Well, I finally found a book that may upsurp The Wasp Factory from its post on my Worst Book Ever list....

This is possibly one of *the* worst books I have ever read. Great premise - terrible storyline and execution.  Not only is the writing marginal, but the author re-uses the same hokey imagery over and over "quicksilver child", "thin hair, held back with barettes".  There is little redeeming about the characters, and the subplots are simply unbelievable.  Don't waste a credit or your time on this one.  If I were the publisher, I'd be embarrassed.

I mean, at least Iain Banks can write....

I haven't read this, but doesn't it make  you wonder HOW some books get *so* popular?

I did read it.  It was bad.  But, reading bad books gives me hope that since books clearly don't have to be perfect to be published, well, then maybe me writing a book isn't such a far-fetched prospect....

Thanks for saving me the waste of a few hours, before I discovered how bad it was by myself! That's one of the reasons I join these sites!

Hear, hear! It was an interesting idea but the writing was excruciatingly poor, and there was not one character I cared about. And the repetition! Ach.

Sorry to disagree, but I liked the book.

Are you sure you didn't like it? :)

You guys know the old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  I guess that's why we all have different opinions about book quality.

I'm in complete agreement about disliking the total book, including characters, writing, etc.  However, I think many people who have children with Down Syndrome  or other disabilities could identify with some events; their word-of-mouth may have made it popular.

If you actually enjoyed the story, the movie is on Lifetime - I think this coming Saturday. Check your local listings.  I, for one, won't be watching, even though I like Emily Watson.

I think the storyline could have been great but unfortunately it wasn't.  I kept reading it thinking from all the hype it had to turn the corner and become a great story somewhere but I finished the book and it never did become one:o(

I wonder if the lifetime movie would make this a better or worse version than the book. I'm a bit biased, as I prefer the books over the movies made from them any day.

I have this book on my TBR pile. I many go ahead and read it just to see if I like it.  Thanks for the info. on the book though.

I did not care for this book either. Great title though :-)

Grim story with most of the characters battling various forms of depression. There did not seem to be a single moment of levity in the book. A wider range of emotions would have helped this book. I agree that the writing was lacking. I read it more than a year ago but I recall that the author kept using the same descriptor for hands - five or six times she used the same description and it annoyed me.

L, again we so heartily agree!  I don't think I got through the first 40 pages before I relisted my copy and sent it happily on its way!  Did not even get as far as I did in that other popular clunker...you know which one ;-)

I didn't enjoy this book either.  Like others said, I think it *could* have been good, but it just wasn't!  There wasn't a single character that I cared about at all!

Great premise - terrible storyline and execution

That is what I thought as well.

LOL@ Beth!

Bonnie, I wish I had been as smart as you!  In the middle I literally asked myself, "Gosh, do I want to waste any more time on this??"  I had to finish it though - because like  Dawn, I kept thinking it has to get better!  Bzzzt! Wrong! :p

Live and learn, eh?  I have come to the conclusion that if a book is popular, it probably means I won't like it.  I hate Picoult, for example.

I had this book on my shelf, after so many bad reviews I finally posted it.  I almost felt guilty when someone ordered...it hope it wasn't you L. lol

LOL@ April.  Might have been! ;)

I have this book on my TBR.I may try a few pages.LOL

Bonnie, Can I ask which clunker??

One of my English teachers encouraged us to give books the 3-chapter-chance. She said to read at least 3 chapters to give it time to hook you in before you give up on it; if it doesn't seem good by the 3rd chapter it's probably not going to get any better.

One book I read though (a time-travel/romance, usually a favorite type) got to a part where the author wrote "she wanted to find the Brad Pitt to her Jennifer Aniston" and I literally tossed the book across the room in disgust. It didn't even make the 3-chapter-chance. I even threw it in the trash instead of taking it in for credit at the used book store (before paperbackswap days).

Yeah, it was pretty "meh" for me, too.  I did finish it, hoping it would go somewhere!  I thought it had a lot more potential.   I might watch the movie if I can remember just to see if it's any better. 

Katherine, the other clunker was the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (or whatever it is called).  Bonnie and I both loathed it - we got beat up by those who liked it when we posted our reviews.  I couldn't even finish it, it was that bad.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Okay, I've scratched it off my "to read" lists...any others?  LOL  TBR pile is huge so I welcome any cuts..hehee

Katherine, it was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.  Did you really miss the thread where L and I were severely chastised for our opinion of the plot and author's writing skills, or lack thereof?

Phew!

Other than classics, which my wonderful high school English teacher gave me permission to find boring due to writing style of the day, the first modern bestseller that I found incredibly beyond belief boring was Erica Jong's Fear of Flying.  I was young back then, and of the age and in the time when I might have found something like that titallating.  Oh, lord it was awful.  And I swore after that that unless I truly believed there was hope for a book, I wouldn't waste my life on it.

But then, there was Dances with Wolves.  My tied-for-first-favorite movie.  The book was horrible.  And there is another I just recently posted about, but it wasn't popular to begin with.

Such different tastes, thank God.  I just wish everyone could remember that. 

 Oh, just saw that Lyn answered your question!