’t even on my list, ‘Noah Webster, The Forgotten Founding Father.’ I’ll be damned but the author made the thing a good read, he even used adjectives and what-not to liven things up, something my Madison author neglected to do. I didn’t learn much other than the fact that Noah Webster’s main attributes were narcissism and cloying foolishness.
I can’t say I go out of my way to get rid of books. I should, they take up space around here. I am always happy when someone wants to borrow one though. I am always happy to lend it to them provided they promise to never bring it back.
Yes, dullness is always a possible hazard when reading non-fiction. The good historians know that they’re telling a story and craft their writing to suit. The ‘facts are everything and stories are a waste of time’ brigade just don’t get it. I know that some academics are terrified they’ll be accused of writing fiction. They forget that history is a story told by many, with a myriad perspectives and perceptions. Apart from dates and place names, all the rest is reasonably subjective. What a shame for you that the better writer chose the less satisfying subject matter.
I have just made the mistake of watching the first of the current series of Sherlock Holmes, the one where Sherlock comes back from his supposed death. I watched it getting more and more puzzled, since there seemed to be nothing there. Later I figured it out. It was actually fan fiction produced by someone bought up on a diet of random moving smartphone images and reality shows. All surface flash and glitter just enough to distract you, without any actual substance.
Ah…a purist. Nobody beats the Basil Rathbone performance, hey? Yes, in their attempt to make the old Sherlock palatable to the app generation, some of the intrigue and “how did he figure it out” mystique is missing. That particular episode leapt all over the place. I found it very annoying. The second episode was better. I was rather chuffed that I figured the mystery out before Sherlock. I’ve never managed that before. 🙂
I wouldn’t go for Rathbone. Nigel Bruce’s Watson was too much the amiable buffoon. Sherlock/John are a set. Almost a single character, where the emotional and social aspects have been squeezed one way, and the rational, logical aspects squeezed the other. Then the character is cut in two to make Holmes/Watson. My pick would be the Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwicke pairing. I find Martin Freeman too slight and jumpy.
Ken, I had no idea you were such an aficionado! Martin Freeman IS slight and jumpy and I was surprised at the choice. However, in the last episode he finally showed some metal. I think they’ve been so busy highlighting Sherlock’s quirky intelligence that Watson didn’t get much of a look-in except as a sort of Greek chorus. It was easy to forget that Watson is a “war hero” and a brave, smart man. In the last episode we finally saw enough to convince us that it might be true. I hope they allow Freeman to grow into the role. It all comes down to the writers.