I have gotten a little past the midway point of Richard Powers’ latest novel The Overstory, but I don’t think I am going to finish it.
I was really liking the book when I first started it, but it has been dragging for the last 100-150 pages, and I am finding it to be increasingly preachy and didactic. I feel like it is a case of a technically gifted author telling a story that is not all that interesting
The book is also not helped by yet another middle-aged male author having a young, attractive female character fall for his middle-aged male protagonist. I think I need to stick with the rule I have adopted for myself over the last year of only reading novels written by women.
@petebrown I have ploughed through some rubbish in my time because I felt you had to finish the book. Got a grip about 10’yeats ago. Now, I’ll give a book a fair go, about 100 pages. If nothing is happening then I call it a day. Sometimes I go back though… have tried Infinite Jest (who hasn’t?!) three times… made it 300 pages last time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but you really have to apply yourself and I inevitably get sidetracked. Next time!! 📚
@Cassinato Yeah, it took me a long time to get past the idea that I had to finish a book once I’d started it, but I’m pretty ruthless about it now. Too many books, too little time!