# Reading > General Literature >  What is the most boring book ever?

## Robert E Lee

I'd have to go with Moby Dick. Oh God, that was dreadful. I've already posted my thoughts about it on this board.

Herman Melville tries to be interesting and avant-garde by giving us gigantic passages about how to hunt whales and scientific stuff (which is all dated by now) while he leaves the story dangling. 

I really hated this book.

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## ajoe

Agree. I read the children's illustrated version, actually, just so to know what the story is all about without torturing myself too much. But even that had me killed for awhile. I don't think the first-person narrator is even necessary!

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## AbdoRinbo

I read the Robert Freeman biography of Robert E Lee, and that just about sapped all my life's ambition right out of me. If you think _Moby Dick_ is dated, heh . . . reading about Robert E Lee will make you appreciate the avante garde in Melville's art, and then make you want to cut your own balls off and flush them down the toilet. Really, it's not a pleasant read.

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## Robert E Lee

> I read the Robert Freeman biography of Robert E Lee, and that just about sapped all my life's ambition right out of me. If you think _Moby Dick_ is dated, heh . . . reading about Robert E Lee will make you appreciate the avante garde in Melville's art, and then make you want to cut your own balls off and flush them down the toilet. Really, it's not a pleasant read.


I meant to say "...most boring novel."

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## den

Well... the most _recent_ borefest I tried to get through was Russell Banks' _The Sweet Hereafter_. Holy crap, couldn't stand it. I thought I would read the book before seeing the much vaunted movie. :-? A case of TMI and poor/lame/cliche/trite character development.

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## imthefoolonthehill

My vote goes to "Crime and Punishment". I know a lot of people love this book, but I think that the author tries to be more intelligent than he is.

er.... was.

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## MdaCruz

Try reading the complete Alexis de Tocqueville's _Democracy in America_. The book spends an entire chapter explaining the geography of the American continent, and he's not even right. Or for an even more engrossing read try Bryce's _The American Commonwealth_.

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## Jay

I'd go with Imthefoolonthehill, I haven't read more boring book yet (I even couldn't make myself to read the book to the end, but still, the two thirds I've read weren't nice). It's the only book I didn't finish.

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## Robert E Lee

> Well... the most _recent_ borefest I tried to get through was Russell Banks' _The Sweet Hereafter_. Holy crap, couldn't stand it. I thought I would read the book before seeing the much vaunted movie. :-? A case of TMI and poor/lame/cliche/trite character development.


I've read Continental Drift and Affliction by Russell Banks, and I didn't find either of them boring. In fact, he's probably one of the five best authors out there today.




> Well... the most _recent_ borefest I tried to get through was Russell Banks' _The Sweet Hereafter_. Holy crap, couldn't stand it. I thought I would read the book before seeing the much vaunted movie. :-? A case of TMI and poor/lame/cliche/trite character development.


Oh, and what's TMI?

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## den

Too Much Information... :o  :Rolleyes:  You know, when your lonely neighbour corners you and starts telling you about their recent stomach stapling procedure. :-? 

Ok well maybe I'll check out some of Banks' other works, I _can_ be open-minded sometimes.

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## Wilfred

There is no boring pieces of literature. Literature is the essance of our soul and to say that it is boring is the utmost insult to our essance as a supurerior human race.

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## AbdoRinbo

Did you just say 'superior human race'?

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## den

:Biggrin:  I'll take the lesser human race for $800 Alex! 





> Did you just say 'superior human race'?

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## AbdoRinbo

> I'll take the lesser human race for $800 Alex!


Heh . . . you've got character, you know that?

Yes, you say things in a very characteristic sort of way . . . I can't quite put my finger on it.

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## den

Of course nothing _I've_ ever written is boring.  :Biggrin:

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## Jeremydav

I'm currently studying colonialist American literature and it can be rather dry. Though I've only read representative works by John Smith and William Bradford as of yet. I'm excited to move forward in the course and study the romantics and transcendentalists. I've always found their writings riveting.

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## Eliot Rosewater

Dracula, in my humble opinion. It started off interesting but tapered off then. I think the reason its still popular is mostly down to it being one of the first major works of that genre.

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## spookymulder93

For Whom the Bell Tolls was a snooze fest.

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## dfloyd

is said to be boring or uninteresting, it generally means the person criticizing the book didn't understand it, hadn't reached the level of intellectuality it takes to comprehend it, or just plain wasn't aware of the subtlties involved with the author's presentation. To criticize a classic which has been given that status by the many professional critics only reflects poorly upon the demeaner.

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## mtpspur

I used to think Ethan Frome was the most boring book ever read but upon reflection Ivanhoe by Walter Scott makes more sense to me based on its promise but failure to deliver. Came to the book expecting something along the lines of Prince Valiant instead being treated to a very hard luck knight who seems to spend most of his time on a sick bed. The final duel at the end is unsatisfying as well but to elaborate would be to spoil it.

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## Scheherazade

> I used to think Ethan Frome was the most boring book ever read


I could not stand that book either! Felt so cheated as I really loved Wharton up until that time.

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## David Lurie

Berlin Alexanderplatz: I have finished reading it last night and I can't remember the last time I was so bored, the most exciting parts were the listings of streetcar's stops.

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## Mr.lucifer

> is said to be boring or uninteresting, it generally means the person criticizing the book didn't understand it, hadn't reached the level of intellectuality it takes to comprehend it, or just plain wasn't aware of the subtlties involved with the author's presentation. To criticize a classic which has been given that status by the many professional critics only reflects poorly upon the demeaner.


You are a hypocrite because you criticize virginia woolfe. 

I guest JBI is a moron because he dislike 19th century america classic literature. Mal4mac must be dumb for disliking Ulysses, or for not being impressed by the novels of hemingway or nabokov. Brian Bean must be immature for finding samuel beckett, james joyce, or war and peace boring. He certainly must be intellectually lacking for finding kafka unimpressive.

Just because a book is labeled a classic does not mean one will be impressed by it.

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## stlukesguild

Who says JBI isn't a moron for disliking 19th century American literature...? :Biggrinjester: 



I'm kidding JBI... kidding. If I wanted to prove that you were a moron I could surely come up with something far more substantial. :Biggrin: 


As you... no doubt... could do with me. :Shocked:

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## Mr.lucifer

Though really I hope to enjoy as many classics as possible.

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## Isla

I don't know about the most boring book ever, but recently I read The Far Pavilions and it really dragged. While M.M. Kaye's knowledge of India's culture and landscape is vast and her prose beautiful, the expository writing becomes tedious halfway through the book and made what could have been a intriguing story repetitive and monotonous. 

I enjoy long informative reads that force my mind to slow down and think. I have a big heart for non-fiction as well, and can stand dry novels too... I guess the Far Pavilions wasn't so much boring as it was annoying because M.M. Kaye's voice overshadows her well-researched story. 

With that said, I still find parts of the book brilliant and I can't just write her off completely because hey, she spent 30 years writing that novel and she has quite a large cult-following and so I respect her work. Even if it made me want to scream.

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## spookymulder93

> is said to be boring or uninteresting, it generally means the person criticizing the book didn't understand it, hadn't reached the level of intellectuality it takes to comprehend it, or just plain wasn't aware of the subtlties involved with the author's presentation. To criticize a classic which has been given that status by the many professional critics only reflects poorly upon the demeaner.


Do you form your own opinions? 

Kind of sounds like you like what people tell you to like.

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## LMK

Boring reads: _Dorian Gray, Moby Dick, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, The House of the Seven Gables, Man of La Mancha_ ...are among those that stick out of my overindulged, yet clueless mind.

That is not to say that there werent parts of any/all that were enjoyable, memorable or easily forgettable, no editorial comment withstanding; however, for clarification, I say boring only to mean (*to me*) that it was not a read that was hard to put down, but rather sometimes had to tell myself, just a few more pages at a time, until I could be finished with it. 

Perhaps a second or third read of any of these might be page turners.

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## Petrarch's Love

I just came across this thread and am cracking up at how typically human it is that we could all go on for nearly 22 pages about what bores us.  :FRlol:  For whatever reason I very seldom think in terms of a book being "boring." I may not like it, or I may find it frustrating or generally uninspired but I hardly ever experience a conscious sensation of boredom while reading literature. (Within the genre of literary criticism on the other hand...) I think I may have been more bored by some reading when I was younger. Perhaps it is that I have learned to appreciate a wider variety of styles. Or I suppose it could be that I've just read enough boring literature that I've build up an immunity, like a vaccine.  :Biggrin:  I cannot help but suppose that all those on this thread selecting writers like Dickens, Shakespeare, Woolf, Hemingway or Dostoevsky have never been compelled to read all 306 of the religious sonnets of Henry Lok (a distinct exception to my general resistance to boredom).  :As Sleep:

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## aliengirl

I found these two quite boring-

Middlemarch by George Eliot - I left it after just three pages.

A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul - If you have not read it, better forget about it. I read about half of it and resolved never to look at it again. Ughh.. it was sooo repetitive.

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## Indomitable

> This was my experience with Gatsby, but why does it improve on a reread? My first read was so long ago I couldn't remember the plot! But I did remember there wasn't much of a plot, so I read it slowly, trying to appreciate the subtleties... beauty of language, characterisation,... anything but plot. That worked! I didn't find it boring second time through.


As you mentioned, I'd imagine it's because of the subtleties. Fitzgerald isn't a particularly 'tight' writer. He usually meanders and takes his time with description and characterization. Once you know what the actual plots and basic themes are of his novels, you can start appreciating the intricacies and detail of them.

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## seaofmilktea

On the Road. So very dull.

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## Tobeornotobe

Crime and Punishment. Yuk.

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## Vota

I think the most boring author I have ever read is Immanuel Kant. I've heard people praise him as the greatest thing ever, and while I admit the jargon is a slight pita to get down, his writing style is so damn dull I had to stop reading it entirely. Sometimes a work will be good, and then slog a little, so I'll carefully skim until something interesting is being mentioned. I only do this if it gets REALLY boring. I repeatedly had to do this with Kant's work until I couldn't take it anymore. The difficulty of the text was far secondary incomparison to the sheer tediousness of the writing style. That's sad considering I read his lectures were quite entertaining and alot more relaxed. Too bad he didn't use that kind of style in his writing.

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## Prince Smiles

Its so subjective, age, education, gender, required reading, current emotional state, blah, blah, blah.

The book that you found the most boring?, would be a better title, or better still, The book you found the most challenging. or better, better still, ***The book you found the most challenging, that scouts honour, you read properly all the way to the end?* 

5 books off the top of my noggin I found the most challenging:

*Remembrance of Things Past, Pale Fire, Lord of the Rings, Moby Dee, Nausea*

*Remembrance:* tough reading because the protagonist is such a weedy b*stard who needs a good kicking. Yes, everyone gets to the Madeleine cake, it takes true grit to get to the water lily! To anyone who got to and pressed on beyond the water lily, pm me and Ill send you a case of Worthington Pale Ale. 

*Pale Fire:* I remember thinking, well this isnt a particularly thick book. It shouldnt take long to get through this..Vladimir!

*Lord of the Rings:* Fantasy, what a second rate genre compared to its mighty cousin, Science Fiction. Science Fiction, a possible future for mankind. In. Fantasy, a long, long time ago in a distant galaxy. Out (Yaaaaawn). Hands on hearts, how many of you can honesty say they enjoyed reading this manure all the way to the end scene of scaling that slag heap to toss the ring away? 

*Moby Dee:* Herman Melville was neighbors with Nathaniel Hawthorne, nough said. 
Ive said this before, the book starts off like a rip roaring adventure tale and then Melville must have had a change of heart and decided to write a very, very different book. It all depends on how much time you have to invest in biblical referencing, U.S democracy, maritime history, and psycho-analysis. (Oh, and the fella who commented on this great work of genius on the strength of having read the childrens edition earlier in the thread needs life banning :Smilielol5: )

*Nausea:* Nausea? The only motion sickness from this outing by Sartre comes from the movement of page turning at a rate of one page every hour or so.

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## papillondemai

I didn't bother to read any of them but I bet all of the Harry Potter books, and all of the vampire books belong on the list.

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## The Highwayman

It wasn't painfully boring, but Turn of the Screw was kinda tough for me to get through. I was hoping for a more intriguing ghost story. I do really like Henry James. It just seemed like it took forever to get through it.

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## quidoftullamore

Heart of Darkness was required reading for me in high school. I recall it making me sleepy and my classmates didn't seem to like it much either. Of course, opinions do tend to change over the years, so I hope to reread it one day and see if _I_ can bring something new to the reading.

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## Prince Smiles

> Heart of Darkness was required reading for me in high school. I recall it making me sleepy and my classmates didn't seem to like it much either. Of course, opinions do tend to change over the years, so I hope to reread it one day and see if _I_ can bring something new to the reading.


Heart of Darkness, as with all Conrad requires commitment. If you find you would like more narration by Marlow try the earlier (1900) Lord Jim for kicks. it weighs in at 300 pages are apposed to HoD's under 100. 

It amazes me students are asked to read HoD at high school. Yes, it has the adventure element that would appeal to teenagers, but the in depth psychological inquiries are not something teenagers can easily relate to. 

It's the same with Lord Jim. Conrad could have written that book Ala Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, pure adventure fiction, and it would be widely read as Treasure Island. It has a lot of action and as many exotic locations as an Ian Flemming novel, but one as to commit fully to the deep psychology with the book and have a slow pace of reading to fully appreciate Conrad's descriptive genius. Conrad would not have been Conrad if he had taken the straight forward story telling route though. 

Other texts that are 'prescribed' in high school to youngsters who perhaps don't have the life experience to appreciate the content fully: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Gatsby, and The Catcher in the Rye.

Maybe I a wrong, and kids need to be exposed to this great literature as an early age. On the other side of the coin, my cousin's daughter was reading Harry Potter at community college a few years back. It took all I could muster to not literally burst out laughing in front of her!

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## papillondemai

5 books off the top of my noggin’ I found the most ‘challenging’:

Remembrance of Things Past, Pale Fire, Lord of the Rings, Moby Dee, Nausea

I have to agree with Moby Dick and Remembrance. I am reading Moby Dick right now and it is just not wrapping me up into that world. 

Years ago I told myself "well you have to read some Marcel Proust," and I chose Remembrance. I still haven't read Proust.

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## pinkpanda1991

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I know a lot of people who love this book but I just don't know why. The entire book was so boring and the end so anticlimactic that I was just disappointed.

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## pinkpanda1991

Don't knock Harry Potter till you read it!

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## WICKES

Joyce's Portrait of the artist. Oh god I ****ing hate you James Joyce!!!! His works, along with Proust's Remembrance, hang over the head of every pseudo-intellectual (like me). I know it's my limitations as a reader that are to blame, and I do bow humbly to the superior taste and intellect of the professors who assure me that Joyce was a genius, but life is too short, Joyce is too long and there are far too many other books full of wisdom and beauty.

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