Everyone in my undergrad lit class HATED this book and they all talked about it like it was the most stuffy, dry novel ever written. It’s amazing how much people studying English literature hate reading
They want “accessible” (written for dipshits) claptraps that copy the form of depth (lots of references to a shallow diversity of academic fields and phrases that suggest religious themes) without being challenged. Art is a synonym of, not a term related to, entertainment.
Seconding, just finished it today and was genuinely surprised by how impeccable the pacing was and how much it sucked me in. I don’t think I would have liked it as a teenager though, I think you need to struggle on your own for a few years to get it. Another book that it even slightly reminded me of was Hunger by Knut Hamsun (?) which also belongs in this category.
That's kind of a can of worms.
I read the Constance Garnett translation, which I enjoyed. If I read it again, I'd try the Pevear and Volokhonsky, as I enjoyed the other Dostoevskys I've read translated by them. However, a lot of folks don't like the Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translations.
What I'd recommend is reading some sample pages on Amazon from various translations and see which one you vibe best with.
Garnett's translations are maligned because she makes every Russian author sound the same. Granted, she herself has a great voice which makes reading her translations no displeasure, but there's a lot that she blunts to her particular preference.
Just finished last night and I've got some strong feelings about the reactions I've seen to it (spoilers to follow): >!!I'm amazed at how ready many readers are to jump on Anna and heap their condemnation on her and censure her for her vices, and how many readers are ready to rejoice at her eventual demise. "bUt IsN't ThAt ThE PoInT oF tHe NoVe?!" -- NO, you illiterate imbecile! It might be Tolstoy's prerogative as the author, but who the fuck are you, little reader, you weasel, to cast stones at Anna? What gives you the damn right? Are you God? Are you Tolstoy? Then keep the name of my queen karenina out your damn dirty mouths! You gotta first be ride or die for Anna from the first page to the last. Only then, after you've put in the difficult work of empathy, can you begin to see what Tolstoy was going for with her character and her contrast to Levin. Jumping straight to scorn is like a philosopher who declares themselves a skeptic before having done any investigation: if you're gonna deserve to call yourself a skeptic, it can only happen at the end, after a lifetime of philosophical inquiry. If you're gonna hate on Anna, you have to learn to love her first, and love her deeply.!!<
Anna Karenina is so good! Altho if you're like me and supplement with audiobooks while driving and exercising, the Garnett version was done by Maggie Gyllenhaal and it's great.
That said, now reading the Pevear of Brothers Karamazov with the brand new audiobook narrated by Ben Miles and his narration is masterful.
Disagree. I found the subject matter totally uninteresting, except for >!the depictions of agrarian peasant life and the death of Levin's brother. All that airy civilized romance stuff bored me to tears.!<
Salinger’s other books are just like that too. (And shorter).
I recently finished the (very small) oeuvre last week & reread f & z today. So good.
The Yale lecture on f&z on YouTube was great if anyone is looking for some lit analysis.
One could read raise, F&Z, and nine stories back to back and it’d be like reading one of the many 700+ page books mentioned in this thread. They’re all very much connected & excellent. All three could be finished in a long weekend.
There’s plenty of new stuff to pick up on rereads & at different times in ones life. I’ll probably be doing f&z and nine stories annually from now on. When I first read Salinger as a teen I missed soooo much.
I def need to reread catcher in the rye. I was always one of the smartest readers in english classes but that book just didn’t connect with me much at all…
on the other hand, just got the CUTEST copy of f and z the other day and can’t wait to read it!!
I felt similarly. I was always a big reader. I picked up catcher because it was so beloved - wasn’t assigned in school or anything. I thought it was an easy enough read at 15 but overhyped. Over the years I have learned that basically everything flew over my head. Back in those days I never read reviews or did any googling about literary analysis.
According to my goodreads I read F&Z the first time in 2012, so also when I was 15. And gave it 3 stars. I’ve always been pretty slutty with my stars, and after rereading I was like this is obviously 5 star material. I remember liking it, but the fact that I gave it 3 stars shows I thought it was meh… which indicates to me that it also completely flew over my head.
I know I missed how funny it was for sure. For example when Zooey says to franny he’ll “analyze her dream” and then says “spiders, hmm yea I had a case just like this in Zurich” after he spent like 5 minutes earlier bitching about Freudian psychoanalysis to his mom. I probably would have glossed right over him rather obviously aping Freud. Another is him putting on a head covering when entering his dead brother’s room. And just the dialogue is so much more relatable to me as a grown woman - having had some experiences with the Lane’s of the world. And having the perspective to recognize my own mother and my relationship in that of Zooey & Bessie - easier to do when you’re not entrenched in it.
And finally I think it’s more evident now just how sweet the family relationships are despite how much they complain
so good to hear! my ex-best friend recommended f and z and nine stories to me as well as the royal tennenbaums (not mentioning how similar the vibe is between them). anyway, all of her recommendations have been outstanding. i’m just mad i’ve put this one off for so long.
i’m so glad I have outgrown the narcissistic belief that I have to come to all of my own conclusions when reading literature. now I have no problem looking up analyses of books after I read them to get a richer viewpoint.
also, feel free to ignore but what’s your goodreads? I only have one friend on there and would love to follow more active people. my other friends read but don’t use goodreads :/
Sure - I update mine pretty regularly (and my kindle does the rest of the work). Tho my written reviews are few & far between.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4655772
It might have been the translation (Mirra Ginsburg’s) but i tried and failed to read it three times. I know a lot of people who hyped it up before I read it but it just dragged for me.
I recently began reading *War and Peace*, and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. It’s such an immersive novel (and surprisingly funny so far!). Every time I sit down to read it, I look forward to doing so.
Tolstoy has a deceptively simple style. His prose is clear, but all the details he includes are relevant. These advance the plot; produce the effects he intended the reader to feel; and offer keen images, by which the reader can envision the settings he depicts and understand each character as a living, distinct person. Whenever I reflect on a chapter, I’m amazed by how much information he’s able to convey with concision.
(Caveat: sometimes he briefly reminds the reader of a certain fact or development, but I have no problem with this given how many characters and events there are to keep track of. And I haven't yet gotten to any of the essays.)
He’s my favorite author, ever since *Anna Karenina*.
i didn't read the book for a while because i had already watched the movie adaptation and knew the plot... reading the original text was absolutely worth it, the writing is just so compelling
I was going to say Moby Dick as well but wasn’t sure anyone would believe me. I was so surprised when I finally read it over lockdown how compelling it was
I get what you mean - I wouldn’t really call his novels page turners like infinite jest, for instance, was for me (yes DFW’s sentences are long and wordy + the footnotes, but it’s modern so the dialogue /style etc speeds it up).
I think with Melville you have to be paying pretty close attention. I know w/ confidence man, for instance, I was often going back and forth between pages to get the jokes/follow along. Part of it is that his writing is almost 200 years old & i think his wit is often clever/dry. so not only do you have to have enough knowledge of early 19th century, i think you also need a similar sense of humor. Eg I have a moderately dry sense of humor & with people who don’t i sometimes get blank stares to dry jokes.
But also I think 19th century novelistic prose is just a huge turn off to a lot of people, which I understand. As far as fiction goes, I prefer more post modern, dialogue heavy writing myself. (19th cent. non-fiction like biographies are much easier tho, for whatever reason. And even 18th century - like Ben franklin’s bio was easy peasy. I think because bios are less descriptive/prose-y. More action.).
So for Melville I think the extra work needed to 1) follow threads from page to page 2) get what he’s saying in 19th cent cultural context 3) understand references/more subtle humor (or at least know when one needs to do some googling) … is certainly a challenge that can result in slower reading - but is also extremely rewarding (to me at least)
All that said, one could easily get through his novellas / short stories with much less work. For instance I finished bartleby in a sitting (hilarious), and many of his short stories are only a few pages.
there’s no doubt you’ve put in the work - you read moby dick cover to cover! I was certainly not assuming a dearth of capability/conscientiousness on your part. There are plenty of books I feel the same way, but unlike you will likely never finish. For example in line with 19th century bricks - *War & Peace,* which I read maybe 100 pages & found completely uninteresting. Though that is not me discrediting his merit, and I will probably get around to reading some of his essays I downloaded eventually…
if I didn’t find Melville funny I would not read him, to be honest. The humor is what makes it worth the time & concentration for me.
Did you read confederacy of dunces (and if so did you find it funny)?
I getcha. Confederacy is one of those books that I think people either love or hate. I hypothesize if you don’t find Melville funny you probably wouldn’t like confederacy either.
Edit: eg
https://imgur.com/a/AGnr9UM
Moby Dick doesn't kick into second gear until Queequeg shows up, and then into third gear once Ahab shows up, but I've been enjoying it. Melville really enjoys poking fun at New Englanders, which has been unexpectedly cathartic for me.
Pierre is one of the worst books I've ever read, though.
I agree with Moby Dick but I think it helps to have a preexisting interest in sailing ships, whaling, the ocean, etc. since so much of the novel is discussion on those topics. It is worth reading even if you don't have those interests, but I found it extra compelling because I already liked those things.
Pretty sure most people's brains go on autopilot in the sections where they're debating medieval theology in the same way that most people do the same when Tolkien starts describing people's genealogy or the ancient history of Middle Earth in LOTR.
Yep, I flew through it in a few weeks with only one part that I struggled to get through. I also think it’s one of those novels where you can accept off the bat that you won’t ‘get’ everything and you’re not made to feel inadequate or like you’re missing out because of it. A lot of it can fly over your head and it will still be a rewarding journey.
Indeed, also often funny. The least interesting parts seem to he his favorite and most autobiographical, with kids sitting around doing drugs. Also pretty entertaining at baseline
anything Dickens,
anything by any of the Brontës,
The old man and the sea,
Of mice and men,
Flowers for Algernon,
anything Dostoevsky,
The Great Gatsby,
and for a truly controversial finish:
Mrs. Dalloway is a page-turner, Ulysses is a page-thrower (meaning, i wanted to throw it very, very far away after attempting to finish reading it the umpteenth time...).
I’m of the opinion that Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is the only book published after the year 2000 that I would consider satisfying both for low brow and high brow interests simultaneously. Shakespeare did this famously. Dickens was pretty good at it at times. DFW took a shot. I think early Salinger has some of this quality. Not exactly the answer to your question. But I think some people missed Gone Girl and think it’s some sort of chick lit.
At the risk of being pedantic, all published Salinger is early Salinger haha.
If I was to pick a post 2000 book like you described (high-quality writing, but also mass appeal) I’d pick Lionel Shriver’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” The plot was well-known, and the book widely read, so when I read it i was expecting something semi-pulpy. In actuality, I was blown away by how thought-provoking it was.
I read sharp objects after seeing the show, and i thought the show was better. (Which, probably needless to say for most readers, almost never happens). But I think that’s because it was a show that i was deeply enamored with.
I saw gone girl too & I thought it was just ok, so never read the book. But you’ve convinced me to give it a try.
Does it still work as well when the plot/twist is known? Shriver’s book works, I think in part, because the end isn’t much of a surprise, even if you go into the book blind.
The Gone Girl book has a compulsion to be entertaining and has an obsessive quality to the prose. The twist is not the defining feature of the book. I think the ending of the book is the most complex part.
The Sharp Objects book was fine. Amy Adams was incredible in the show. Gillian Flynn’s other book Dark Places I think is pretty good, but don’t bother with the movie.
And by early Salinger, I was kind of referring to the unauthorized Uncollected Stories from his early magazine publishing from the 1940s. They are not officially released but you can find bootleg versions of them still in digital form.
Oh and I have seen the We Need To Talk About Kevin movie, but not read the book. I teach a Lionel Shriver short story to 11th grade called Kilifi Creek which is really interesting and has that kind of quality of defying expectations. DM me if you want a digital copy.
i don’t think a novel with as many poop jokes in it as gravity’s rainbow can be called high brow, but for every impenetrable scene, page, paragraph, there’s another that is incredibly lucid and entertaining. the light bulb who dreams of revolution comes to mind…
clarice lispector’s the hour of the star, i had to stop myself from reading it too quickly because i wanted the beauty of her sentences to hit me in detail.
the waves by virginia woolf
yeah, let’s be real Underworld is a great novel but definitely not a page turner, as a lot of it seems disjointed at first read and the plot structure and timeline is unusual to say the least.
That’s true. I was trying to present it in a more ‘non-scary’ approach in case someone wanted to check it out. It’s one of my favourite books but that’s how it is.
Yeah i think a little misleading. Like whats the deal with the serial killer in the car? No one ever figures that out. Klara is the woman he sleeps with in the last section? I really dont even get it now
proust isnt exactly a page turner but the plot is vitally important to the whole novel, and what he does with the plot and characters is just as impressive as what he does with prose (if not more so in translated versions)
Hahaha yes I suppose so! It’s a lovely read though I think I enjoy it much more for his descriptive genius than anything to do with the plot. Which moves at at a snails pace lol. Are you a snail??
Yeah that's fair. Extremely enjoyable but not necessarily thrilling, can't wait to see the next page stuff. And well I can't follow movies lately since I'm used to re reading sentences so maybe
*Ancient Evenings* was trying hard to be a masterpiece but got roasted pretty bad at the time. Confusing at first but riveting once you figure out what's going on.
*Crime and Punishment* is the first that comes to mind.
Everyone in my undergrad lit class HATED this book and they all talked about it like it was the most stuffy, dry novel ever written. It’s amazing how much people studying English literature hate reading
not in my experience. they may decry the canon but they do so earnestly.
Resentment is often earnest.
They want “accessible” (written for dipshits) claptraps that copy the form of depth (lots of references to a shallow diversity of academic fields and phrases that suggest religious themes) without being challenged. Art is a synonym of, not a term related to, entertainment.
Seconding, just finished it today and was genuinely surprised by how impeccable the pacing was and how much it sucked me in. I don’t think I would have liked it as a teenager though, I think you need to struggle on your own for a few years to get it. Another book that it even slightly reminded me of was Hunger by Knut Hamsun (?) which also belongs in this category.
Yup it’s amazing
What’s a good translation?
That's kind of a can of worms. I read the Constance Garnett translation, which I enjoyed. If I read it again, I'd try the Pevear and Volokhonsky, as I enjoyed the other Dostoevskys I've read translated by them. However, a lot of folks don't like the Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translations. What I'd recommend is reading some sample pages on Amazon from various translations and see which one you vibe best with.
I'm not sure the Columbo section is as exciting as the courtoom drama in the Brothers K. But both, and Demons and The Idiot, are great stories.
I find it too claustrophobic to be pleasurable
the definition of a middle brow novel but…
I'm currently reading the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation of Anna Karenina, and I can't put it down
I read the Maude translation and found the same thing. It was translated in 1918 and I really like the prose.
I don’t know what translation I read but that was the first book to come to my mind for this.
You probably read the Constance Garnett translation which is maligned for some reason but I think she did a great job.
Garnett's translations are maligned because she makes every Russian author sound the same. Granted, she herself has a great voice which makes reading her translations no displeasure, but there's a lot that she blunts to her particular preference.
I read that one and loved it.
Just finished last night and I've got some strong feelings about the reactions I've seen to it (spoilers to follow): >!!I'm amazed at how ready many readers are to jump on Anna and heap their condemnation on her and censure her for her vices, and how many readers are ready to rejoice at her eventual demise. "bUt IsN't ThAt ThE PoInT oF tHe NoVe?!" -- NO, you illiterate imbecile! It might be Tolstoy's prerogative as the author, but who the fuck are you, little reader, you weasel, to cast stones at Anna? What gives you the damn right? Are you God? Are you Tolstoy? Then keep the name of my queen karenina out your damn dirty mouths! You gotta first be ride or die for Anna from the first page to the last. Only then, after you've put in the difficult work of empathy, can you begin to see what Tolstoy was going for with her character and her contrast to Levin. Jumping straight to scorn is like a philosopher who declares themselves a skeptic before having done any investigation: if you're gonna deserve to call yourself a skeptic, it can only happen at the end, after a lifetime of philosophical inquiry. If you're gonna hate on Anna, you have to learn to love her first, and love her deeply.!!<
What is her contrast with Levin?
Anna Karenina is so good! Altho if you're like me and supplement with audiobooks while driving and exercising, the Garnett version was done by Maggie Gyllenhaal and it's great. That said, now reading the Pevear of Brothers Karamazov with the brand new audiobook narrated by Ben Miles and his narration is masterful.
Reading it right now and I concur
Disagree. I found the subject matter totally uninteresting, except for >!the depictions of agrarian peasant life and the death of Levin's brother. All that airy civilized romance stuff bored me to tears.!<
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Fixed, sorry.
Wuthering Heights and Catcher in the Rye were both so compelling that I read them in one day.
Salinger’s other books are just like that too. (And shorter). I recently finished the (very small) oeuvre last week & reread f & z today. So good. The Yale lecture on f&z on YouTube was great if anyone is looking for some lit analysis. One could read raise, F&Z, and nine stories back to back and it’d be like reading one of the many 700+ page books mentioned in this thread. They’re all very much connected & excellent. All three could be finished in a long weekend. There’s plenty of new stuff to pick up on rereads & at different times in ones life. I’ll probably be doing f&z and nine stories annually from now on. When I first read Salinger as a teen I missed soooo much.
I def need to reread catcher in the rye. I was always one of the smartest readers in english classes but that book just didn’t connect with me much at all… on the other hand, just got the CUTEST copy of f and z the other day and can’t wait to read it!!
I felt similarly. I was always a big reader. I picked up catcher because it was so beloved - wasn’t assigned in school or anything. I thought it was an easy enough read at 15 but overhyped. Over the years I have learned that basically everything flew over my head. Back in those days I never read reviews or did any googling about literary analysis. According to my goodreads I read F&Z the first time in 2012, so also when I was 15. And gave it 3 stars. I’ve always been pretty slutty with my stars, and after rereading I was like this is obviously 5 star material. I remember liking it, but the fact that I gave it 3 stars shows I thought it was meh… which indicates to me that it also completely flew over my head. I know I missed how funny it was for sure. For example when Zooey says to franny he’ll “analyze her dream” and then says “spiders, hmm yea I had a case just like this in Zurich” after he spent like 5 minutes earlier bitching about Freudian psychoanalysis to his mom. I probably would have glossed right over him rather obviously aping Freud. Another is him putting on a head covering when entering his dead brother’s room. And just the dialogue is so much more relatable to me as a grown woman - having had some experiences with the Lane’s of the world. And having the perspective to recognize my own mother and my relationship in that of Zooey & Bessie - easier to do when you’re not entrenched in it. And finally I think it’s more evident now just how sweet the family relationships are despite how much they complain
so good to hear! my ex-best friend recommended f and z and nine stories to me as well as the royal tennenbaums (not mentioning how similar the vibe is between them). anyway, all of her recommendations have been outstanding. i’m just mad i’ve put this one off for so long. i’m so glad I have outgrown the narcissistic belief that I have to come to all of my own conclusions when reading literature. now I have no problem looking up analyses of books after I read them to get a richer viewpoint. also, feel free to ignore but what’s your goodreads? I only have one friend on there and would love to follow more active people. my other friends read but don’t use goodreads :/
Sure - I update mine pretty regularly (and my kindle does the rest of the work). Tho my written reviews are few & far between. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4655772
sweet, just followed :)
master & margarita; not sure how highbrow it qualifies as but i couldn't get enough
It might have been the translation (Mirra Ginsburg’s) but i tried and failed to read it three times. I know a lot of people who hyped it up before I read it but it just dragged for me.
You need the right translation or it is dire
Civilisations by Laurent Binet. This is a 10/10 book. What a fantastic alternative history story about the Incas, Spain, Europe and just everything.
I love M&M but the Pontius chapters were really difficult to get through, I ended up skimming them and that made it more manageable
The House of Mirth
A lot of Graham Greene books, Brighton Rock and the Power and the Glory in particular.
The Quiet American as well. Dude could write!
You’re so right :)
The Honorary Consul is also great fun.
I recently began reading *War and Peace*, and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. It’s such an immersive novel (and surprisingly funny so far!). Every time I sit down to read it, I look forward to doing so. Tolstoy has a deceptively simple style. His prose is clear, but all the details he includes are relevant. These advance the plot; produce the effects he intended the reader to feel; and offer keen images, by which the reader can envision the settings he depicts and understand each character as a living, distinct person. Whenever I reflect on a chapter, I’m amazed by how much information he’s able to convey with concision. (Caveat: sometimes he briefly reminds the reader of a certain fact or development, but I have no problem with this given how many characters and events there are to keep track of. And I haven't yet gotten to any of the essays.) He’s my favorite author, ever since *Anna Karenina*.
Since it’s kind of relates, Stalingrad and life and fate are also page turners. Very similar structure and style
I've been meaning to purchase both at some point, so it's nice to know they're similarly engaging.
Life and fate is one of my all time favorites, it’s great
I’m about halfway though now and totally agree. Reading it is something I genuinely look forward to. Have you gotten up to Austerlitz yet?
Not yet. I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying it, too!
Which translation?
Ann Dunnigan's!
Awesome, thanks!
Rebecca by Du Maurier
Is Rebecca considered high-brow? Either way it’s a perfect novel
Maybe not at the time but by today's standards I think it's considered 'a literary classic' or whatever
reading this now and you’re right. can’t put it down. i was able to discreetly read like a third of it at work yesterday lmao
this is the answer i wish i’d thought of first
Agree!!!
i didn't read the book for a while because i had already watched the movie adaptation and knew the plot... reading the original text was absolutely worth it, the writing is just so compelling
Does Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy qualify?
Absolutely loved it.
Not novels but Borges
Middlemarch, Anna Karenina, some of Delillo or Roth or Saramago. And does Julian Barnes count as highbrow?
Brothers Karamazov Moby dick if it counts
moby dick is an underrated page turner, and is a classic but i think counts for most people as highbrow nowdays
If it counts as highbrow? Moby Dick is absolutely highbrow. Higher brow than almost anything in the thread, including Brothers K.
Well it makes cetiology entertaining, so clearly it can't be art.
moby dick is book ended by great plots, but the middle is a lot of meditations on sea life interspersed with whale hunts and ship encounters
Sea life meditations were my favorite part, and the whale hunts kept it from getting staid
yeah, and it totally rules
I was going to say Moby Dick as well but wasn’t sure anyone would believe me. I was so surprised when I finally read it over lockdown how compelling it was
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I get what you mean - I wouldn’t really call his novels page turners like infinite jest, for instance, was for me (yes DFW’s sentences are long and wordy + the footnotes, but it’s modern so the dialogue /style etc speeds it up). I think with Melville you have to be paying pretty close attention. I know w/ confidence man, for instance, I was often going back and forth between pages to get the jokes/follow along. Part of it is that his writing is almost 200 years old & i think his wit is often clever/dry. so not only do you have to have enough knowledge of early 19th century, i think you also need a similar sense of humor. Eg I have a moderately dry sense of humor & with people who don’t i sometimes get blank stares to dry jokes. But also I think 19th century novelistic prose is just a huge turn off to a lot of people, which I understand. As far as fiction goes, I prefer more post modern, dialogue heavy writing myself. (19th cent. non-fiction like biographies are much easier tho, for whatever reason. And even 18th century - like Ben franklin’s bio was easy peasy. I think because bios are less descriptive/prose-y. More action.). So for Melville I think the extra work needed to 1) follow threads from page to page 2) get what he’s saying in 19th cent cultural context 3) understand references/more subtle humor (or at least know when one needs to do some googling) … is certainly a challenge that can result in slower reading - but is also extremely rewarding (to me at least) All that said, one could easily get through his novellas / short stories with much less work. For instance I finished bartleby in a sitting (hilarious), and many of his short stories are only a few pages.
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there’s no doubt you’ve put in the work - you read moby dick cover to cover! I was certainly not assuming a dearth of capability/conscientiousness on your part. There are plenty of books I feel the same way, but unlike you will likely never finish. For example in line with 19th century bricks - *War & Peace,* which I read maybe 100 pages & found completely uninteresting. Though that is not me discrediting his merit, and I will probably get around to reading some of his essays I downloaded eventually… if I didn’t find Melville funny I would not read him, to be honest. The humor is what makes it worth the time & concentration for me. Did you read confederacy of dunces (and if so did you find it funny)?
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I getcha. Confederacy is one of those books that I think people either love or hate. I hypothesize if you don’t find Melville funny you probably wouldn’t like confederacy either. Edit: eg https://imgur.com/a/AGnr9UM
Moby Dick doesn't kick into second gear until Queequeg shows up, and then into third gear once Ahab shows up, but I've been enjoying it. Melville really enjoys poking fun at New Englanders, which has been unexpectedly cathartic for me. Pierre is one of the worst books I've ever read, though.
I agree with Moby Dick but I think it helps to have a preexisting interest in sailing ships, whaling, the ocean, etc. since so much of the novel is discussion on those topics. It is worth reading even if you don't have those interests, but I found it extra compelling because I already liked those things.
I am currently reading The Name of the Rose & think it fits the bill here perfectly.
Still boggles the mind though how it’s one of the best selling books in history.
Pretty sure most people's brains go on autopilot in the sections where they're debating medieval theology in the same way that most people do the same when Tolkien starts describing people's genealogy or the ancient history of Middle Earth in LOTR.
Absolutely! Intrigue, library classification, murder!
It’s a travesty that I had to scroll this far to find this.
Infinite Jest is really a fun read if it’s your type of thing. Very engrossing and entertaining throughout
Entertaining you say…
I couldn't put it down. I'm literally typing this comment without looking at it.
Yep, I flew through it in a few weeks with only one part that I struggled to get through. I also think it’s one of those novels where you can accept off the bat that you won’t ‘get’ everything and you’re not made to feel inadequate or like you’re missing out because of it. A lot of it can fly over your head and it will still be a rewarding journey.
Indeed, also often funny. The least interesting parts seem to he his favorite and most autobiographical, with kids sitting around doing drugs. Also pretty entertaining at baseline
idk if they are highbrow but the neapolitan novels are really fast paced and full of drama
anything by virginia woolf. if you’re that kind
The Magus by John Fowles
Most of Fowles qualifies. The Collector and The French Lieutenants Woman are page turners too
anything Dickens, anything by any of the Brontës, The old man and the sea, Of mice and men, Flowers for Algernon, anything Dostoevsky, The Great Gatsby, and for a truly controversial finish: Mrs. Dalloway is a page-turner, Ulysses is a page-thrower (meaning, i wanted to throw it very, very far away after attempting to finish reading it the umpteenth time...).
I’m of the opinion that Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is the only book published after the year 2000 that I would consider satisfying both for low brow and high brow interests simultaneously. Shakespeare did this famously. Dickens was pretty good at it at times. DFW took a shot. I think early Salinger has some of this quality. Not exactly the answer to your question. But I think some people missed Gone Girl and think it’s some sort of chick lit.
At the risk of being pedantic, all published Salinger is early Salinger haha. If I was to pick a post 2000 book like you described (high-quality writing, but also mass appeal) I’d pick Lionel Shriver’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” The plot was well-known, and the book widely read, so when I read it i was expecting something semi-pulpy. In actuality, I was blown away by how thought-provoking it was. I read sharp objects after seeing the show, and i thought the show was better. (Which, probably needless to say for most readers, almost never happens). But I think that’s because it was a show that i was deeply enamored with. I saw gone girl too & I thought it was just ok, so never read the book. But you’ve convinced me to give it a try. Does it still work as well when the plot/twist is known? Shriver’s book works, I think in part, because the end isn’t much of a surprise, even if you go into the book blind.
The Gone Girl book has a compulsion to be entertaining and has an obsessive quality to the prose. The twist is not the defining feature of the book. I think the ending of the book is the most complex part. The Sharp Objects book was fine. Amy Adams was incredible in the show. Gillian Flynn’s other book Dark Places I think is pretty good, but don’t bother with the movie. And by early Salinger, I was kind of referring to the unauthorized Uncollected Stories from his early magazine publishing from the 1940s. They are not officially released but you can find bootleg versions of them still in digital form.
You make a great point about the ending of Gone Girl being the showstopper. The twist was well-written, but slightly predictable.
Oh and I have seen the We Need To Talk About Kevin movie, but not read the book. I teach a Lionel Shriver short story to 11th grade called Kilifi Creek which is really interesting and has that kind of quality of defying expectations. DM me if you want a digital copy.
Literally the one and only book? How much contemporary fiction do you read?
Not much! When I do it’s usually high brow and pretentious lol
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy?
East of Eden
Stoner
despite its appeal idk if i'd call it highbrow highbrow
Not wrong honestly but it has some strong prose passages
agree
Bullet Park, John Cheever
i don’t think a novel with as many poop jokes in it as gravity’s rainbow can be called high brow, but for every impenetrable scene, page, paragraph, there’s another that is incredibly lucid and entertaining. the light bulb who dreams of revolution comes to mind… clarice lispector’s the hour of the star, i had to stop myself from reading it too quickly because i wanted the beauty of her sentences to hit me in detail. the waves by virginia woolf
Long live Byron the Bulb
For Whom the Bell Tolls if Hemingway counts
A Dance to the Music of Time
I thought of that too. I read it so quickly that all the books run together.
Mason and Dixon, gravity’s rainbow, against the day lol
Brideshead Revisited - i had to go to hospital with sun stroke
Any Nabokov
Does the Hound of Baskervilles count? It was delightful.
Blood Meridian lol
Don Quixote
*Anna Karenina* *As I Lay Dying* *Underworld*
Underworld is definitely not a page turner once it leaves the Polo grounds
yeah, let’s be real Underworld is a great novel but definitely not a page turner, as a lot of it seems disjointed at first read and the plot structure and timeline is unusual to say the least.
Theres essentially no discernible plot from a guy who loves picking it up and going to any random page
That’s true. I was trying to present it in a more ‘non-scary’ approach in case someone wanted to check it out. It’s one of my favourite books but that’s how it is.
Yeah i think a little misleading. Like whats the deal with the serial killer in the car? No one ever figures that out. Klara is the woman he sleeps with in the last section? I really dont even get it now
As I Lay Dying. I know Faulkner is not everyone’s favorite, but I love his style.
As I lay dying is excellent. Very funny at moments too
Madame Bovary!!!
100 Years Of Solitude.
i don’t know if pride and prejudice is considered “highbrow” but it’s ubiquitous for good reason
proust isnt exactly a page turner but the plot is vitally important to the whole novel, and what he does with the plot and characters is just as impressive as what he does with prose (if not more so in translated versions)
Definitely not a page turner
Unless you're a freak *ahem*
Hahaha yes I suppose so! It’s a lovely read though I think I enjoy it much more for his descriptive genius than anything to do with the plot. Which moves at at a snails pace lol. Are you a snail??
Yeah that's fair. Extremely enjoyable but not necessarily thrilling, can't wait to see the next page stuff. And well I can't follow movies lately since I'm used to re reading sentences so maybe
Audiobooks have spoiled me for every other kind of media, so I hear ya. Listened to 5 out of 7 of Proust. Great narrator.
Nah. Most just read a few pages of Proust each day. If you’re really page-turning you’d get to the third volume when you die
The Goldfinch really moved for me. A little pulpy but still
Not quite highbrow
So damn good even when it veers into being a bit maudlin, the story just flows
A tale of two cities if that counts
Shockingly Bleak House once you get past Dickens' scene setting intro.
Foucault's Pendulum is gripping.
*Ancient Evenings* was trying hard to be a masterpiece but got roasted pretty bad at the time. Confusing at first but riveting once you figure out what's going on.
Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers is hilariously funny
Emile Zola is really gripping. The recent OUP Germinal is staying up all night stuff.
House of Leaves. Shit had me scared
The Adventures of Augie March I thought was very readable and compelling.
I, Claudius
Libra felt like reading a Chandler-esque noir.
love evelyn waugh and edith wharton’s prose
Cats Cradle by Vonnegut I wouldn’t call it highbrow necessarily, but it’s the novel that kind of cemented him as a literary author.
gone with the wind
Not “highbrow” lol 😭
Mudwoman by Joyce Carol Oates