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We were probably among the last people not to have read Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. But no longer are we among those unhappy few. Honestly, our main deterrent was the hype. It was the "new cool" hipsters' book, so smug. That and the back cover looked ho-hum (yeah, we're shallow), so we kept declining on principle. But it was a bad decision. Finally a friend convinced us to read it while on a roadtrip, and after we got past the first thirty pages, we couldn't stop reading — or highlighting — our friend's copy.
The meter of the prose is perfect, and while separately the beautiful yet sometimes overwritten histories in Trachimbrod and Alexi's hilarious but tender canter could get tiresome, together the two are a divine black-and-white milkshake. The flavor keeps changing, but in two familiar ways. Also, we are unashamed suckers for anyone who successfully plays with form non-narratively in a narrative, so we had a hard time not squirming with nerdy delight at "We are writing" and "The Book of Dreams." We came away glowing from this book, the opposite of the books in Trachimbrod's library, which the tired librarian says are "all about love." Everything is Illuminated is, ultimately, not about love, but about the ghosts residing in the spaces amid love.
Are there any books that you put off because of the hype and later read and loved?
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Lolita
The Perks of being a Wallflower.
I second Perks of Being a Wallflower....!!!!
Such bullshit
Omg! I object to the fireworks at Navy Pier. The loud bangs make me think I'm living in the ghetto. oh noes!!!!
STFU boaters. go boat on the fox river and quit yer yapping.
If people would ever stop hyping Devil in the White City, I might be able to bring myself to read it. I mean, I've been given two copies of it already, and fully expect to get another this Christmas.
I was worried about The Corrections at first, but I really loved that book once I read it.
I've tried to start Devil in the White City three times. It's kinda interesting... but every time i've taken a break I've lost all my momentum.
This is easy -- Harry Potter. I was able to fend off those books for years until the 6th book came out. I read all of them over one summer and the entire series far surpassed my expectations. I respect the people who have read one or two of the books and didn't like them, but I'm annoyed at those who haven't read a word and completely dismiss the entire series. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Agreed on Devil in the White City. I can't wait for the over-hyped movie.
I soaked up Devil in the White City during a long plane ride and loved it.
I'm going to agree with the Harry Potter suggestion. My sister spent half of her life waiting for the series to end. After the last one came out, I read them all in a week. That's over 4000 pages of wizardly goodness. I dreamt about wizards and wand battles for a month. And, surprisingly, they all kicked ass (some, of course, moreso than others). And, I mean this with all the sincerity I can muster, one of the chapters in the final book is quite possibly the best chapter of any book I've ever read.
Fuck. I'm a nerd.
I resisted Dave Eggers for a while, but recently read and liked Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Funnier than I expected.
I'm another former Harry Potter avoider. I thought the hype was stupid, until I read, like, two pages. Now I'm a total geek.
I also put off The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, because it totally felt like the "cool, intelligent hipster" book for awhile, but I really liked it.
I still can't bring myself to read the Life of Pi, due to the combination of the hype and what sounds like an impenetrably dull plot.
Guest #4, I think you meant your comment for the post above this one ...
Kurt Vonnegut in general. Boy am I glad I didn't wait any longer than I did.
All agreed about Harry Potter, although I wasn't thrilled with the last book, but the other six, ::love::
devil in the white city is lame. i read it regardless of the hype and had. to. force. myself. to finish. it.
the things i do for this city.....
PS i feel exactly the same way about harry potter. those who are resisting it are only doing it at their own detriment!
i second the corrections. i, too, am a literary snob ("canon only"), but at the time of the oprah hiccup, i though franzen was a complete tool. i mean, the woman is promoting literacy to the otherwise pap-eating, soap-watching public. it's a miracle, really...a beautiful miracle. i couldn't stomach his feigned academic disdain for the little sticker he had to endure on his book jacket. *gasp*!
then i read "the corrections," and was like: "fuck, this dood is a tool and a great writer." aren't they all though?
i liked how to be alone too. i only felt better after i read the 27th city, which is shit on a stick.
#17 guest,
yeah I'd also put off Illuminated because I heard Foer was a big douche and that he's really pretentious and condescending to other writers, but then again, I guess the writing stands on its own.
Also, Oprah might just be the anti-christ, but you do have to hand it to her that's she's trying to get America to read.
I am going to disagree with Julia about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Nick Hornby tears the book apart pretty well. Hornby's son was born autistic and was pretty pissed off at Curious Incident's whole "if you put your mind to it you can overcome anything" attitude when, in fact, as sad as it sounds, that is not always true.
I just thought that it was boring.
Time Traveler's Wife ... I thought I'd hate it, but decided it was brilliant.