I think at least once in your life you have faced the following situation; your friend tells you about an amazing book he or she has read during just a few days and now he or she is under a great impression. Your friend says that you must read it and the book will blow your mind.You find this book and begin reading, you read, read, read and even if the previous chapter hasn't shown anything amazing you expect that the next one will expose something unbelievable.....and such hopes accompany you throughout the whole reading. And when you finally finish it and close the book, there is only one thought in your head: "What was that? What was supposed to astonish and amaze me?" Then you call your friend and check if you've read the right book. Yes, you have. And a very awkward talk follows when your friend is disappointed that you have not understood the best book in his or her life. You are disappointed that you have wasted your time, that your friend (whose tastes have not differed much from yours before) likes a book that you can even hardly call a book.
So, dear friends, I want to talk about a few such books and such situations in my life. The main reason why the following books have disappointed me is my believe that any kind of art should have a moral message that will help people to become better. I negate art for the sake of art. All the books I touch upon have not given me good and sound food for thought.
First of all, I should tell about my literature teacher in High School. She wanted her pupils to express very beautiful and wise thoughts which were to agree with hers. That meant if you had read a book, had analysed it properly but said something she didn't agree with, you would never get a high mark. So, as I had not the power of reading people's minds, quite often I couldn't guess what exactly I was supposed to say to get the mark I needed. When I finally realized that I would never succeed in it and there was no use trying, I let it go. I began expressing my own thoughts, especially, "I don't like this book and don't think it is good enough to be in our school reading list." Those words were addressed to a few writers and poets which irritated my teacher. And when we were supposed to discuss The Master and Margaret ... I showed some pity for my poor teacher and decided not to tell her what I thought about one of the greatest books of Russian literature. I was quiet during all the lessons devoted to that novel...and you know what? She even didn't look at me! I believe she didn't want to ruin that magic atmosphere of admiring the writer and his work. And she was right. I believe The Master and Margaret was the book I hated most at school.
The point is that one of the main characters is the Devil travelling around the world. He settles in Moscow in the 1930s in order to see how people live where they are forbidden to believe in God. He interacts with some of them. As we understand the Devil is a creature whose main goal is to get as many souls as possible, to seduce innocent people. But Bulgakov makes his Devil a character who sometimes frightens and disgusts but at the same time you can admire and approve some of his actions. As if he tries to set some sort of justice, the Devil and justice are for me two incompatible things. Now Margaret! In order to return to her great love, Master, she agrees to become the Queen at the Devil's ball. I don't like characters putting their wishes, no matter what they are, above anything. That meant that she sold her soul. And in the end, what do we see there? The Devil gives Master and Margaret rest in his world, not in paradise, but in his hell. As if he were able to show some mercy.
For me, the author perverted the whole truth and moral in his book. But you know what really disappointed me? I wanted to read it because all grown-ups kept telling me that it was a great book, really serious and great. Sorry, I saw only some fictional story enchanting its readers with the mysterious atmosphere. No moral to learn, no characters to admire.
When I was 16 my English teacher recommended me a few books. One of them was Vanity Fair. She said that I would enjoy it a lot. Well...even if not to take into account my ideas about book messages, I still cannot understand how someone can like this book. First of all, it's rather boring. The development of the story is slow, there are no any unexpected events. Everything is quite predictable. But while reading it I was still hoping to find something good in it. Especially when my good friend told me that even though I disliked the protagonist, Becky Sharp, in the very beginning I would absolutely love and admire her in the end. How am I supposed to admire a person who's got their high position in society by cheating and manipulating people? She had no moral principles, she could easily overstep anyone to get what she wanted. The full name of the novel is Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero. And that's right; there is not a single character you would describe as a good one. But still, people whose opinion I used to value advised me to read it. How did that happen?
For a long time I was hearing about Lawrence's great novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover. A great number of women told me that it was a wonderful book about the inner awakening of a woman. Well, taking into account my experience with the other recommended books I didn't hurry to find that book. But the novel must have decided to find me by itself. It was on my exam reading list in English Literature, so, I had no choice. To tell the truth I tried to stop reading it about 3 times. It irritated and disgusted me so much that I even had nightmares for a few days. What kind of inner awakening did all those women mean? I believe sexual. All right, the protagonist, Constance, is unhappy in her marriage because her husband is disabled. He can't walk. They don't have any physical relations for a long time. He's boring and so is her life. But where does she find her salvation?
In the bed of her gamekeeper, Oliver. Don't even dream that he enchanted and seduced her. No, she just felt physical attraction and they had sex. I remember one of their dialogues and it irritated me more than anything. "I can't love you, - she says. - I don't ask you to do it. - I want to but I can't". Oh, common! So, the author devoted most attention to the fact that without proper sexual relationships it is impossible to be happy. All those talks about their sex and his penis drove me crazy. Sorry, guys, this type of masterpiece is an absolutely not for me.
Well....well....well. I don't even know what to begin with. The first book of the trilogy was published in 2011 and has been called a romance novel, a modern love story. Please, forgive me, Mrs. James, but it looks more like a manual in sadomasochist sex. I believe that if the author's aim was to tell an unusual love story she might have avoided that amount of untraditional sex description. That's why when I hear my colleagues discussing the book and saying that they can't stop reading, I feel really sad. How spoilt and degraded our society has become. They tell me: "Please, don't think that I'm a pervert. I am not. I don't understand why I like this book, but it's so interesting". Well, if my friends wanted real, exciting relationships, some novel telling about what helps people to get closer or what ruins their relationships is not the way to go. So, please! If you like this book, well you've got the right to like it and it's not for me to tell you what to like or dislike. But please!! Don't lie. You're definitely interested in the characters' sex - not their relationships. Why does it disappoint me? I have never thought that a sex manual would beat all bookselling records.