here's time magazine's list of the 100 best novels of all time.
and here's amazon.com's one star reviews of those same novels.
some highlights:
The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
Author: J.D. Salinger
“So many other good books…don’t waste your time on this one. J.D. Salinger went into hiding because he was embarrassed.”
A Clockwork Orange (1963)
Author: Anthony Burgess
“In the first 20 pages, Alex and his lackies beat a guy senseless and rob him; they steal a car and trash it, they get into a vicious gang fight; they attack a couple at their home, destroy the husband’s life work (his book, A Clockwork Orange), beat him and his wife senseless, and rape the wife. This really ticked me off.”
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Author: C.S. Lewis
“I bought these books to have something nice to read to my grandkids. I had to stop, however, because the books are nothing more than advertisements for “Turkish Delight,” a candy popular in the U.K. The whole point of buying books for my grandkids was to give them a break from advertising, and here (throughout) are ads for this “Turkish Delight”! How much money is this Mr. Lewis getting from the Cadbury’s chocolate company anyway? This man must be laughing to the bank.”
Lord of the Flies (1955)
Author: William Golding
“I am obsessed with Survivor, so I thought it would be fun. WRONG!!! It is incredibly boring and disgusting. I was very much disturbed when I found young children killing each other. I think that anyone with a conscience would agree with me.”
Naked Lunch (1959)
Author: William Burroughs
“I’m a Steely Dan fan so naturally I wanted to read the book they thought compelling enough to name their band after an element of.”
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
Author: Harper Lee
“I don’t see why this book is so fabulous. I would give it a zero. I find no point in writing a book about segregation, there’s no way of making it into an enjoyable book. And yes I am totally against segregation.”
Tropic of Cancer (1934)
Author: Henry Miller
“This book is one of the worst books I have ever read. I got to about page 3-4.”
(brought to my attention by el micko of beingcharliekaufman.com fame!)
2 comments:
Nice to see the "Watchmen" grafic novel in amongst that list of literary greats. "Are You there God, it's Me, Margaret" is another oft-overlooked gem.
i think i've read "are you there.." at least 20 times,maybe more. it was my all-time favorite as a youth. all of judy blume's books kicked ass, though. she was good.
Post a Comment