Literary Letdowns

[EarthTones]

A friend of mine emailed me today and said she finally read Terry McMillian's "Day Late and a Dollar Short" and was so upset. She had been wanting to read the book for so long and anticipated such a good read...she didn't like the book at all.

Anyone else ever been totally and completely let down by a book they had been dying to read, or that came highly recommended?

[LotsOfLocs]

Omar Tyree's For The Love Of Money!

[Sekhmet]

No, I've never been let down by a book that I really wanted to read. However, I have been so disappointed by other books I've picked up that I wanted my money back. One or two, I've actually thrown across the room in disgust. Because I can't bring myself to throw them in the trash with the rest of the garbage, I just trade them in at a used bookstore or at the airport.

[Amarige]

I have a 100 page rule, give or take. If the book does not catch my attention by then--forget it! The only time now that I will read beyond that point is if I am doing it for a book club. I use to think --It'll get better soon or well so and so said it was wonderful. Nope! Too many excellent books out there and too little free time to read them all.

In the past I was really excited to read the Color Purple. My expectations were high. It was a good read, but not the life altering experience for me that it was for others. Sooo I was somewhat disappointed with it.

[ThisIsKia]

Originally posted by Amarige@Jun 24 2003, 10:40 PM
In the past I was really excited to read the Color Purple. My expectations were high.
Ditto I thought it was gonna be sucha great book, I mean Oprah and everyone else had 'bigged it up' so much and it sucked. BIG let down :( ...
Ps. I want my money back ... with interest

[strawwberryz]

Who moved my cheese?

Most of Iyanla&#39;s books..I like to hear her speak but her reads are kinda.... <_<

The Coldest Winter ever by Sista Souljah...for some reason did not like it.

Growing up X by Malcolm&#39;s Daughter

[blumoonbabe]

All of Iyanla Vanzant&#39;s stuff

All of Zane&#39;s stuff

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

the stuff written and piblished by the other Terry.... *SMACKING FOREHEAD...THINK!*Woods. True To the Game, B-More Careful...yuck.

You Know Better by Tina McElroy Ansa


chile, plenty stuff!

[EarthTones]

Originally posted by blumoonbabe@Jun 25 2003, 03:51 AM
chile, plenty stuff!
You are a sickie! :lol:

My biggest letdowns were the Tamara Hale mysteries by Valerie Wilson Wesley. I guess my expectations were too high since I checked out her books after reading many of Walter Mosley&#39;s books in succession.

And I kinda gree with you guys on Iyanla Vanzant...most of herbooks sound the same to me...once you start reading more than one the rest sound very familiar.

Oh well! ;)

[ellimac98]

I actually liked A Day Late and a Dollar Short better than Waiting to Exhale.

I agree w/ everyone about Iyanla Vanzant&#39;s books. I don&#39;t understand the hype.


One book that I was really disappointed in was The Family Curse by Magdalene Breaux.

Also I couldn&#39;t get into either of Colson Whitehead&#39;s books, The Intuitionist or John Henry Days. I couldn&#39;t finish either one, they were both over my head I guess.

[jazzypom]

Originally posted by EarthTones@Jun 24 2003, 11:40 PM
A friend of mine emailed me today and said she finally read Terry McMillian&#39;s "Day Late and a Dollar Short" and was so upset. She had been wanting to read the book for so long and anticipated such a good read...she didn&#39;t like the book at all.

Anyone else ever been totally and completely let down by a book they had been dying to read, or that came highly recommended?
i did not like this book either - thank god i borrowed it from the library!!!!

IT SUCKED MAJOR BOLLOCKS!!!!

[soulJam]

I tend to think that Terry McMillians is grossly overrated with her chapter long paragraphs, and her wishy washy characters. How Stella Got Her Groove Back pissed me off BIG TIME!!! i was like damn.. stop doubting and get it on... She went back and forth so many times.

Day Late and a Dollar Short pissed me off too i had to put it down a few times.. When i looked down and say that the paragraph was never ending, i got mad again. That book wasn&#39;t that good. Allright.....

Zane is another overrated author... I read Addicted.. now I don&#39;t know if it&#39;s because I had just seen Love and Basketball(again).. but the beginning of her book and that movie or oddly similar.. also .. for a book that was supposed to be set back in the day, why was she using current slang???? I am also amazed at the amount of books that allowed to go to print with bad grammar.

It&#39;s hard to go from reading E. Lynn Harris , J. California Cooper or my fav Eric Jerome Dickey to something like one of the above.
(E.Lynn Harris is a great one for drama and characters and J. California Cooper has stories you can feel with great meaning. Eric J. Dickey is just funny. )

I guess like music people are starting to accept whatever is thrown their way..

When I can I go to the library. I&#39;d be really mad if i had to buy some of these books.

[italdumpling]

Many of the new &#39;hot&#39; books on the market are horrible. So I&#39;ve gotten into reading a lot of stuff by Spanish/ Cuban/Haitian writers.

Edwidge Danticat
Sandra Cisneros

Just to name a few are; these two are really good writers.



The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L Carter was horrible I could not get past the first two chapters. He was paid like $1 million to put that book out.

[CallaV]

Originally posted by LotsOfLocs@Jun 24 2003, 09:03 PM
Omar Tyree&#39;s For The Love Of Money!
That was straight garbage. So was Sweet St. Louis and any other book he has written that someone thought was good enough to print. I really liked Fly Girl and expected his other books to be just as good. Boy oh boy was I wrong. Fly Girl must have been a fluke :nohuh:

[traesure]

Originally posted by italdumpling@Jul 1 2003, 05:15 PM



The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L Carter was horrible I could not get past the first two chapters. He was paid like $1 million to put that book out.
I agree. that&#39;s the only book in my collection that I just have not been able to read. Even though I have read some bad books ( just to see what finally happens) this is the only one I haven&#39;t finished.

[Knottygal]

I know a lot of people have given this book rave reviews but I didn&#39;t care for Push by Sapphire. It was too much drama for me. I know every family has some sort of dysfunction but damn :nohuh:

[nappylicious]

:angry: A Love of My Won..the last book by E. Lynn Harris... :angry: I used to love his books..When his next book comes out..I will just go the library. I am so tired of spending my hard earned money on "Fluff" I want to read something interesting and mind stimulating.

Any suggestions?

[dreamy1]

I totally agree with whoever said that the Emperor of Ocean Park was AWFUL. That was like one of the biggest advances ever, and the book was unreadable! Also, I didn&#39;t care much for Push. Thought it was a cheap & poorly written update of The Color Purple! And finally there was that book Mother of Pearl that was an Oprah book club selection. I was especially disappointed by that book b/c I usually like some of the authors Oprah selects (Joyce Carol Oates, Toni Morrison, Ernest Gaines).

[Cia]

I didnt care for The Coldest Winter Ever and I was very dissapointed about the ending of If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. I have another book that gave me a headache and I had to force myself to finish it but I will discuss that later. Peace

[cocoamil]

Originally posted by LotsOfLocs@Jun 25 2003, 01:03 AM
Omar Tyree&#39;s For The Love Of Money!
Same for me too! when Omar put his self in more detail as a character in the book it just went down hill.

It sucked, and that&#39;s putting it nicely :angry:

[4everchanged]

I read Zane&#39;s last book in one day on a flight to Louisiana hoping and praying it would get better. And I took it back when I got back here to DC